I received a call from Susan at RD Group International. She said that a Senior Vice President of the company wanted to talk to me regarding my resume that had been forwarded by a Nick Martin. We established a meeting date and time.
At this point, I should be clear that I had been called for an interview and it WAS an interview. I was screened to determine my lack of confidence in my resume and job hunt - also for viability as someone who is able to pay for services.
The services were not defined during the initial intake interview. Instead, I was told that around 700 resumes are brought into the office weekly. Of those, only approximately 125 were actually contacted for interviews. Of those, only approximately 25 were selected for follow-up interviews. This process makes one feel "preferred". That is their first ploy.
The second ploy is in their mission statement. It clearly has been defined by others like myself. People who are looking for transition without travelling too far, giving up home-life, and adequate challenge in their profession. All of those statements were made to make one (i.e. me) feel like I had found a place that understood JUST what I was looking for...
The third ploy is leaving the office to "discuss with his colleagues" my viability as a client. This occured while I was filling out a sheet that prioritized what I liked about my current employment, what I did not like and what I was looking for in my next employer. While he was gone, I could not help but wonder if I was "worthy" - playing on my already low self-esteem.
The fourth ploy occured when I had been "chosen" but that he wanted to meet with both me and my husband/partner to determine how supportive he would be in the process. I received the first flag that something was amiss here when I hedged to set up this next meeting.
Fortunately, I have a great personal support network. I immediately contacted a friend who works in HR; she told me she would find out about this company but her first impressions were "sales". After she contacted others in the HR and out-placement field, she said to stay away from RD Group. Next, I spoke to my husband and he had issues with the numbers game (see ploy #1). Finally, I found this site - and another from a W5 report.
I am fortunate to have the support system that I do - and to have found this web-site. My only loss in this endeavour was a day and the cost of gas/parking. I learned to be a lot more cautious. Thank you for this information...
Sandra
Seagrave, Ontario
Canada
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