Complaint Review: Bernard Haldane Associates - Calgary AB

My first experience with Haldane has been nothing but positive. Of course I guess the proof is in the pudding. But there were no exaggarated promises made by the sales person to triple my salary etc. He did not promise me that I would get a job but their process would increase the potential for getting job interviews and for being more successful at getting offers is what I want. There were no promises that they were going to do all the work for me. The one clear message that I got out of the meeting was that they were a facilitator (career manager) which is what I am wanting. I have been using recruiting firms for some time with very poor success. These companies, I believe do not work for you but for the client companies. They add no value and I have yet to figure out what process they use. I feel like I have no control in the process. Companies have openings and throw a scrap of meat to about 20 recruiters and let them fight over it. Like winning the lottery. The Haldane representative (Vancouver BC office), mentioned that to have a competitive edge you need to have good marketing skills (get noticed, attract attention, have people give you a second look, get in for an interview). They package people and provide the tools to be more successful at marketing their skills. They also have done research about companies and have a good interstanding of company cultures, salary management, strategic and tactical planning etc. Some of this information is available on the internet but I don't have the time to dig around for it. I still have to do the work in the interview. The information that I was shown (resumes, internet tools, guidance from advisors, practicing interviewing techniques, negotiation skills, consolidated access to company information) are all very valuable to me. I can write off their fees on my income tax as marketing expense and recoup a good portion of it. Any tools that I can utilize to give me a competitive edge in a very competitive market place (a few years ago in the IT industry you got the job by just showing up for the interview - those days are long gone) are well worth some expense. I am looking forward to working with my Haldane advisor's. If during the process, I develop more confidence, better communication skills and better marketing and presentation skills which ultimately will lead to more job offers, it will all have been well worth it. How you do on the interview ultimately determines whether you are going to get the job. Your resume doesn't do it. Its past history. In fact I have a very solid resume with over 28 years of experience, much of it in consulting working for very diverse clients. Lately I have been applying for positions which I have direct experience in and haven't been getting interviews. I am not getting noticed and people are not reading the resume. When I looked at the sample resumes/fact sheets that Haldane develops, my first reaction was they were much better than what I currently have. So far I don't agree with the negative comments that I have been reading about Haldane and personally I think it is a matter of expectations. If people expect to have their hands held and for someone else to do all of the work, they will not be satisfied with Haldane. If however they see Haldane as empowering them, giving them more confidence, providing some communication tools to give them a higher degree of control over the process, then it will be well worth the price. Note: I have absolutely no connections to Haldane. Just another paying customer.

Click anywhere on this paragraph to see all the other complaints about Bernard Haldane Associates from both the United States and Canada. Could they all be Lying?