Hello World,
Before I begin, this is by far the longest post I have written. In case you are not a big fan of scrolling to much in the browser please click here to download the pdf version of this post. ;)
Here’s what I
have been attempting to comprehend for over a year….I did take time off to
share other opinions of mine…while I pondered over this topic in the back of my
mind…I haven’t figured it out completely but I guess it is time to put it out
there and hope, in the process, I would figure out the rest. However, what I am absolutely sure about is the fact that the topic we will discuss below is something that deals with an illegitimate employment system that adversely affects the wages and working conditions of US workers in the US who come from different walks of life.
This piece of
writing specifically concentrates on my observations, inferences, decisions and
choices that I made during the short period of time I spent job-searching in
the United States. It is my brief stint with the flexi-staffing fraternity in
the United States that I am trying to describe, explore and possibly bring out
the harsh realities that I think would keep you informed…….I am going to be as
objective as possible and that would mean that we will be looking at the
flexi-staffing funny games from a Structure-Mechanics-WorkFlow standpoint…we
would however make an attempt to interpret the subliminal layers of the vicious
system that I think is consuming mankind at a rapid rate globally. I had been
through a system that calls for, advocates, supplies and implements fake
resumes, with falsified information regarding one’s educational and
professional qualifications and experience for the sake of obtaining
employment. The cruelty of the system lies in the fact that the candidates are
forced to compromise their integrity for the financial benefit and the
short-cut to the paper-work that would help them stay in the United States.………………………..and
we might as well begin….
Let’s Get There First
Now that we have
begun, we must identify our position and point of view in the system so as to
stay informed on what we would look at specifically. This topic we have in
front of us is very vast and I do not know or understand it completely to give
you the wholesome picture. Getting to the specifics, we would keep our
observations to the IT-Industry in the United States that is catering to
multiple industries in so many ways. All the large corporations do not carry
out all their operations as an in-house effort and instead outsource them to
various contractors who would do the work for them. From the IT stand-point,
the companies would hire software service providers who would run the IT
operations for them. These companies (Contractors) in turn would outsource
part(s) of their work to smaller software firms (Sub-Contractors). These
contracting and sub-contracting companies would have a skeleton work-force
(permanent employees) and a floating work-force (temporary
employees/consultants) who together would coordinate efforts to carry out the
work outsourced by the Big Guy. We would be exploring into how these
contractors and sub-contractors end up getting their “Floating Work Force,”
more precisely, the modus operandi of “Consultancies” in the flexi-staffing services.
Are you ready? Let’s Rock n Roll!!!
Game’s Got Structure
Figure 1
We begin with
some Flexi-Staffing jargon, if I may call it so. The Big Corporation that
outsources its IT/Operations would be the End-Client, the Contracting/Sub-Contracting
companies would be the Mid-Clients, and the HR/Recruitment Partners of the Mid
Clients would be the Consultancies who have the “Consultants” on payroll. Throw
in a “Vendor”…Wonder what they are? They are recruitment agencies that receive
the position requirements and forward them to their partner-consultancies…..kind
of Consultancy of Consultancies…..confused? Well, I am… ;)
Now going from
the bottom up, referring to Figure 1 as given above, the consultants would be
the “Please-get-Me-A-Job” desperate job-seekers who are ready to go as
flexi-staff since their attempts to find full-time employment hasn’t been
successful yet. I was one among them when I got into the system. The Marketers
would be the recruitment professionals responsible for gathering position
requirements from Mid-Clients, Vendors and Job Portals and forward them to the
eager Consultants. The Consultancies would call themselves as a “…..fast
growing provider of IT, ERP and Project Management solutions to leading clients
in the commercial and government sectors…”
but all they would do is provide flexi-staff to IT clients in ways that
are not very obviously known to everyone around. I guess we have gone over the system
structure from either direction. It is time we get to the Physics of the
system….
The Game Begins
The candidates
who are desperate for a H1B Visa submit their resumes to the Consultancies and
their recruiters respond with a call/email. The so-called interview goes on for
about 15 minutes and the only thing that gets assessed is confidence in speech
and openness to work in different domains. Little do the candidates know about
the nightmares they are about to face. Finally an offer letter is sent to them
through email.
I present to you
some samples (click to download):
The Payrate
Document pretty much says how this game is played. The mid-client would charge
the end-client a certain amount per hour for the consultant hired. Since he
creates the opportunity for this consultant position, he would take a certain
percentage of the hourly rate and would give the rest to the consultancy or the
vendor. Now if it was the vendor that gave the requirement to the consultancy,
he would take his share of the loot and give the rest to the consultancy. The
consultancy would have an agreement with the consultant as described in the
Payrate document and would pay the consultant accordingly. Now since many
players are involved in this game, the financial component gets bigger. To
accommodate the financial component, the mid-client would claim that he would
require a 8 years experienced candidate for a temporary position and would
require $120 per hour as the salary for the 8 years experienced candidate. The
end-client has very little or no say in this because he just wants the work
done and is willing to pay for it as per the agreement. Now the end-client
however would sometimes demand to interview and assess the consultant prior to
finalizing the temporary employment. So the mid client would take $40 from the
$120 and give the remainder $80 to the vendor. The vendor would have an
agreement with his partner consultancies as to how much per hour will be his
share. It is usually around $30. So he would take his share and give the
remaining $50 to the consultancy. Let’s say the consultant is a new guy and is
within first 6 months of his employment with the consultancy. In that case as
per the Payrate document given above, the consultant would get $25 per hour for
the work he/she would execute at the mid-client’s or the end-client’s site
during the course of the project. I have used $120 as an example figure and the
pay rate may vary from position to position. The Figure.2 given below would
explain this schematically:
Figure 2
Now the twist in
the screenplay is that this consultant will not be an actual 8 years
experienced candidate. He/she would be a fresher just out of college with a
master’s degree. Since the mid-client needs an 8-years experienced candidate,
the requirement would be drafted accordingly and the forwarded down the line as
shown in Figure.1. The consultancy would supply the consultant with fake resumes
that would match the job/position requirement and ask him/her to update it with
necessary contact information. We will get there as we progress. We still have
to familiarize with the recruitment and induction of flexi-staff employees into
the consultancies.
The candidates
are asked to relocate to where the Consultancy is. Those who live nearby
commute as usual but Out-of-Towners are offered accommodation by the Consultancy.
It usually is a set of apartments shared by the Out-of-Towners. Now the picture
gets slightly dark. A typical double bedroom apartment would have around 7 to
10 guys sharing the space. Some consultancies offer mattresses too. So each
room would have 2 or 3 inmates. There is a hierarchy in such apartments. The
Living-Room dwellers are newbies and they are yet to be inducted into the
brotherhood. The Inmates of the Master Bedroom are the Big-Daddies of the
Brotherhood, who are the supposed to lead the brotherhood and therefore get to
lay the ground rules for the pack to follow. The Inmates of the Guest Bedroom
are the Dukes who are eagerly waiting to become the future Big Daddies.
