Question: Is "Meridian Enterprise" a devilcorp?
Personal Demographical context: I am a man in my very early twenties, on summer break after my second year studying for my degree at the University that I am enrolled in. I have been applying to a bajillion jobs and getting negligible results from my applications because the job market sucks right now.
I am new to the concept of Devilcorps, but I was prompted to investigate this company that I applied to. I just finished my second interview with them less than an hour ago, and it felt like it went well. That being said, I have some concerns that seem to be validated upon further research, however I would appreciate a more experienced perspective on the matter. I have read the guide to identifying devilcorps, but I would appreciate some input from people other than myself.
I have tried doing background research on this company, but I cannot find hardly anything online as it is a fairly new and local company.
Is this an MLM?
Should I work for this company?
Company name: Meridian Enterprise / TM Acquisitions
Operates out of: Little Rock, Arkansas
Company Website: https://meridianenterpriseinc.com/
The Indeed job posting was for "TM Acquisitions", but the emails I got were from "Meridian Enterprise". They stated that they work with telecom companies to sell fiber to their existing customers. They said that they used to work with Verizon, exceeded some milestone (187 stores, or something else out of the expected 150), and now work with AT&T / ATT to sell fiber to their existing customers as it becomes available in their neighborhoods.
Interview process:
Applied for the job on indeed a bit less than a week ago. Received emails and texts a few days later asking for my availability for interview.
They provided a zoom link and time. I attended the first zoom interview, and it was a group interview. The interviewer was a younger woman, and there were about 4-5 other applicants in the meeting with me.
Interviews used a lot of encouraging and validating language following responses.
When I was asked about prior experience, I was skeptical at this point and felt unqualified compared to the responses of the other interviewees. For context, all other applicants were older than me and had prior experience in similar fields. I stated that I didn't have much experience with the field, but had other relevant skills.
What followed was a very flattering validation of the skills I did say that I had, as well as the explanation that essentially consisted of "We actually like hiring people with less experience, that way we don't have to get rid of bad sales habits," or something like that.
Anyways, I finished that interview and was informed I would get a text about a second-round interview over zoom. The interview was scheduled for the next day after I had just finished the first one (I had the second interview earlier today). I really love this immediate scheduling, but unfortunately I fear that it is not out of a desire to value my time as a job-seeker, but to exploit my bias and desire for immediacy in becoming employed.
The second interview was conducted by a younger man who seemed like a pretty cool dude that I could see myself being friends with. He explained the job and answered my questions. It is essentially direct sales/door-to-door, and there is a 3-6 month training process to teach me how to build and manage/lead a team. This is an entry-level position, mind you.
He was real with me and said that when you are starting out, you'll have to get used to experiencing a lot of rejection, as you may get rejected by like 34 people if you pitch to 40 in a day, but you'll still make good money from the 6 you sold to. (his claim)
He said that for the first 3 weeks when you are being taught the basics of the job, you will receive base pay. I later asked what the base pay looked like, and he legit said something along the lines of "To be honest, it sucks. It's 350 a week for those first 3 weeks, then you move to commission."
I am automatically skeptical of any commission-based job, though I have never had one. He talked about how he was trained by a 21-year-old dude, and I'm pretty sure he is also close to my age, too. He said that he gained valuable skills from his training, and whether this is a scam or not, I'm inclined to believe him on that at least.
So, here's my situation:
I have an in-person interview with car rental company at my local airport for a car cleaning job. It pays 14.25$/hr, and is seasonal, but gives me 40 hours a week.
I will also get a callback from this "Meridian Enterprise" job later today.
QUESTIONS I HAVE:
Is Meridian a Devilcorp?
Is it an MLM?
Are the people working there and interviewing/recruiting victims of said devilcorp?
Is this sort of job sustainable in any way, or is the commission-based pay just as unreliable and frustrating as it seems?
Why doesn't AT&T keep a list of all of their marketing partners for people to access?
(I hate telecom companies and their exploitative anti-consumer business model, but I really need a job)
I would greatly appreciate a genuine, nuanced assessment / explanation of the situation