Law School Apologizes for Briefly Posting Fictitious Ad for Unpaid Potato-Chip-Tester Position
It’s no secret that the job market for recent law graduates can be brutal.
But a Widener University School of Law career services ad for a temporary potato-chip tester position—as an unpaid volunteer—seemed to set a new low.
“So you’re telling me that I went through four years of college, three years of law school, got myself in about $100,000.00 worth of unforgivable student loan debt, to become an unpaid potato chip tester/taster?” one anonymous individual complained to Above the Law last week, pointing the legal tabloid to the posted ad, which it reproduced online. “I mean are you kidding me?”
In fact, the potato chip-tester job ad was fictitious, intended just as a demonstration for a potential employer, and was posted online only for a little over an hour on Dec. 8, then taken down, the law school explained on its website. And, the school notes, the fictitious job ad should have been posted in a way that prevented Widener students and graduates from seeing it.
“That job was not real,” said LeaNora Ruffin, assistant dean for career development, in Widener’s online statement. “We apologize for any confusion. We were simply trying to aid an employer with an eye for enhancing student opportunities.”