The first day of
reporting is always the “First-Day-to-New School” experience…..New faces, new
atmosphere and new territories. The candidates are briefed on how the
flexi-staffing happens and a contract is given to all of them to sign. Trust me
that contract is nothing more than a big joke. It definitely had a lot of legal
jargon that went above my head at MACH 2 but when I was given one, I took a day
to read through it, signed it and gave it to the manager. I was not given a
copy of the signed contract. The contract signing formality is a scare tactic
employed by the consultancy to send the message across to the candidate that in
case someone wants out; he/she will be in deep trouble because of this
contract. So the first thing that consultancies usually do is to instill a
sense of insecurity in the minds of the new recruits that would motivate the
employees to be willing to make any compromise, whatsoever, for the sake of
survival and in the process become totally dependent on the consultancy. After
all, it is the dire need for a piece of paper called H1B Visa that makes these
individuals make all the compromises. I had been there and I decided to make
those compromises for the same reasons. I just could not handle that truth
within me and I never went on any project as a consultant.
Training to Lie
The consultancy
I was with specialized in the Business Analyst/Quality Analyst/Systems Analyst
positions in the IT industry. So the training I went through was specific to
these positions.
The training
begins with the initial brainwashing of the new recruits that aims at cementing
the opinion of faking the experience for financial benefit is nothing wrong and
in fact it is the fastest way to grow professionally. Statements like “…why
begin from level zero when you can begin from level 5 or 6?” and “…You follow
my instructions…I will make sure you get your H1B and Green Card on time…Don’t
worry….I am there….” are continuously repeated in front of the newly recruited
consultants. The trainer and manager always try to get the answer “Yes” out of
the consultants, rewarding them with the promise of better future in the United
States. Most consultants fail to realize that such talks are the practical
application of good old Socratic Method of Persuasion…..kind of Modern Day
Dogma with the spiritual part being replaced by professional/survival needs.
The
technical/core knowledge of the Business Analyst/Quality Analyst positions are
condensed and rammed into the brains of the consultants within a time span of
about 4 weeks. The primary objective is to enable the consultant defend his/her
resume during the telephonic and face-to-face interviews. A handful of software
related to software testing such as Load-Runner, QTP are introduced to the
consultants so that they are familiarized with the software functionalities and
interfaces that would help them survive the tough situations at the workplace
and most importantly help them answer the questions correctly during the
interviews. The consultancy’s primary aim would be to enable the consultant
clear the interviews and secure a placement in any project. What the consultant
wishes to do is absolutely immaterial because the consultant is a liability to
the consultancy until placed in a project.
Once the consultant secures a placement, he/she becomes a source of
revenue and therefore a completely different format of respect and camaraderie
is offered to them from then on. It has to be noted that the batch of
consultants getting trained on software development, testing and maintenance
would be from a diverse set of educational backgrounds ranging from electrical engineering
to marketing management. They make the compromise because they have been
convinced by the consultancy to be “Open to options” so that they will do their
best to get the consultants well settled in the United States. One can only
imagine how a brain trained for years in one field gets all the new technology
information and stacks it for a make-believe act of pretense that would help
portray the consultant as a professional with years of experience in the IT
industry.
During the
training period, the newly recruited consultants are offered a set of fake
resumes related to Business Analyst/Quality Analyst/Systems Analyst and are
asked to go through them to get a “feel” of how their resumes are going to be
while they are being marketed to mid-clients and end-clients as experienced
professionals. The consultants are given a sample position and experience
domain and are asked to prepare a sample fake resume that would meet the
requirement. A mock interview/resume analysis is done as a class so that the
entire batch gets to know what to do and what not to do while fabricating
resumes for requirements. This training goes to the nuts and bolts of resume
writing where the specifics are discussed elaborately such as the date/time
lines of each project that is included in the resume. Depending on the level of
intimacy and moral surrender of the consultant to the management, a specific
set of resumes are forwarded to each consultant individually. The game layer in
any consultancy is always a zero sum game where the consultants are made to
believe that one’s gain will be loss to the others and every day they stay with the
consultancy without securing a placement in a project, they are losing money.
So the rat race begins right there. Consultants go to great lengths, trying to
get a good impression in the minds of the consultancy’s senior personnel so
that they get a “Good Set of Fake Resumes” that others don’t get. The want for
a set of descriptions of interesting projects that may lure the
vendor/mid-client to call for an interview grows exponentially at this stage of
the training. There is a paradigm shift we need to note here. From accepting to
defend fake resumes in the beginning, the consultants go to the far extreme of
scrambling for good-looking fake resumes. The confidentiality that goes along
with “Resume Preparation” would easily pass the confidentiality that the United
States Government would implement for the sake of its National Security
measures. The consultancy briefs each consultant separately and informs all of
them individually that they are special than the rest of the lot and that they
just need to follow management’s instructions and everything will fall in
place. Again this Good Cop-Bad Cop routine is to ensure that the consultants
have generated a state of fear believing the zero-sum-game that when others get
into a project, they would be just there…losing everything. Therefore each
consultant in his/her own way would make genuine efforts to get the confidence
of the senior personnel of the consultancy and prepare hard to make…well FAKE
RESUMES. The following are samples of fake resumes (that I came across during
my time with the flexi-staffing system) for the positions of Business
Analyst/Quality Analyst/Systems Analyst in various domains:
(Click the respective link given below to download)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Telecom/Finance/Healthcare)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Airlines/Telecom/Hospitality)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (E-Commerce/Finance)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Insurance: Property/Casualty)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Finance/Banking/Airlines)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Healthcare: Medicaid/Medicare/Airlines)
Business Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Healthcare: Medicaid/Medicare/Commercial)
Quality Analyst with Experience of 5 years (QTP/Finance/Banking)
Quality Analyst with Experience of 5 years (VB Scripting/Mobile Handset testing/Telecom)
Quality Analyst with Experience of 5 years (Performance Testing/Finance/Banking)
Senior Quality Analyst with Experience of 7 years (QTP/Automation/Finance)
Systems Analyst with Experience of 6 years (Healthcare/Claims Management/Technical Instruction)
The resumes
shown above are just samples. You can imagine a position and there will be at
least 10 suitable resumes for that imaginary position. These resumes have
different grades of quality too!!! The ones given above are supposed to be
“Vanilla Resumes” which means that these are the most exploited and most
common, which in turn means that these would not attract as many calls as the
other “Killer Resumes” that are available to a select clan of consultants
namely the Brotherhood of Ass-Kissers. Those “Killer Resumes” apparently get so
much attention of the recruiters that consultants who got and worked with those
“Killer Resumes” got fantastic projects and amazing work opportunities. Vanilla
or Killer, it really doesn’t matter because all of those resumes are absolutely
unoriginal with falsified information of all kinds. Except for the consultant’s
contact information, everything on these resumes is false and quite frankly way
above my head. These resumes have a lot of IT-related technical information
that I have never heard or read about anywhere. The consultants therefore get
trained on how to create killer resumes that can attract calls from recruiters.
