I was hired as a freelancer and was fired after 3 days. During that time I received no commentary or criticism and was completely blindsided when I was let go. The excuse they gave was that their needs had changed, but it was clear they weren't happy with my performance. I had been hired for the position even though they knew I was just coming out of school and had no other experience besides internships.
I was extremely disappointed in the unprofessional behavior of my supervisors. They gossiped about me behind my back and instructed HR to carry out the firing so they wouldn't have to say anything to me. They had me come into work on the fourth day and finish a task before sending me down to speak with HR. Then they conveniently went into a "meeting", so when I came back to my desk to pack up my things, they didn't have to speak to me.
As is common in many high fashion companies, I felt an undercurrent of stress running through the office. There seemed to be a lot of secret conversations, a lack of transparency and honesty, and unspoken etiquette rules. I worked until 7 p.m. every night and half the floor was still there. I was under the impression that the closer it got to fashion week the later the hours would be. I was told that weekends would be a given as well. I spent my days making trips to the Garment District to search for obscure items.
They clearly made a mistake hiring me in the first place. It was extremely discouraging, because I had another job offer lined up - but I chose MJ because of the name, and by the time I was let go, the first offer was off the table. Certainly a freelancing lesson to be learned, but difficult nonetheless.
All-around sh*tty company. Don't be lured in by the glamorous name. They will axe you without batting an eye. Even the HR person who let me go was freelance, and that seems like the perfect anecdote to finish this review.
