To Pitch Or Not To Pitch?

Anonymous

July 18,2022 at 3:00AM UTC

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To Pitch Or Not To Pitch?

I was contacted about a job opportunity through LinkedIn. The person stated their company was looking for remote producers in my area for upcoming events. Their company looks legit, but I was given no details about the job or the events. No job responsibilities, start date, covid requirements, type of events, etc. Just a title for the position. They requested to set up a quick video chat to see if I'm a good fit and for me to email my resume and portfolio examples. I agreed. I sent the requested items with a cover letter. After confirming the appt. time, I was asked to create a short pitch deck for the video interview showing why they should hire me. This was a little unsettling to me. I understand that company's request you to provide short samples and tests to weed candidates out, but in my experience this is requested with a job description and details or after the 1st or 2nd interview. I replied back and asked if they wanted to see more of my designing and other skills I could send them a case study that's not included in my portfolio. They stated they preferred the pitch deck. I replied back and requested that they send me a job description and details of the events because the whole idea of the video chat was not only for them to get to know me, but give me the details of the job so don't know if I want the position, if I'm even available, or what. That was 2 days ago and I have not gotten a response back. I don't want to invest time in creating a deck for an opportunity that I know nothing about or the company. I plan on attending the video chat without a pitch deck. Am I wrong for this? What do you all think?

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AnonymousJuly 18,2022 at 4:46AM UTC
It sounds like they want to use your work for free. No written job description it’s as sketchy as it gets for me
AnonymousJuly 18,2022 at 5:08AM UTC
Extremely unprofessional of them. Your instincts are on point.
Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 18,2022 at 6:16AM UTC
Unless they're willing to give you information about the position, compensation and benefits, I wouldn't give this company one second more of your time.
AnonymousJuly 18,2022 at 4:31PM UTC
You're absolutely right. Thank you!
AnonymousJuly 18,2022 at 1:29PM UTC
It sounds like you are more invested in this position than they are. I would not do anything else for them and politely decline any more conversations with them if you do hear back from them, but I don't think you will.
AnonymousJuly 18,2022 at 4:31PM UTC
Thank you for the feedback. I'm actually not that invested in the position. I accepted the video call to get to know them and get the details for what they need, but they want me to create a short pitch deck that highlights why I'm good at what I do - which doesn't make sense to me because that can be verbally stated during the call. That's why I asked them if they want another portfolio example instead of the pitch deck.
JenniferJuly 21,2022 at 12:51AM UTC
Did they ever reply? I imagine the answer is no, but I'm super-curious what, if any, reply they had. In my mind this is a company that hosts "events" where representatives give cutlery and cookware demos at malls or pass out food samples at Costco.
So I have interviewed for positions without having seen the actual job description, but that was because either an internal or external recruiter reached out to me with the title and company, and we extensively discussed the position. I'm mid-career, they were large companies (over 10K employees) in my industry, with unambiguous titles. It was definitely more informative than the generic job descriptions. But I've never been asked to do a presentation, and I don't apply anywhere that has "project" or "presentation" prework . Exceedingly unusual in my industry, though it might be more normal in creative roles.
I've never talked to a professional event producer. Sounds like an interesting job! What sorts of events do you produce?
AnonymousAugust 8,2022 at 6:58PM UTC
Sorry for the delay. I ended up doing the video chat without a pitch deck. I was told the deck was not necessary for me and that it was a generic request that's sent for certain roles. The admin assistant who sent it didn't know this. The video chat went extremely well. I also met with the management team in person while they were in my city. That went very well too. So everything seems promising as long as the contract is finalized with the client for the project they want me to produce. I produce live and virtual events for brands and organizations such as women empowerment summits w/ panelists to immersive virtual reality experiences with art exhibitions.