Wanted: Premium-skilled help for subpar pay. Apply within

Once again, a job posting is out there where an agency is looking for something for nothing. They sent out the following on The Posse List, a listserve for job postings for contract attorneys that I have mentioned before:

[An agency I've never worked for] is staffing a document review project in Washington, DC.  Candidates must have a financial background and it must be reflected on their resume.

 Project Details:

• Location – Washington, DC
• Start Date –  within the next 2 weeks 
• Duration – 2 months
• Schedule – 40 hrs/wk (possibility of OT)  
• Rate – $30 per hour

 Project Requirements:

1. Bar Membership – Any US jurisdiction (active and in good standing)
2. Financial work expertise/experience required
3. Familiarity with Concordance or Clearwell review tool preferred (please reflect this on your resume)
4. Must be commutable or have a place to stay in DC for the duration of the project (Hire Counsel does not pay for relocation costs)

Please answer the following questions in your response:

1.       Do you have another job, legal or otherwise?

2.      Have you recently been submitted for another temporary or permanent job for which you are waiting to get feedback on?

3.      If selected for this project, will you commit to the project for the duration we are describing?

How to Apply - READ CAREFULLY (No Phone Calls Please!)

Simply send your resume as an MS Word file (even if you know we have it already) to [the agency I've never worked for] and indicate that you meet the requirements listed above.

What Happens Next?

When we receive your resume and email indicating how you meet each of the requirements listed above we will review the resume and call you if we believe there is a good potential that you would be selected.  Once we have spoken to you and obtained your permission we will send the resume to our client.  Once we hear from them we will let you know if you were selected for the project.  We will not send your resume ANYWHERE without your express permission to do so.

So, the agency is offering a project at a rate that is a little below what most agencies are paying, with an indefinite start-date (are you supposed to sit on your ass for two weeks waiting for this project, only to learn that it actually won't start until January and that it will last two weeks, not two months?) and no overtime. There is always a possibility of overtime, as there are more than 40 hours a week. Of course, there is always a possibility of an asteroid striking Earth and ending all life. However, unless someone has spotted a particular asteroid and identified it as an Earth-killer, that possibility is unlikely to be realized anytime soon. Same for the overtime.

So, bad money, no OT, uncertain start date and a short project. What's not to like, right? I'll tell you what: they are offering shit terms and still want you to have some expertise in a particular field. Please note what I put in bold and red in the ad: they want expertise in financial work, but will settle for experience. I suspect they will get neither, as the submissions they will get for a shit project like this will be from people whose financial experience involves paying for coffee at Starbucks. Serves them right. If you want expertise, pay for it.