Very few of the consultants end up working their domain or any domain that they
have even heard of.
Post Training Posing
After the
training, the consultants are put in “Marketing” which means that from then on
they would be receiving various requirements from the Consultancy’s marketers.
It is common for consultancies to have a dedicated marketing team that would do
the leg work of searching through job portals and network with vendors/clients
to get the requirements that can be filled up by the consultants in
“marketing.” Some consultancies even have dedicated marketing teams operating
from overseas. That marketing team would work night shifts to cater to the
consultants in the United States.
This is how it
happens. The individuals running the consultancy would compile all the email
id’s of the newly brain-washed consultants and forward them to the marketing
team. The marketers would start sending bulk emails to all the consultants with
requirements as they start getting them. They would then call the consultants
one by one and ask them to send a suitable resume. Anything to be added or
edited is discussed over phone. Also the “Tao of fooling US Clients” with
respect to what to say during interviews is imparted for free over those
conversations. Sometimes a known vendor would ask for a very specific resume
with mentions of specific terms. The marketer would immediately call the
consultant and ask him/her to send such a resume. Once the consultant sends the
resume, the marketer forwards it to the vendor and receives acknowledgement.
The marketer then calls the consultant and discloses the key information regarding
the areas of assessment during the telephone interview for the specific
position.
There is ample
room for fun in this phase. Sometimes what happens is that the vendors and
marketers, over time successfully place a whole bunch of consultants by pushing
their fake resumes and eventually grow to be great friends or professional
colleagues. The vendor would know that for a certain set of requirements, this
marketer friend of his/her would definitely provide quality resumes and
confident consultants who can beat Broadway Veterans in acting and dialogue
delivery. The same way the marketers would know what areas the respective
vendors specialize in. So it is a colluded cult of resume push fanatics. In the
happy moments, sometimes the marketers prepare a resume on their own using a
consultant’s contact information and submit it for consideration to a vendor.
The consultant is then informed over phone that such a resume has been
forwarded. This happened with me and it was a hilarious experience. I had no
idea about what the position was and what resume was sent. Now in times like
these the consultant would have like a few hours to prepare for telephone
interview on something someone thought would be a perfect match for the
consultant’s professional growth. ;)
The Call Handling Conspiracies
Now once the
resumes get submitted, the mobiles start ringing. Consultants would sit the
whole day at the consultancy, staring at the monitor and mobile phones, hoping
to receive calls for the submissions made. Resumes for various positions and
domains would get submitted. How would the consultant know which resume to
speak about whenever someone calls? This is where organized planning is taught
to the consultants. The consultants make Excel Resume Trackers that would be
updated as soon as a resume is submitted. The fields of importance for a resume
tracker are Position, Location, Client’s Name, Marketer, Years of experience
(as per requirement/resume) and finally a link to the particular resume that
was submitted against that requirement. When the consultant gets a call, he/she
needs to get the position’s details from the caller before getting into the
conversation, click open the corresponding resume and then proceed with the
conversation. This is required because after about 10 days in marketing, the
consultant would not remember what resume was submitted against what
requirement. Now, once the resume is open in front of the consultant, it
becomes easy for him/her to refer to it and deliver consistent replies with
respect to work experience as mentioned in the resume. One has to be physically
present to enjoy the humor of a consultant opening a wrong version of a resume
midway through the interview and delivering contradictory answers sending
signals of suspicions to the recruiter who’s calling. I have had many
opportunities to witness similar incidents where the caller would ask something
and the consultant would have never heard of it before. The rest of us would
google it, write it on paper and flash it to the consultant and he/she would
then pick up from there. We were experiencing our own Consultancy version of Les
Miserables and still managed to laugh it out hard and loud.
Sometimes the
vendors would know very well about this system and would begin the telephone
interview with “Can you google things out and survive in this job? I will tell
you what the American mid-client and end-client would ask. Just prepare the
answers and deliver with confidence. I will take care of the rest…” The
consultant then has to convince the vendor that he/she is smart enough to act
and would somehow manage to survive. If the vendor is convinced about the
consultant’s acting capabilities, he/she would forward it to the
mid/end-clients.
The real deal
about telephone interviews is when substitute speakers are engaged. Sometimes when
the consultant manages to convince the vendor and fool the mid-client with the
fake resume submitted, the end-client interview gets scheduled. The
consultant’s unlucky if it is a face-to-face interview because impersonation is
impossible. But in the case of end-client interviews scheduled to be carried
out over telephone, it’s a whole different ball game. As an act of courtesy,
the consultants who managed to get placements in projects would offer to help
the next batch by taking telephonic interviews on their behalf, posing as the
consultants for whom the interviews are scheduled. The timings are confirmed
over emails. The senior personnel of the consultancy would choose the experienced
consultant to attend the call as scheduled. Again the consultant needs to be
part of the Brotherhood of Ass-Kissers to be offered this coveted privilege of
letting some random guy talk as the consultant. Once the timings are frozen,
the “Call-Taker” is forwarded with a copy of the fake resume submitted and the
consultant is asked to speak to the “Call-Taker” to discuss about the position
and the interview. Exactly 15 minutes before the interview’s scheduled time,
the consultant enables call-divert in his/her mobile and marks the Call-Taker’s
mobile number. So when the end-client (mostly an American in charge of the
project) calls, he or she would not know that they would be talking to someone
else who is posing as the consultant as mentioned in the faked out resume that
has been submitted. If the Call-Taker does the magic, then everyone celebrates.
I have tried so many times to identify what they can possibly celebrate about
this and I never found anything.
Living off People’s Misery
Now that we have
observed the dark side of flexi-staffing in the United States of America,
especially in the IT industry, it is time we make an attempt to understand the
underlying implications of the same. These consultancies, for the most part,
are operating on the basis of greed and are misusing the fire and enthusiasm of
individuals who travel all the way to America with the hopes of living their
share of the American dream. Young men and women say yes to all the
compromising conditions laid out by the consultancies only because they are
ready to do everything to survive, get a job, earn some money and live happily.
Now just because the consultancies have the means to obtain temporary
employment, they get to handle people as their slaves. The consultants have no
other choice but to lie and defend their fake resumes so they can have a job
and eventually survive. Now defending an 8 years resume is one thing but
working according to the experience submitted is a whole different thing.
Consultants go through verbal abuse and mockery on a daily basis just because
they do not know the work they are doing. They have to learn as they work and
perform in the job. Most importantly, after getting placed in a project, the
consultant has to memorize his/her fake resume so they don’t give contradicting
replies to their colleagues while engaging in friendly conversations.
