Millions of people everywhere are struggling to make ends meet, stay in their homes and afford to put gas in their car to even get to a job interview. Okay, so there are a few that are not struggling and some that will tell you that there is no recession, repeat stuff from The Secret, and then go home to a stack of bills. As a writer who isn't sure where my next check is even coming from, browsing the job posts for freelance opportunities has become part of my regular routine. But a freelance position took on a whole new meaning today when I found this post for an "Executive/Personal Assistant":
Busy executive seeks mature lady for, personal assistant duties, social engagements, and discrete rendezvous. If you are generally free during the day between 9-12am and live near the Eastlake Design district I am interested in speaking with you about this opportunity. Very generous financial incentive will be provided for companionship. Please include a picture and contact information in your reply to expedite the process. Prefer reserved housewife type looking for supplemental income.
After a few minutes I went back to copy the verbiage and it had been suddenly changed to "Assistant/Companion". No matter what the heading is, this job posting on Craigslist, not listed in the gigs section under adult so only those looking for this type of "Betty Crocker meets Heidi Fleiss" job will be able to access it, got me thinking. In our current economic state and unemployment rates skyrocketing, I wonder, with so many unable to stay afloat, is this type of post more tempting to more women? What will the response rate be? Are creeps tapping into desperate women's plight?
Whatever the case may be, I was sad to see the post, realizing that there actually may be women who are desperate enough and lack the support and self-esteem they need to never even consider this an option.
Note to Craigslist: better filtering of job postings would be nice.