In truth I didn't know how they got clients, but after hearing about the bait n' switch they did on job boards, that compelled me to write.
What Frannie said a while back still holds true: this "company" is a rip-off. For starters, they changed their name to 'MMI Research Services'... Perhaps they caught on to this website.
Secondly, the business is run out of an 1 bedroom apartment in a condo building (Park Millennium)! They moved because they probably couldn't afford a legit office anymore.
The building management doesn't even know there is business being run in the condo. Jim and Elizabeth feign being husband and wife.
Jim can spin a yarn to potential clients. He takes on more people than he can handle so the quality suffers as longs hours are the norm.
Moreover, he tries to pigeonhole you into a certain sector, a certain market cap, a certain salary: all narrow down your potential opportunities.
Most of the research is indeed done by recent college grads or even college students with little to no work experience in the field and commonly uses public sites like Spoke, JigSaw, and the social networking site LinkedIn for the 'research.'
To be fair, the 3-4 people (depending on turnover) who work there do work, but it's pretty much fruitless. Resumes are long-winded and those "cover notes" that Jim promotes as innovative are hit or miss... Mostly miss.
As a 'research associate', I made the preliminary target lists. Elizabeth would then take them and verify the information. When doing so, she became 'Miranda Holt' of the American IT Association, the American Manufacturers Association, or another fake trade association inviting the hiring executive to a seminar and trying to get their info for an 'engraved invitation.'
I felt for the gatekeepers as some fell for it while others gave the good fight and turned into funny exchanges on my end. Your $1495 at work.
I unfortunately was made to pretend to be a client making follow-up calls since the real one was too busy to do it himself. I wonder if Jim told him that.
So for all the secretaries out there keep an ear out for 'Miranda Holt'... She's not real.
From my scant time there, I heard no success stories and people routinely, and foolishly, came back for more targets.
Jim and Elizabeth are only the two permanent employees as the rest of us leave when we found another job or can no long stand it.
Like you, I got played the fool by taking the job. I stayed because it paid pretty well for someone who needed the cash and got out when I had the chance.
In all, I would not qualify MMI as 'scam' as we did actual work and provided services for the money you gave, but a rip-off is totally apt. On the other hand, they are scamming the people that you are trying to get a job with... Not a great first impression.
I hope writing this prevents other people from taking on their services and I apologize to those who have with no success.
My advice to you is this can be done on your own through networking or just go through a reputable headhunting firm and give them a cut of your pay... You can afford it.
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