This week, Jen and Paul dissect a "Safety Specialist" job ad that’s equal parts essential and exploitative. Tasked with handling everything from suicides to human trafficking, this role is adjacent to the dark underbelly of the gig economy—yet the ad offers zero clarity on training, team structure, or mental health support. With a lowball salary and a call centre vibe masquerading as a "specialist" role, is this a necessary function or a systemic failure with potentially real harms for real people?

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-015-behind-the-lockbox

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

This week, Jen and Paul are joined by Dr. Sam Illingworth to roast a "Lecturer in Law" job ad from a prestigious UK university. The ad demands "excellence" in teaching and scholarship, but what’s missing? Career support, clear metrics for success, and any real acknowledgment of the emotional labours required. Sam, an insider with two decades in academia, reveals why this role is both coveted and flawed, from the unpaid "service" work to the systemic undervaluing of teaching. Is this the future of higher education, or just another example of institutional gaslighting? Tune in to find out.

Full job ad and notes for job-seekers and hiring managers here: https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-014-last-lap-for-tenure-track

You can find Sam's excellent Substack, The Slow AI, here: https://theslowai.substack.com/

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.

Special Bonus Episode:

Jen and Paul circle back on Episode 010, where they co-designed a job ad for a role that Jen was hiring for at her firm. Update: she sent out an offer letter this week. In this short bonus episode, they reflect on the human-centric hiring process used and how it connected to the job ad design.

Catch the original episode here:

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-010-jen-and-paul-write-a-job-ad

You can find the show notes and goodies from this bonus episode here:

https://roastthepost.substack.com/p/ep-010a-jen-and-paul-write-a-job-ad-updated

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Jen and Paul roast weekly at https://roastthepost.substack.com. Subscribe to catch new roasts as they drop.