Consultancies would instruct the consultants not to make friends with fellow
workers soon after joining since the risk of getting identified as a faker is
high and that would jeopardize the employment. There had been occasions when
the bosses had asked the consultant about why their working is very slow and
with silly mistakes while they have been working the same domain for over 8
years. There have been cases when the client companies find out about the fake
resumes and fire the consultant. The consultancies in those cases would only
say that it is not an issue since they can get the consultant another better
project. The consultant compromises his/her integrity, prepares to lie and fake
professional experience, struggles on the job with no help whatsoever, works
like a dog and bears all the embarrassment he/she is showered with at the
workplace…..only to survive in the United States…and the consultancies, vendors
and mid-clients just eat away the bulk of the money that they earn at the cost
of the consultant.
There are cases
where everyone including the end-client knows that the resume submitted is fake
and still things roll this way in the United States. The way I understand it,
those bosses have a feeling that if some consultant is smart enough to defend a
fake resume, then he/she is fit enough to work with them. We cannot exclude the
possibilities of scenarios where the actual clients have no idea about the fake
resume and the inexperienced yet enthusiastic consultant. Companies don’t have
to pay benefits (health insurance/pension) when they hire temporary/contract
employees since the consultancies would be the employers of those consultants. Companies
like such employees because they can hire just when they need and downsize
easily when the demand falls. This corporate mentality of manipulating manpower
cost for profits has given birth to a great industry in the United States that
has been vandalized over time and its current state is beneficial to the hiring
companies and consultancies but not to the workers/employees. The industry is
so widely spread that each consultancy would have multiple companies registered
as partner firms or stand-alone companies in order to compensate for the H1B
limit laid out by the United States government. Consultancies exploiting the
regulations laid out by the United States government and the increasing state
of unemployment does affect the workers adversely in certain cases. The workers
are exploited and used up for financial benefit. Also this state puts
international communities in the United States in bad light. This has to be
controlled through effective implementation of necessary preventive controls
through appropriate regulations. Here’s a link to another article that adds to
this discussion:
Why should
people be forced to defend lies only to survive? All the education gained
through hard work is rendered useless when smart individuals defend fake
resumes and take up jobs that they have never done before. This state of
flexi-staffing in the IT industry in United States may be quite similar to
those in other countries across the globe but that doesn’t make it right. I
feel that smart and hard-working individuals being forced to defend fake
resumes is a kind of intellectual human trafficking. A whole industry surviving
on the misery of innocent individuals is highly disheartening. The struggling
economy just adds to this. All murderers killed because at the time of the
murder, that was their only choice of survival. All pimps who run brothels sell
women for their livelihood because that is how they survive in a brothel. Need
for survival does not necessarily emancipate any act of crime. Businesses need
flexible workers and consultancies provide it but the workers do not want it……they
have no other choice but to accept it in place of a permanent employment. I am
not opposed to temporary employment. I am opposed to individuals being
forced/brain-washed to defend fake resumes. When Americans in the United States have the privilege of taking pride in honor/respect/integrity and so on, the status of considerable number of internationals in the United States is quite the opposite due to various regulatory and commercial reasons and that is exactly what I wish to point at.
I know a lot of
people who were/are in the flexi-staffing system I have described above. I
don’t mean any disrespect to them or their professional abilities in any way. I
wrote this post because I wanted to document this state of Flexi-Staffing (IT
industry) in the United States and make the facts as I had observed available
to you.
Update as of May, 2014:
This has been one of the most-read posts on my blog so far. In fact, until a month back, this was at the top. I would like to thank them all for their time, comments and emails. I am glad my blog has helped you in ways that I wished someone had helped me with. That is the objective of this post.
Key Trends Noticed
I noticed is that there are so many of us out there, not knowing how to cope with this consultancy-scam, fearing ridicule and a 'Not-So-Happening' legal action. Let me put it in simple terms. You don't have to fear. Nobody is going to get you caught in legal action. The contract you signed is as fake as the resume they make for you.
Another distinct trend that I noticed is that, there is either 'No' or 'Not-So-Much' information flow across the demographics that are in the 'Consultancy-Shit.' Everyone with a fake resume fears the other person will do them some harm or just keep everything they know to themselves assuming that is going to give them some sort of competitive advantage. Stop believing that shit!!! Get it out of your system!!! It is true, the consultancies tend to keep you believing the 'Fake-Zero-Sum-Game' so you will rat on your colleagues for 'Extra Benefits.' Don't let those scammers play the Divide-and-Rule game. Talk to people. Let them know what you know and ask questions. There are going to be people who tend to rat on their fellow workers. Don't bother their behavior for they fear the system in ways you can never imagine. There are so many of you out there fielding fake resumes and all you wish to do is an anonymous comment on my blog or a secret email to me. I appreciate the trust you have on me. I will be grateful for that until the end of time and I will do my best to help you with my suggestions. But you've got to connect with your kind!!! So talk to your fellow Fake-Resume-Consultants. Just send them the link to this page and this can get them talking. They may sound like superman but they are as scared as you are.
The rare-yet-significant trend that I noticed is that, consultancies that filed candidates with fake resumes have started convincing their candidates that they don't hire every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' and therefore what they do will never make it out. Some even have gone to the extent of convincing candidates that they are the first Indian or 'Desi' they have hired and the rest of them are Caucasian or 'Gora.' My apologies for using racist terms here. Please be informed that consultancies are paper companies who lease office space from building on different names and have multiple registrations in many cities as there is a H1-B limit for every registered business (per year and overall basis). So when one registration titled 'InfoTechnoNonsense' (for example) reaches the threshold limit of H1B's, they register another company and start filing in that name. They know the tricks of the trade and they will keep their company out of the radar. But you fielding the fake resume will be out in plain view my dear friends. Not getting caught does not confirm invisibility. So don't trust a consultancy that boasts of fool-proof faking methods and how they are best-friends of clients and how YOU are the only Indian/Asian there. The office you go to may be an exception. These consultancies run like chain of chicken farms. You may be the first chicken there but definitely not the first the consultancy ever had. Watch out. This trend to me indicates that the consultancies have evolved over time and they are now trying to work against the popular opinions among candidates. They have transformed from money-making firms to safe-firms so that they can get the scared candidate accept to their cheating methods. They don't have anything to lose there. really, they don't/ The one with the fake resume does.
Lastly, many THANKS to those of you who decided to quit the Fake-Resume-Consultancy-Scam and get back to work with their original resumes like normal people with integrity. I am more than happy to realize that at one point of time in your struggle, my scribblings here on my blog, has helped you with information and insights. I have no words to describe your happy emails after quitting Fake-Resume-Consultancies in US.
Here is one that sends across a strong message to me, you and everyone that integrity matters:
Do share your experiences in the comments below and let others know what you have been through or are going through.
Update[6th July, 2015]
If you go through the comments section, you will notice that we have received comments from individuals who have or are using fake-resume and working as consultant/contractor in the US. While they are clearly interested in proving the idea that fake-resume jobs only help and don't cause any trouble whatsoever, they refuse to share their fake resume, fake experience, their current job they got with their fake resume on this forum. Some of them even brand me or my attitude for writing this blog post. One comment claims I am trying to present falsified information and what I describe may not be true.
