Charges for using agencies??!!??!!

DCFC79

Chinwig wrote: »

Having read some of the posts I would like to coment as follows. One of the so called "recruitment consultants" memtioned contacted me having seen my CV on Monster. I went through the first (soften you up) meeting and the second (hard sell) meeting when I was presented with a cost of £2000+ for their services. I pointed out that I was just about to be made redundant and didn't have that sort of money so they suggested I took out an interest free credit card (best whilst you still have a job).
These people are parasites.
I wasted three months designing pictoral CV's and getting colleagues to assess me.

I finally managed to get a new role through my own network - no assistance from them (I failed to contact them every two weeks so they washed their gruby little paws of me).
Yes, I fell for it and every month I see a credit card bill that I didn't really want. Sucker? No I was vunerable and they made the most of it.
Words of warning, they are very convincing, beware!:cool:

the thread is over a year old, why drag it up

turts2008

DCFC79 wrote: »

the thread is over a year old, why drag it up

Its a forum board and the person was looking for advice....and who are you to dictate anybody just because you use the forums 24/7

:money:

Merlin580

Anybody heard of Moreton Connolly or JP Careers Management or MC Partnership? I think they are all the same. Anybody got any experience of them please?

martinwo

Morton Connolly wasted 2 annual leave days for me last year. I travelled many miles to Bristol to be told how great I was at the first interview. I was invited back for a second because I was of such interest to them - what a joke.

It was at the second interview when they told me how much they would charge to assist me in my search for employment. I can't remember how much it was now but it was in the thousands, going up the more involved I wanted to be. I didn't take them up on their offer.

PCS Executive seem to be a similar sort of outfit. I just received a mail telling me how they had seen my CV online and had some ideas that could help me, which is how I found this forum thread.

Luckily I'm still employed so I won't be taking up their offer.

wimblewomble_2

been to two PCS Executive meetings in Birmingham.
first was 45-minute overview of whether they felt they could help me.
second one lasted 2 hours, and detailed what they would do.

price was £2100 plus VAT (thats £2520?)

have been trying to do my due diligence about them, only to find that the whole sector may be more or less useless.

are there any executive search type companies that ARE useful?
any advice on this mystical "un-advertised job-market"?

kborom

I have also spoken to PCS who gave me a very bad feeling so I did not go back for a 2nd review. I was then contacted by UK Knack in Leeds and attended 2 interviews and then was presented with a quote for £3K.

Now they are very convincing and I wanted to find more about them but cannot find anything on them, they are only a couple of years old and I am now wondering if they trade for a couple of years as one name, and then change when the weight of complaints takes hold?

I would also like to know if anyone has had a positive experience, I almost decided to go for the UK Knack group but a couple of friends have given me some good ideas on how to progress.

kborom

wimblewomble wrote: »

any advice on this mystical "un-advertised job-market"?

Someone I know in HR said that the old 80% of jobs are unadvertised is just basically wrong.
Many jobs (around 40% I was told) are filled by the job centre, another 20% internally so you never get near them. THe final 40% are through recruiters/head hunters/company direct.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Just stay away from these "companies"

steamwin

Never part with money over a job.

lotstoloose

I've been contacted, and twice visted, UK Knack Group. All the above rings true as they do seem to have morphed from their predecesor companies but with a different man at the helm.

I travelled miles. The first meeting built me up - well their phsychometric testing isn't tgoing to say I'm a duffer now is it!. The second got to the point of money.

The unadvertised market was a big sell. A large piile of research papers was presented and thumbed but I wasn't offered the chance top review.

There is not much internet data on this company but it is linked to the failed Fort Chapard. A day or research has pulled up much in the way of he and his daughter (the Pollards) have setuup and run the busiones. I guess his daughter was once Stella Pollard and since got maried as Stella Chapman. Her business finds you on the web and refers you.

Fort Chapard went into liquiodation aftyer two years. I suppose word of mouth eventually catches up as their approach was identical to now, just the current fees of £3300 are unbelievably much much higher!

Their offices are a hired office (on an hours basis I guess) in central leeds. I suspect the certificate on the wall and pictures are in his suitcase when he arrives for work.

The central reception does not even have a name plate for their business.

All very suspect I'm afraid and I won't be signing up. If they can liquidate a company that has £400 of peoples cash they can do it for £3300 of peoples cash.

One other thing, they do purposely seems to keep a low profile on the internet. Even linked profiles are kept closed if they exist at all.

And checxking their personal details demonstrates they do not tell you lies, but the testimonials are all abit too woolly and whereas I was interested injobs in the £120k bracket, they are in the region of £50k from what I saw.

And..... most of the work is done yourself with the odd telephone call from the mystery consultant whom you cannot talk to until you've paid. He isn;t even on linked considering he has many many contacts apparently.

Anyone else had experience of UK Knack Group? Please do share as I need some positives about their "programme".

One last thing. I have an eye for detail and do not miss a trick. In the office in which I was interviewed at length, the clock on the window ledge was an hour out due to the clock changes. For someone with such a successful history and early retuirement age (yes that was slipped in the conversation - as was the need to include the wife in the decision (double glazing sales ring to it??!!)). As it was a few weeks after the change I'd expect more from soemone who is on top of things but as its not their office it says it all really.
A small point but important.

I've made up my mind. Would be interested to hear from others.