Is this the most absurd job posting ever?

While today’s news must be taken with a grain of salt, or these days it seems a salt shaker (Hello! Balloon boy?!!), this job posting for a Personal Assistant by a Georgetown University sophomore has created quite the buzz.

Yep. Charley Cooper, age 19, Georgetown sophomore, needs some personal assistance with getting his laundry done, filling up his gas tank and “other random tasks.”

When asked if this was really all just a publicity stunt, the Washington Post reported that Cooper via Facebook (I can already hear the groans.) said that he was completely serious and hopes to start interviews in a few days “after the craziness of midterms has passed.”

Last Friday, the Georgetown Voice blasted him in a post on their blog, noting that Cooper “takes premature self-importance” to a whole new level.

So by now, you must want to take a look at the job posting Cooper’s peers have dubbed “easily the most absurd job posting ever”, right? Here you go:

I am a Georgetown undergrad student and part time employee in the financial services industry. I am looking for someone to take care some of my everyday tasks for 1 hr a day, 5 hrs/ week, $12/hr. I live on campus which would make things very easy convenient for a Georgetown student. The normal pay per week will be $60 ($300/month), even though on occasion it will be possible to work additional hours and/or receive bonuses at my discretion.

The schedule is completely flexible because I do not need to be around when you do the work. You can even spread it out over the course of the day. As my PA you will receive an email once a day by 9:00 am with a task list for that day and a time estimate for each task. Important tasks will be bolded on the list and must be done that day (even though everything on the list should theoretically be finished on a daily basis). At the end of the day you will send me an email telling me what tasks are incomplete or that all tasks have been completed.

Tasks such as doing laundry that involve a lot of waiting around (time when you could be doing other tasks or doing your own stuff) will be counted for the approximate amount of time it would take to do the labor involved. For instance, laundry will be counted for half an hour even though a laundry cycle takes 1.5 hrs to complete.

Job Requirements:

PA example tasks -Organize closet -make bed -Drop off / pick up dry cleaning -Drop me off / pick me up from work -Do laundry -Fill up gas tank -bring car for servicing -schedule appointment for haircut -Pay parking tickets -manage electronic accounts -shopping and running errands -other random tasks.

Preference will be given to applicants who are comfortable with city driving (car will be provided) and who are available when I need to be picked up and dropped off for work. Preference will also be given to Georgetown undergrads for convenience.

If this was Cooper’s attempt for his 15 minutes of fame, in this economy, his job posting just might do more harm than good to his personal brand. Others see no harm, including Corey Sherman, a Georgetown junior, who was quoted in the aforementioned Washington Post article as saying, “Listen, I think if there’s a market for it, and someone wants to do it, all the more power to him.”

So is this job posting a Little Lord Fauntleroy-ish for your taste? The case of another media opportunist striking again? Or are we all picking on a kid who simply should have known better?