What if someone offered you money just to appear at a job interview? Would that get you excited and push you to explore the invitation? A McDonald's outlet in Florida is doing exactly that - offering $50 to anyone who comes in for a job interview. With the local service industry in Florida experiencing a record shortage of workers, the owner of the McDonald's in the Tampa area has put up a board outside the outlet that states the interviews would be from Mondays to Fridays at 2 pm.
The innovative advertisement found its way to Twitter thanks to a user, Dan Nunn (@danyay). Sharing the post, he wrote, "Regular check in to how the labor market is right now..."
Responding to this, another user commented, "I know a man who has done this with his restaurant. People who show up and do the whole interview (seriously, not wasting time) have the option of taking the job or $100. His rationale is he only wants employees who really want the job and will treat it with respect."
According to FOX5, the McDonald's outlet in the Tampa area is owned by the Caspers Company, which owns about 60 other franchises of the fast-food joint in the city. Blake Casper, the owner said that a general manager and supervisor came up with the idea after struggling to find enough staff.
However, despite the offer, reportedly nobody turned up for the interview. James Meadowcraft, the manager at the Tampa outlet, told New York Post that he had to remove the sign soon because it didn't attract a single candidate. "No one responded. I didn't even get anyone trying to scam us," said Meadowcraft.
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To counter the labour shortage, Casper said he was looking at raising starting wages from $12 to $13. Even in St. Petersburg, another city in Florida, a few other eateries and bars have started paying $200 to those hired recently. Apart from that, they even offered a raise after a 90-day performance review. Yet, they haven't found takers.
Citing the reason for the labour shortfall, a restaurant owner said that the government assistance had ensured that people can earn even while they stay at home. However, others said hiring was difficult due to lingering COVID-19 fears, and the mass exodus of people to their hometowns last year in the face of an uncertain future.