Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Flashback (9): Expensive Recruiters

I remember when I first started job haunting, and that was before I attended SAIT, once I encountered an advertisement in Calgary Herald indicating that the company provides kind of service to people to be employed. So I wrote them but I don’t remember if I sent my resume or not and shortly after I received a call from them and an appointment was set. They had a very nice office in a tower in downtown. I guess it was 1st St. If I go there I can find the tower easily. There are four of them together. I went there and I met a lady called Heather.
She explained to me that it was a company who help people finding careers through making them ready for interviews, preparing their resumes and get them connected with companies through the network they have. She then showed me a letter that she claimed it was written by a customer who had have a job from them and appreciated them. She then left the office and wanted me to read the letter. I didn’t get much from the letter, firstly because of the handwriting and second because my English proficiency was poor at the time. But for reason unknown which can’t be recalled, I tried to make notes of the letter! I also remember that the lady claimed that the guy had a good position somewhere, making $90K annually. When she came back to the office and asked me about the letter, I obviously didn’t tell her that I was not able to understand it. I said: It doesn’t make sense! She gazed at me with strange look and got the letter back. She then told me that their service would cost me $5000! And that included the services I mentioned earlier. She also said that if I pay the whole amount at once, I would be eligible for a $500 discount and my total bill comes to $4500. I told her that I have to think about it as that’s a little more than what I expected and she said not to forget to contact her in case I made my mind. I never went there or call her but used to see their advertisement in the paper and then they were gone. Once I was to another company like that and it was in 8th Ave. SW., they were supposed to help me to have a better resume for a $600. They guy told me that there were many complaints against them. I never went to them too, although they sent me letters and contacted me a few times.
The last one I was in, was a company in, I guess, 4th Ave. SW and I remember there was a Canadian guy in his mid. 40s looking at my resume in his office. He was asking for a $3000 to find me a career that fits my education and experience. He mentioned something about APEGGA saying that it could be cheaper if I had the certificate from them. I never went back there.

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