'Survivor'-like contest dangles a job as its prize

By Monty Phan, Newsday, 9/28/2003

Some would say that finding a job in the current market already is a lot like the TV show "Survivor." One Manhattan ad firm, though, has taken it a bit more literally.

To fill an account executive position, DiMassimo Brand Advertising recently had eight applicants live in the agency's offices for five days, completing "challenges" and trying to impress judges in a job-hunting version of the hit reality series.

The prize, however, isn't a million bucks, but it's something these contestants (many of whom are just out of college) covet almost as much: a job offer.

"It's one of those moments where you have an opportunity to do something you'll remember for the rest of your life, and have a chance of employment," said Seth Gaffney, 21, on why he decided to compete.

Near the end of the week, when Gaffney and his fellow applicants were interviewed, six of the original eight remained after two were "voted off" by a small committee of the firm's executives. That night, two more were expelled, leaving the final four on the applicants' last day.

But while it sounds like "Survivor" in practice, the office version was more humane. Lee Goldstein, a managing partner at the firm, said the intention was to see how each of the eight performed the tasks required of the job. They developed a low-cost "buzz"-generating campaign for client Crunch Fitness and dealt with a mock client crisis.

Gaffney said that before the week started, he was concerned the applicants would be doing grunt-work duties for free for the week, but he and the others said they were impressed by what they were asked to do and how much they were learning.

Farah Marcel, 25, of New York, said the applicants got to show their skills in hands-on projects instead of answering questions about hypothetical situations.

That was the point, said DiMassimo's Goldstein. The firm got 200 applicants for the weeklong process, but selecting from the group of eight allows the agency to pick the person whose skills fit what the executives are seeking.

Each of the eight wore T-shirts saying "DiMassimo Account Executive Survivor" every day. In the morning, they showered at a Crunch Fitness gym a block away. Each night they used sleeping bags on the office floor, except for one person who got the coveted air mattress, based on daily votes from the others.

In addition to being observed by agency executives, each applicant had daily taped "confessionals" in which they talked about what they had learned, as well as one-on-one interviews. When it came time to ask someone to leave, each person was called in individually and told the decision, Goldstein said.

Judith Gerberg, president of the Manhattan-based Career Counselors Consortium, said she has never heard of such an application process, but it's not unusual for companies to have applicants spend a few days or a week on tryouts.

Goldstein said he could see the firm hiring one of the others down the road if the right position became available.

But at least one applicant had a plan B.

"I've decided not to leave, even if they vote me off," Gaffney said.

Unfortunately for Gaffney, the firm chose Annie O'Rourke, 22, of Essex Fells, N.J., for the job, which pays $25,000 to $30,000 annually.