While I don't accept those claims, I respect those viewpoints. I think we need to get an honest viewpoint from someone who is/was working on a fake resume where they can share the fake experience they used and how they got back to the original experience resume and nothing ever happened. Unless we get someone who can present their fake resume and the details of the employment they gained using it, we cannot rule out the fact that there will be damage and that will cost the fake-resume joker very dearly.
My claim is, they are afraid to reveal their identity, fake experience, fake resume and the contractor position they gained using the fake details. The reason may be anything but it definitely includes the Fear of Embarrassment and potential Professional Loss such as Losing Credibility. I am willing to post the fake resume and employment details here on this post. I will however verify the fake resume with the company [end-client/mid-client] to make sure this individual worked there with fake credentials and also will get their views on this subject. That's the only way out of this confusion. Again, I am receiving emails to this day about what will happen when people quit fake resume consultancies. There are so many out there who want out but are afraid.
So, on behalf of those who are stuck with Fake-Resume-Jobs, those who are afraid to move out of shady consulting companies in the United States and those who are just unclear on how their fake resume at one point in time can hurt their career later:
[going Optimus Prime here]
We are here. We are waiting......
[ Played in the background: Linkin Park's What I've Done]
Update as of 7th March, 2017:
Please look at the image below. This is the case of a fake resume-proxy-interview candidate and his alibi who got busted by the HR specialist who handled the recruitment process. If someone is telling you everyone knows the fact and they are fine with it, think 3500 times. What they say so confidently is hardly closer to reality. If everyone knows fake resumes and proxy interviews and they are fine with it, why does this image get published on LinkedIn? [click here to have a look at the LinkedIn post first hand]
Please watch out people. The consultancies might as well be selling your kidneys with you going as freebies.
Update as of Dec, 2018:
Remember, nobody in the comment/post/image shared on LinkedIn mentioned the Desi Consultancy's name. Nobody mentioned the Mid-Client's name. Nobody mentioned the end-client's name. Nobody mentioned the vendor's name. All that came out was the fake resume candidates' images indicating who took the interview and who showed up for work. Look up the LinkedIn post to confirm this first hand.
For the sake of brainwashed individuals in the fake resume racket, your consultancy will not be in the frame when you get caught like this. Your mid-client or vendor won't bail you out when you get exposed like this. Imagine the future impact on your career.
If this cannot convince you about the fact of the situation, nothing will.
On a very different note [a shameless plug], if you are interested in unique tamil short films, feel free to visit https://www.summamovies.com/. I couldn't tolerate the mass masala entertainers anymore and decided I will do my best to produce content with substance. I have a long a way to go as a producer and a start-up founder, but I am glad our journey has begun. I look forward to your support. Each film on our site costs INR 15. Thanks!!!
This has been one of the most-read posts on my blog so far. In fact, until a month back, this was at the top. I would like to thank them all for their time, comments and emails. I am glad my blog has helped you in ways that I wished someone had helped me with. That is the objective of this post.
Key Trends Noticed
I noticed is that there are so many of us out there, not knowing how to cope with this consultancy-scam, fearing ridicule and a 'Not-So-Happening' legal action. Let me put it in simple terms. You don't have to fear. Nobody is going to get you caught in legal action. The contract you signed is as fake as the resume they make for you.
Another distinct trend that I noticed is that, there is either 'No' or 'Not-So-Much' information flow across the demographics that are in the 'Consultancy-Shit.' Everyone with a fake resume fears the other person will do them some harm or just keep everything they know to themselves assuming that is going to give them some sort of competitive advantage. Stop believing that shit!!! Get it out of your system!!! It is true, the consultancies tend to keep you believing the 'Fake-Zero-Sum-Game' so you will rat on your colleagues for 'Extra Benefits.' Don't let those scammers play the Divide-and-Rule game. Talk to people. Let them know what you know and ask questions. There are going to be people who tend to rat on their fellow workers. Don't bother their behavior for they fear the system in ways you can never imagine. There are so many of you out there fielding fake resumes and all you wish to do is an anonymous comment on my blog or a secret email to me. I appreciate the trust you have on me. I will be grateful for that until the end of time and I will do my best to help you with my suggestions. But you've got to connect with your kind!!! So talk to your fellow Fake-Resume-Consultants. Just send them the link to this page and this can get them talking. They may sound like superman but they are as scared as you are.
The rare-yet-significant trend that I noticed is that, consultancies that filed candidates with fake resumes have started convincing their candidates that they don't hire every 'Tom, Dick and Harry' and therefore what they do will never make it out. Some even have gone to the extent of convincing candidates that they are the first Indian or 'Desi' they have hired and the rest of them are Caucasian or 'Gora.' My apologies for using racist terms here. Please be informed that consultancies are paper companies who lease office space from building on different names and have multiple registrations in many cities as there is a H1-B limit for every registered business (per year and overall basis). So when one registration titled 'InfoTechnoNonsense' (for example) reaches the threshold limit of H1B's, they register another company and start filing in that name. They know the tricks of the trade and they will keep their company out of the radar. But you fielding the fake resume will be out in plain view my dear friends. Not getting caught does not confirm invisibility. So don't trust a consultancy that boasts of fool-proof faking methods and how they are best-friends of clients and how YOU are the only Indian/Asian there. The office you go to may be an exception. These consultancies run like chain of chicken farms. You may be the first chicken there but definitely not the first the consultancy ever had. Watch out. This trend to me indicates that the consultancies have evolved over time and they are now trying to work against the popular opinions among candidates. They have transformed from money-making firms to safe-firms so that they can get the scared candidate accept to their cheating methods. They don't have anything to lose there. really, they don't/ The one with the fake resume does.
Lastly, many THANKS to those of you who decided to quit the Fake-Resume-Consultancy-Scam and get back to work with their original resumes like normal people with integrity. I am more than happy to realize that at one point of time in your struggle, my scribblings here on my blog, has helped you with information and insights. I have no words to describe your happy emails after quitting Fake-Resume-Consultancies in US.
Here is one that sends across a strong message to me, you and everyone that integrity matters:
".....Finally quit the desi consultancy today. Feeling great."
Do share your experiences in the comments below and let others know what you have been through or are going through.
Update[6th July, 2015]
If you go through the comments section, you will notice that we have received comments from individuals who have or are using fake-resume and working as consultant/contractor in the US. While they are clearly interested in proving the idea that fake-resume jobs only help and don't cause any trouble whatsoever, they refuse to share their fake resume, fake experience, their current job they got with their fake resume on this forum. Some of them even brand me or my attitude for writing this blog post. One comment claims I am trying to present falsified information and what I describe may not be true.
While I don't accept those claims, I respect those viewpoints. I think we need to get an honest viewpoint from someone who is/was working on a fake resume where they can share the fake experience they used and how they got back to the original experience resume and nothing ever happened. Unless we get someone who can present their fake resume and the details of the employment they gained using it, we cannot rule out the fact that there will be damage and that will cost the fake-resume joker very dearly.
