I was contacted by Temp me Staffing through Linkedin regarding a contract Accounting Manager's position in the Colchester Vermont area. They had reached out to me several weeks prior for a Staff Accountant's position which was a lower level position due my qualifications and career interests. Having come from a very recent contract in which 2 employees had left the accounting department at the same time, I had some concerns that there were 2 open positions at roughly the same time. In my previous contract, I covered both positions for over a 3 month period and did not want to be in the same situation. I explained my concerns to the recruiter and specifically inquired if the Accounting Manager's position was newly established or a replacement along with the Staff Accountant position. I was informed that both positions were newly created positions. I was also informed that the company was moving their operation from Tennessee to Colchester, VT and I would be involved in setting up the Accounting Department with one direct report. I sent my resume and was set up for a phone interview. Prior to the interview, I asked for information about the individual I would be interviewing with as I always like to do my research. I was told his name by the recruiter that he oversaw the accountant department. She stated in her email "he doesn't have a Linkedin or else I would send it." Prior to the phone interview, I not only found his Linkedin profile but learned that he himself was a contracted employee such as myself, on a temporary assignment. I located a news article in April on the internet stating that the company was moving FROM the Colchester, VT area to Tennessee. During my phone interview, I learned that 4 out of 5 of the employees in the Accounting Department left the company due the company's intention to relocate their operations. This included the VP of Finance, 2 staff accountants and 1 Accounts Payable positions who had transferred already. Not only were these NOT new positions but basically the entire Finance Department was practically non-existent. The client was looking for someone to keep the department operational and make improvements prior to relocating to Tennessee. They also wanted the managerial position to oversee the 2 Accounts Payable individuals that are now in Tennessee and the Staff Accountant just hired. Needless to say, I felt totally blindsided. When I spoke to the recruiter, she claimed that she was given the wrong information about the position being new by someone else at Temp Me Staffing but that she stood behind the fact that she had told me they would be moving operations out of the area and not into. I asked her if it made sense that a company that is relocating to Tennessee would be creating new positions in Vermont. I have not heard back from anyone at the agency regarding my feedback.
I've worked with placement agencies in the past on and have never had the experience of receiving such misinformation before, especially when I specifically asked the history of the position. I would urge anyone dealing with this temp agency to do their due diligence on the company and their history prior to even agreeing to an interview. Direct all of your questions regarding the position to the company themselves to be certain they are answered correctly. read more
