The staff fabricated too many resumes so that they could sell the candidates to the client and get paid big bucks for placing an FTE, until they got busted by the client. Candidates who were interviewing for technical positions had little or no knowledge of the required skills. In most instances, the candidates did a google search on certain technical jargon before attending the interview. Surprisingly the client kept doing business with them.
From the beginning the staff couldn't be transparent with their communications or their plans. The company moved very quickly in the initial interview process but very soon I found out that they were still waiting to sign the SOW with the client. This should have been my first red flag. But I ignored it and kept in touch with these folks. The second dilemma was the client couldn't agree on the start date for the project. I had stopped looking for work and I was kept waiting for 6 weeks and ultimately requested for an official letter stating that I was hired and the start date had to be postponed so that I could claim unemployment benefits.
I wasn't informed about a second round of interviews with the client. Instead I was led to understand the meeting was going to be informal meet and greet. Instead, I was stuck with the client interviewing for 2 hours. Another indication of poor planning and communication.
Yet again, no communication on when was the last date for the assignment. It kept fluctuating.
My workload increased, however I wasn't allowed to do any over time. I was harassed and micromanaged on the client site but the firm did nothing to address the issues. I was asked to pick up lunches for the client - which was not in the job description and I was asked to work on certain projects for the client that wasn't discussed with me prior to the agreement with the client.
As soon as I requested for a raise in my hourly rate, my job was posted on LinkedIn. I saw the job posting and asked for more details. The response I received from the staff was "its not for you"
The account manager, owner and the client were overly friendly and that should have been another warning sign. They didn't care about the quantity of work that was being done but wanted it for "free". I was informed that as long as they are getting paid the retainer, I have a job. If they don't place any FTE with the client, I won't get paid. None of this was shared with me when I was interviewing. I was originally informed that my assignment would go on till January 2018. I requested for this confirmation to be communicated through an email and it didn't happen.
As soon as this firm found a cheaper resource, within a matter of two weeks, in summer 2017 my assignment ended. The client kept debating about paying for my medical insurance for an extra day. My health insurance and benefits was cancelled while I was still working on the assignment. I called the office to find out what happened and was informed that it was a "clerical error" and at the same time informed that my assignment was ending. I was repeated told by the account manager that my insurance would last until the end of the month and instead they did nothing to reactivate it and I had to contact the insurance company to help me.
The owner no doubt made 7 figures in a matter of less than a year in finders fees, but I never received a paid day off or a gift card or any common courtesies for helping them become successful on the project.
