I interviewed for this position in Q1 of 2020.
If you’re reading this and you are a founder or business owner, I am sure leadership, culture, and respect are things you value when you’re looking for your next step.
The initial role you’ll see is posted at a $125K+ salary. However when you speak to the first person the process it’s revealed that it’s $75K base and the rest is conditional on your commission.
The theme of “bait and switch”, disguised as “new information” is a common theme in this story. Hang in here with me. This is a good story.
You start with a personality test, answer in long form written scenario questions and eventually speak with their talent recruiter twice.
Total amount of hours spent with the talent recruiter will be 2-3 hours. My experience was positive.
Then you are passed off to an Advisor who is in your vicinity. My experience was neutral.
I asked to speak with another advisor outside of my vicinity, this experience was positive.
The next phase is speaking with a director. My experience was positive.
By this time, it’s May 2020, COVID19 has changed all of our lives and I’m lined up to talk to the founder.
I’m navigating being a new mom (postpartum to a newborn) while interviewing with Cultivate. They knew about me becoming a new mom, nothing was hidden, no bait and switch on my end.
Halfway through my 2 hour virtual interview with him, my newborn wakes up and I have to end our session early and reschedule. Again, no bait and switch, everyone knows what my status is.
He then reschedules another 1 hour interview.
For our rescheduled 1 hour interview this is where it gets good:
The first question he asks is:
He: “So I have two questions. My first one is: what is your co-parenting situation like with your husband?”
Me: “...you are asking how I parent with my husband”
He: (starts squirming) “no...I’m asking... What’s the arrangement with you and your husband?”
Me: “So you’re asking what my relationship with my husband is as parents?”
The second question was:
“What are your childcare plans?”
As though he was expecting me to say: “I have no plans. I will have a baby/child stuck to my hip for all client meetings”. Based off of what? A one-time incident in a very unusual environment (COVID19, being a mom to a newborn)?
This demonstrates that the founder is not able to overlook the short term for the bigger picture.
To end the interview, I uncomfortably asked him my questions but really started phasing out in interest. As an entrepreneur, I want to work with an all-star team and a leadership style that I consider world class. He was far from this definition.
Here's the last part, the compensation you might be wondering about.
Initially, it was the $75K base + commission they advertised.
Then because of “COVID19” they said no hires for Q3/4 are paid that model, and all advisors would be contractors only.
I declined this offer, and they said they would still like to proceed but in Q1 2021.
At the end of the interview, he must've forgotten that lie and told me that they're starting the group in Q3/4 on full salary + commission base. Again, bait and switch; inconsistent with item 2.
TLDR:
1. Bait and switch tactics, read up on College Pros as an MLM/Pyramid scheme, both founders are both from here;
2. Must have the patience to navigate their bait and switch tactics; and
3. I had a 1 hour interview scheduled with the founder and in it, he had 2 questions to ask me and both were illegal.