My claim is, they are afraid to reveal their identity, fake experience, fake resume and the contractor position they gained using the fake details. The reason may be anything but it definitely includes the Fear of Embarrassment and potential Professional Loss such as Losing Credibility. I am willing to post the fake resume and employment details here on this post. I will however verify the fake resume with the company [end-client/mid-client] to make sure this individual worked there with fake credentials and also will get their views on this subject. That's the only way out of this confusion. Again, I am receiving emails to this day about what will happen when people quit fake resume consultancies. There are so many out there who want out but are afraid.
So, on behalf of those who are stuck with Fake-Resume-Jobs, those who are afraid to move out of shady consulting companies in the United States and those who are just unclear on how their fake resume at one point in time can hurt their career later:
[going Optimus Prime here]
We are here. We are waiting......
[ Played in the background: Linkin Park's What I've Done]
Update as of 7th March, 2017:
Please look at the image below. This is the case of a fake resume-proxy-interview candidate and his alibi who got busted by the HR specialist who handled the recruitment process. If someone is telling you everyone knows the fact and they are fine with it, think 3500 times. What they say so confidently is hardly closer to reality. If everyone knows fake resumes and proxy interviews and they are fine with it, why does this image get published on LinkedIn? [click here to have a look at the LinkedIn post first hand]
Please watch out people. The consultancies might as well be selling your kidneys with you going as freebies.
Update as of Dec, 2018:
Remember, nobody in the comment/post/image shared on LinkedIn mentioned the Desi Consultancy's name. Nobody mentioned the Mid-Client's name. Nobody mentioned the end-client's name. Nobody mentioned the vendor's name. All that came out was the fake resume candidates' images indicating who took the interview and who showed up for work. Look up the LinkedIn post to confirm this first hand.
For the sake of brainwashed individuals in the fake resume racket, your consultancy will not be in the frame when you get caught like this. Your mid-client or vendor won't bail you out when you get exposed like this. Imagine the future impact on your career.
If this cannot convince you about the fact of the situation, nothing will.
On a very different note [a shameless plug], if you are interested in unique tamil short films, feel free to visit https://www.summamovies.com/. I couldn't tolerate the mass masala entertainers anymore and decided I will do my best to produce content with substance. I have a long a way to go as a producer and a start-up founder, but I am glad our journey has begun. I look forward to your support. Each film on our site costs INR 15. Thanks!!!
![]() |
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.summamemes.app |
Regards,
Dude.. You have written a good article.. But I somehow feel convinced that you have written this based on your observance at one place you have been. There are a lot of contradictions I can see on your observance and I living actually the life of your flexi-staffing. Coming to your point about 'Consultants' - actually people hired by way of this process are not consultants but contractors. There is a difference between contractor and consultant. Another thing you pointed here was about people defending fake resumes just to work in US. How many companies are willing to sponsor the right candidate from other countries to work in US and utilize the talents. You are one person who had tried hard and finally ended up in a place like this due to no opportunities and no willing sponsors for your visa. This is where the flexi-staffing you mention comes into place. Also consultancy company you mention which brain washes people to succumb to their plans, is just not right.. You have the option of backing out and you do not have to be brainwashed.. it is an individual's choice.. I wish to end it here.. else my comment would become another article here.. Cheers mate
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments mate. You are right. I have written this based on my observance at one such firm. I have mentioned this in the article too. I used the term "consultant" based on the term's usage in day to day conversation among such "contractors" alone and so the actual legal definition would not hold right to it.
DeleteComing to the "choice of backing out", even drug trafficking has the same option of one person backing out anytime. But still drug trafficking is illegal.
Defending fake resumes would never become right just because there are no companies to sponsor visa.
Hello Friends and Motts,
ReplyDeleteI took 4 weeks training from these consultancy and later I knew that they will make fake resume, proxy interviews. I don’t want to go from this fraud process to get job. Before the training they signed me contract that if I don’t work with them they to go court to back all expenses of their training. I have question can they really go court even they know they are doing wrong things in US job market?
Please give me your advice. Thank you.
Dear Friend,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading my blog and asking this question. It seems like you went through the same experience that many of us have had in the past. For any valid legal contract to be executed, the contract will be signed by both the parties and each party will have a signed copy. They would either have two sets of original document or have a photocopy taken of the signed contract that will be handed over to one of the signers. Did any such thing happen in your case? I am presuming NO. They might have given you a contract, asked you to sign it and might have taken it back in their possession. Also you would not have seen the second party (management representative/head) signing your contract after you did. This is not a legal way of signing any contract, let alone a legal employment contract. Also note that they might have used different/wrong spelling for the name of the management/management head in the contract, only to protect themselves in case you go to the court with it claiming damages. Summing up, the contract you signed is a JOKE and it will never make it to any court. They have used the stapled bundle of randomly printed sheets to instill fear in your mind, that might make it easier for them to control you. Nobody will go to court. The management won't because it will get exposed and you can't because they will eventually prove that it was never their contract and the names in the contract are not theirs (differently spelled names!!!). Ask them for a signed copy of the contract (an original if possible) and you will know the real value of it. Thanks again for asking the question. Be safe. All the best with your job search in the US.
So if two original contracts were not signed, and only one was signed, this makes it legally not binding? Is that a fact?
DeleteBasically, a contract based on fraud or to conduct an illegal act is VOID 'ab initio' and therefore cannot be enforced by law.
Deleteboth the parties need to hold a copy of the signed contract and they are entitled to it. Any contract law in any democracy will support this. holding the party responsible for an act not mentioned in the contract renders the contracting authority liable. All contracts are under the law at all times. If that is an invalid contract, executing that itself will be a violation of that land's contact laws. Candidates lying on end-client/mid-client's forms is punishable by law as false information is presented for financial gain. However, since the contract with the consultancy does not have the 'fake information' or 'fake-resume' mentioned, the consultancy will remain out of the court situation. The candidate will be held liable for the 'fraud'. However, right the contract words might be, if the court finds it directly or indirectly affecting US workers' wages and/or working conditions, then both parties of the contract will be held responsible and all other contracts executed in the past by the consultancy will also get under the lens. It hasn't happened yet but when it does, so many 'professionals' will have their careers slaughtered. The consultancy will walk away with a new registration though.
DeleteMotts,
ReplyDeleteRead your post and it was a real eye opener as to that travails of a h1b seeker. I have a friend who joined a consultancy recently and predictably they gave him a fake resume with 8yrs experience (he has 2yrs of real experience with a BE). Now, they are trying to get him placed. What are the problems he will face when he has to travel back to India for family visit etc? Obviously he would need new stamping from consulate. Would he have to defend his 8yrs of experience there as well?
Mani
Dear Mani,
ReplyDeleteI am glad that my blog has helped you someway. Thanks for your comment.
Your friend will have to defend his 8-years resume during the interviews with the clients. The consultancy may also help in proxy-interviews where someone else would speak as your friend and successfully defend the 8-years resume. How it happens vary from position to position. The H1B would be filed by the consultancy and not the client who is hiring your friend. From what I know, it is a popular trend among such contract-workers/consultants to avoid India-Trip while they are in their 1st H1B.
