World Group, Inc. Needs the Unaware

When the HR manager contacted me, within an hour of submitting my application, she told me that they had reviewed my resume and wanted to interview me for a management position. I accepted the interview even though she avoided providing information about the company, made no mention of a company name, and failed to provide an explanation of the position. All I was left with was the name, World Group, Inc., on my caller ID to use for research.

After attempting several different search phrases and keyword combinations, I was unable to find a website. The fact that an advertising and public relations firm did not have a website prompted me to broaden my search. What I found at rippedoffonline.com, a forum dedicated to airing complaints of fraudulent businesses, were countless claims like “this company has changed its name several times,” “they do not pay what they promise to pay,” and “they train representatives to lie to customers,” to name a few. I thought to myself, "this sounds like one of the typical employment scams.

At this point, it would have been very easy for me to cancel my interview based on what I learned, but the desire to experience it for myself completely outweighed my concerns. More importantly, I needed to hear what the principals of World Group, Inc. company had to say about these claims. So, I emailed my concerns to the HR manager and included a direct link to the website where I had discovered the claims.

She responded by denying the claims and defensively suggesting that I cancel the interview if I believe everything I read online (good point). She also mentioned that she had brought this to the attention of the higher-ups.

I respectfully responded by saying, “Don't get the wrong idea; I found it comical. It's very clear that it was from ex-employees with below-average communication skills. Unfortunately, this kind of lible can make the job of attracting talent more difficult than it needs to be. I like to provide real solutions to real problems that companies face when I interview. I can show you how to capture the first page of search results to eliminate this issue. See you at 11:45 a.m.”

After waiting for well over an hour, I had the pleasure of interviewing with the top hiring manager and the self-proclaimed owner (my email worked like a charm). I was told by the owner that they have been doing this for 32 years (he looked to be about 30 years old). He boasted that World Group, Inc. gets over 200 online application submissions per day. Both the hiring manager and the owner agreed that employees normally only last a week, which intrigued me, so I probed about the particulars of the position.

They hiring manager informed me that I would be driving all around town (on my own dime) to cover events at Sam's Club and other major retailers. I would also be expected to go door-to-door and from small business to small business to sell free auto glass replacement services (covered under insurance, but most can be repaired). Basically, I could make $50 per sale, and if I made it through the six- to nine-month training program, they would give me my own office to manage (the math is self-explanatory).

As the interview progressed, the owner probed me repeatedly about my solution for covering up negative comments posted on rip off reports. I finally told him that social media, like facebook and Myspace get ranked quickly in the search engines, and very few people search past the first page of results. I couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't it make sense to find ways to increase the concentration of qualified applicants that have the skills to last more than a week? What if you had more employees last for a month or maybe even three months?" They laughed, and acted as if they could care less. The owner abruptly stood up and said, "I have 26 locations, just in Florida. So that is not necessary and what people are saying about us hasn’t hurt our success yet; even if it is true.”

Within 20 minutes of the interview, World Group, Inc. signed up for facebook. I know this because the date stamp of the first post was at 1:41 PM. You can see for yourself from the reference links. They are obviously more concerned about hiding whistle blowers than they are about finding qualified talent.

World Group, Inc.
400 SR 436 #202 Casselberry, FL 32707
321-295-7849