Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Career Placement for a fee - be careful

If you are a job search and your resume is on Monster or other boards, carefully screen the calls you receive from recruitment firms. It was recently brought to my attention that there are companies, like the Phoenix Executive Group, that contact jobseekers that provide their placement services for a fee. I have heard of this firm before and their tactics for attracting clientele.

Phoenix Executive Group contacts job seekers appearing to be a recruiter. They call you in for an initial pre-screen interview, which is rare but is an acceptable recruitment practice. However, they do not clearly disclose that you, the candidate, pay the fee for placement. Examining their website, it's nearly impossible to find details on the fee arrangement nor amount. This information is not volunteered when they contact you - you need to ask.

Phoenix Executive (not related to the Phoenix Link) may certainly be a valuable service. However my warning to jobseekers - always ask who pays the fee and ensure that there is no fee paid by the candidate in any and all circumstances. Whether you believe that paying a placement fee is right for you; this is something that you can best decide depending on your circumstances.

My issue with Phoenix Executive Group, and other similar employment assistance companies, is their lack of clear disclosure upfront or on their website. Always ask questions regarding fee's and opportunities before committing to a meeting or signing any document with a recruiter.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

they roughly charge 10% of what salary they say they can get you(but have no legal obligation to get you anything and you might not get a job after all but we keep the fee).

one guy interviews you
tells you about the owner and his "connections" to big corporations in the area.
after you describe yourself and what type of job you would like to have, you meet the owner who tells you that he has a position similar to what you described and if you pay the fee he will try to get you a job(but have no legal obligation to get you anything and you might not get a job after all but we keep the fee).
I was quoted a 70-75k year job for a fee of $7200.
the recruiter(salesman) puts on the heavy pitch for a down payment. In my case a grand. You have a 3 day "get out" clause. I exercised it and got my $1000 back. I just had a bad, sleazy feeling about the whole operation. then I came across ripoff.com and they were mentioned on there as scam.

If you are a middle aged former white collar worker whose job and benefits recently went away, I would suggest you not get involved with Phoenix Executive Group. Now's not the time to get ripped off.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard of ITS? I got a similar call, saying there would be 3 interviews and profiles completed and THEY would decide whether I'm a fit for them to place. At that time I would be responsible for a fee. When I asked how much, they told me once everything is reviewed, they would better be able to assess what the cost is to "market" me.