Special: An insider's revelations about "Executive Career
Counselors, Inc."An
addendum to Mr. CFO's story
Dear Headhunter,
Mr. CFO is absolutely correct. About six years ago, I went to
work for one of these firms. I had done some real counseling on a
volunteer basis during the recession of '91-'92 and had developed
an extensive job-hunting strategy that I presented in a three day
course -- for free. I actually wanted to help people and had done
so successfully.
Can
we help you? (Indeed.)
But, the firm in question did not want me to
start as a counselor, they wanted me to start as a screener. That
is, I was scheduled to conduct the first interview and to
determine if we could "help" the people who contacted
us. That merely translated to being a very high-pressure
salesperson.
After two days of interviewing people who could not possibly
afford our fees, I realized what a scam this was. On the morning
of the third day, I walked into the president's office and
informed him that this was not the kind of business that I wanted
to be associated with and left.
How
much you got? (We'll take it.)
Mr. CFO might not want to know how flexible those big fees are.
The fee that my firm charged was strictly based upon how much they
thought a possible client could afford. The services rendered did
not differ regardless of whether a client paid $5,000 or $20,000.
It would have been my job, had I stayed, to determine what a
person could afford and then convince them that we could
definitely provide them with everything they needed to land that
$750,000 job. Yes, we could have provided them with everything
they needed, but anyone who is capable of filling a $750,000 job
is perfectly capable of doing it him or herself.
The
Sunday scam.
What has never ceased to amaze me is that many of these firms,
with well-known names, remain in business year after year after
year. My firm had a very well-known name with franchised or
licensed offices throughout the nation. You will see their large
ads prominently displayed in the employment section of every large
newspaper every Sunday.
It is too bad that Mr. CFO had to learn this lesson the hard
way. He is to be commended for sharing his story as a warning to
others.
Ask The Headhunter provides everything that a person needs to
know to conduct a successful job search. Sometimes the advice is
not for the fainthearted, but it is right on target.
Please keep up the good work. I recommend your column to
everyone I know who might be thinking about searching for a new
position.
Feel free to share my comments with your readers, and to use my
name.
Henry Matthew
Many thanks to Mr. Matthew
for sharing his insider's experience in "the rackets". Please
tell us
what you think of this article.
Note: "Executive
Career Counselors, Inc." is a fictitious name. The story
behind it is true.
To learn more about the counseling rackets, please see
Career Counselors Are Not Headhunters and this expose article from The Kansas City Star.
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