Consultancies usually have around 100-300 consultants/contract-workers on their payroll and therefore the consultancies would have filed for so many H1B's. The immigration department in the US has the habit of shortlisting companies that file for a large number of H1B's and investigate the company backgrounds. In case the consultancies get involved in unlawful practices such as tax evasion, unlawful hiring and so on, those companies would be Blacklisted. The blacklisted companies would be ear-marked and their details would be made available to the immigration officials who do the document verification at various ports of entries (airport immigration clearance).
At the time of entering US, if the immigration officials find that the concerned international is employed with a company that has been blacklisted, they would plainly deny entry into US. I have heard from my friends that people with valid visas have been denied entry simply because their employer got blacklisted. High number of H1B visa filing is used as a red flag but that does not mean that all companies with high H1B's get blacklisted. Larger corporations that has offices all over the country would also be filing for high number of H1b's. The immigration department should not suspect the consultancy for any malpractice. As long as that doesn't happen, your friend is safe during his re-entry into the US.
About defending the resume with immigration officials, the chances are very remote. They don't care about the experience but look for legality and legitimacy of visa documents and employer credentials. But yeah, if they suspect the individual for something, they have the right to contact the hiring companies and do a background check which may involve a cross-verification of resume/certificates with the data received from the employer. Usually they don't go to this extent but if they do, there is nothing that can stop them and yes, in such a remote case, your friend may require to defend his 8-years resume hoping his hiring company hasn't turned him in.
The usual practice among fake-resume defenders is that they would work as a consultant on their 1st H1B, avoid India trip while on the consultancy payroll, switch over to a permanent job, update visa records with new employer details and then plan their trips to India. Traveling on a consultancy H1B is not a huge risk but a risk it is (some have been denied entry into US). I hope I answered your questions.
Motts,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the detailed mail. This was very useful. My consultant is asking to fake resume with work experience in US though I have none here. I personally do not want to do it but have no option :( What happens when I switch jobs later to a permanent job? Will I be able to go back to my original resume and use it or should I live with this false resume forever? Also, will the companies do a background check? I'm really worried and scared :(
Dear Friend,
DeleteGlad that my blog and responses have helped you. You are right in expecting a future risk owing to lying on your resume now. You would never know when old stories would rise out of the rubble. At the same time, it is a reality that a lot of individuals out there have used fake resumes for jobs and living the risks we are talking about.
My personal opinion stands that lying on the resume will make the liar vulnerable to future problems. He or she may be lucky to not having to encounter the embarrassment in future but it is a gamble.
On the idea of going back to the old resume, I would say, it is risky but not as much as living with the fake resume for the rest of your life. A quick decision may call for defending the fake experience all through life but getting back to original experience would make it safe, but at the cost of accepting to having lied in the past.
I would like to point at some examples of fake resumes/falsified degrees/experience for your reference:
http://www.businessinsider.com/9-people-who-were-publicly-shamed-for-lying-on-their-resumes-2012-5?op=1&IR=T
http://mashable.com/2012/05/04/yahoo-ceo-poll/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-28244651/how-padding-your-resume-can-destroy-your-career/
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumetips/qt/resume-honesty.htm
http://www.brighthub.com/office/career-planning/articles/98947.aspx
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/wall-street-journal-elizabeth-obagy-fired-96637.html
If you read through these stories related to various incidents of people lying on their resume and the consequences they have faced, you will notice that most of them faced problems years after their lying on their resume. So, if you suspect future problems, you are right. It all depends on how far your future employers go with the background checks.
So summing up, if you use a fake resume now, you might be forced to defend it for the rest of your life, standing a live risk of getting caught at all times. Accepting to the lie may add credibility to your profile but will cost you a part of your reputation that you built over time. I believe, if it is your life and your needs, it has to be your plans and your decisions. This also means that YOU are responsible for whatever happens to you because of what you chose to do in the past. So think and decide accordingly.
Although my suggestion may stand against your current career growth opportunities, I would request you to not fake experience or anything on your resume. The one who promises you benefits in exchange for small lies will not be protecting you in times of trouble. I have been there, seen it, and almost done that too. It is the same fear of future failure and embarrassment over the idea that I almost succumbed to financial motivation that made me drop out of the fake-resume racket. I would rather be a failure on my own efforts than be a success built on lies. Just my thought.
I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Good one.. Been very helpful
ReplyDeleteThanks Dependable Coder....Glad my blog helped you...All the best...
DeleteHey Motts,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! I am going to start getting marketed soon. Being an international student my primary reason for joining this consultancy, as you said, is to get my H1B. Apart from the fake experience they are going to put, I wanted to know if these guys will actually sponsor me or not. As far as I know it'll take at least a month which is around end of february for me to get a job. The filing of H1b happens in April. So by April if I don't get on a project, would the consultancy still bother to sponsor me? Thanks
Hey Anonymous Friend, everyone who joins a "consultancy" has the same question on his/her mind. If you manage to lie well and get into a project, they will give you a royal treatment, sponsor your visa and deduct it from your salary too. If it takes long, they will let you be on your own. You will then have to exhibit extreme subservient behavior, convincing them that you are their slave and you will do anything they say. When they realize that they have total control of your self-respect, they will have someone take the interview for you or push you a requirement where everyone in the chain knows you are a fake (so you will clear that interview anyway). By now you might have noticed they have already picked their first batch of slaves. Even if they decide to sponsor you, they will not tell you. You will have to morally fall at their feet and then something might happen. I have seen people being employed by the consultancy itself as one of their marketers (those who send the requirements) but they are exceptional salesmen specializing in selling their Self-Respect. They will act like Sancho Panza in front of the consultancy owner and swear at them behind their back. I sincerely hope nothing of that sort happens with you. Keep contacting companies in your domain. You might get a full time somewhere. Remember, you have invested a lot of your time and money in gaining the knowledge you have now and you do not deserve to be slave of this kind. All the best for your future.
ReplyDeleteHi Motts,
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the in depth detail you have provided. I am an American born Indian and I recently have been given the opportunity to get into IT as BA. This option was provided to me by a family friend who owns an IT firm. I was also sold on the fact that I could be making a great salary and that I would have no problem because I was American born and I am well spoken. I was explained the whole process, same as what you described above..about the training, fake resume, marketing and interview process. Since it is a family friend, it was so a matter of fact, as if this how it works all over the place.
From what you described, I am starting to think that this is certainly the norm. That being said, if I do go ahead with the process, do you think that as an American born Indian, I would have an advantage being a BA? When you get your first assignment, do the companies expect you to hit the ground running, or is there an orientation process that allows you to fit in? I understand the ethics part of this which is why I am slightly concerned, however, I know that if I were to get my foot in the door, I would be able to accomplish my goal. No contracts were discussed, however, I am aware of the allocation of salary if I were to go this route which is still lucrative.
