'It kind of feels like a scam': Employers are so desperate for workers they're making job offers after a single phone call

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'It kind of feels like a scam': Employers are so desperate for workers they're making job offers after a single phone call

macys worker

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Macy's and other stores are hiring for seasonal jobs after just one phone interview.

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Up against a tight job market, some employers are making job offers after a single phone interview, The Wall Street Journal reported.

This strategy is being seen mainly for seasonal jobs at retail companies such as Macy's and Bath & Body Works, but employees have also reported it happening for roles including teachers, engineers, and IT professionals, according to the Journal.

For employees, the practice might take some getting used to. Jamari Powell, a 22-year-old in Oregon, told the Journal that he was skeptical after being offered a full-time seasonal sales job at Macy's following a 25-minute phone interview.

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"It was a little weird," he said. "You're kind of like: 'Is this real?' It kind of feels like a scam almost."

Read more: Macy's is making a move that signals the death of department stores as we know them

This hiring tactic is yet another way desperate employers are trying to attract workers amid a nationwide labor shortage. While the labor shortage is, as Josh Barro wrote for Business Insider, good news for workers because it makes it easier for unemployed people to find jobs, it has also left employers scrambling to fill positions - and resorting to unusual techniques to do so.

Business Insider's Rachel Premack recently reported that companies across America are replacing job titles with terms like "associate" and introducing ones like "evangelist," "rock star," and "ninja" to appeal to younger employees.

The fast food industry, in particular, is facing a labor crisis as fast-food eateries see record high turnover rates. Chains such as Bob Evans and McDonald's are increasingly turning to hiring senior citizens, instead of teenagers, to fill roles.

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