I guess my real question is, for all of the horror stories out there, how many success stories have you come across? I have a Master's degree, however, I have been stuck in a dead end job for the past 6 years with no growth. If I were to switch my career to a IT BA what would be your realistic expectations for someone in my situation?
Thank you again for your blog and for everyone else that has contributed to this thread, It is shedding a lot of light onto something I was unaware of.
Hi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteFrom what you have mentioned, seems like you are already into this thing. Sorry to say but if you are going to have a cooked-up resume help you get a new job, then you are basically giving up on all the education and real experience you have gained so far. But it is your life and it is your decision.
As for the success stories, there are none. Even those who run the consultancy would brag about running an IT firm dealing with fortune 500 companies and being heavily invested in stocks. They will never have the guts to tell what they truly do and that's their success story.
If you consider job-hunting graduates being exploited with fake resumes as just a 'norm' then you need to reassess your definitions. As for the work arrangement, the client will expect you to hit the ground running, most of them would know you are fake (experience wise) and would push you to deliver as your fake resume boasts. Since US is your birth place, you are an american citizen and so the consultancy gets an additional profit of not having to spend on your H1B visa. but you being an american has nothing to do with your prospects of getting better professionally. As long as you do the same thing you have done in the past, you might be successful but if you are a an architect being marketed as a plumber, then you better be good at plumbing. Try asking the consultancy guys if they know of the Tiger-on-a-Monkey's-Visa story and you will have good laugh along with the hard reality behind this racket.
You being an american by birth, I guess would have at least a teeny weeny bit of positive attitude towards your country of birth. Please don't support such malpractice that can ruin the opportunities that your country is famous for. I hoped I answered your question. No offence intended. All the Best.
Hi Motts,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog and very nice post. Explains the whole process in-depth. I am in a very similar situation. Came to US on F-1, completed my Masters in a non-IT field, was not able to get a job and had to turn to this method. I am currently 2 months away from my H-1B filing and on a project. The point is, even though I am able to survive on the job, I feel guilty for falling prey to unethical practices. Even if I do get my H-1B, I am not sure that I can carry this feeling on for the rest of my career.
My question to you is what would would be the best way for me to switch to a genuine career in my field (life-sciences). I know I cannot change my field once I get my H-1B. Also, if I do push on with this method for 2-3 years, can I apply for a full-time job based on just the 3 years of experience? Will there be hurdles during background check? I will truly appreciate your response. Thank you very much. Once again, fantastic effort for the blog!
Hi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteI got your email too. Thanks for that. Sorry about the late response. I have heard people get into full time jobs after the Fake Resume H1B but I haven't heard of anyone switching back to original resume. People tend to keep a quiet voice when it comes to their resume and I believe this may be the case. To be honest, I am not aware of how one can just leave behind the work experience gained out of fake resume and switch over to original. In fact, your next full time job would most probably be because of your experience in whatever you are doing right now with the fake resume.
On the other hand background checks are rarely done in detail but if you are caught with a questionable history, then the trouble is all yours. I have seen people, who after 2-3 years as Fake resume Business Analyst, refuse to go for a regular full time job, simply because they fear their original professional profile might give them away. They mostly ended up as "Give-me-H1B-I'll-do-anything" slave to those who sold them in the fake resume market.
So, summing up, after 3 years, you can apply for a full time job where you have to carry your fake experience with you. If you don't want to use your fake experience, then you will be starting afresh. People might suggest you to say you worked for say AQBC Consulting and worked with multiple clients, if your future employer questions about clients, then you will be vulnerable to background check and further proceedings if found guilty, which in your case would be very serious I hope.
I don't pay you or I am not going to be of any help when you are struggling, but as a fellow human being who went through this shit and quit, I take the privilege of humbly requesting you to get out of this hell-hole as soon as possible. I have seen 58 year old single men (Indian) roaming around in their cars like hippies chasing money, hopping consultancies. One of them had 12 years experience through this fake resume scheme. If he had really gotten a chance to clean up his resume and get back to a honest professional life, he would have done that.
So think while you still can and spread the word please. There are a lot of us out there struggling to get the facts and make an informed decision. Sorry if my response is demotivating. I don't know you and I don't owe you. But still, to me you are a fellow human being and that matters. Run. Friend. Run. It is ok to lose. When you win on your own might, you will enjoy a satisfaction that cannot be expressed in words. It would be quite opposite to the guilt you are currently having. Wish you all the best.
Cant we file a complain against these consultancies? If yes, who should I go to for help?
ReplyDeleteNo use of complaining my friend...The only way out is to spread the word and let interested people get out of such fake-resume scam....Resume is not a legal document and therefore the courts cannot convict someone for lying on their resume. But what most people forget to realize that upon employment, the companies get an 'Employee Details Form' or a 'Employment Application' filled out and lying on that form is an offense and that can be used to get a conviction in the court. The consultancies won't be responsible for the applicant lying on the employment form. Since the applicants got the interview with a faked-out resume, they have to fill the employment form consistent with the fake resume. This is where the they land themselves into trouble. My suggestion to you is don't try to complain. This is just like drug trafficking and prostitution. The concerned individuals have to realize they need to get out of the racket. Don't look for a place to complain, look out for people who are looking for ways out and help them with the information and help them decide on their own. Positive action will at least give you the satisfaction of helping those in trouble. No pointing in cracking against those who will do anything for money. They have nothing to lose since their 'employees' on fake resumes are taking the risks and embarrassment.
DeleteHello Motts,
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrific article. I just wanted to throw my story in there because of your recent comment stating "I haven't heard of anyone switching back to original resume".
I got roped into one of these companies and felt very guilty but desperate. After being placed on a project, the end client offered me a permanent position. I contacted the consultancy and told them I would like to be let out of my contract. I hired a lawyer and with his help we were able to draft a release contract. After this I pursued the full-time opportunity (even though the consultancy stated that I was not to work for the end-client -- as you said, their contracts would never hold up).
When it came time to fill out new-hire paperwork with this company, I used all of my accurate work history and submitted an accurate resume. I have yet to be fired and it has been over a year.
Now that nonsense is behind me and I am thoroughly on the legitimate path.
One success story!
Dear Friend,
DeleteYou got your foot-in-the-door through a fake resume my friend. Let your original resume float and get an offer through that and then call your story a success. You do not know the hardship people go through to get a job in the US or anywhere for that matter with their original resume. If your story is a success, then what will you call theirs?
I do acknowledge the fact that you chose to get into full time and dropped your fake resume. But did you get the End-Client's attention through your original resume? Hiring a lawyer and drafting a release contract is not needed as the consultancies' contracts are mere jokes. It wont even enter a court campus. But anyways your effort is appreciated.
About switching back, you seem to have switched back right after your fake resume was submitted. A close call but you survived anyways. So it ended well for you. I am happy that you put this shit behind started on a clean sheet. Those who got into this shit for the mid and long-term are either stuck to the fake professional lives for the rest of their real lives. Those who deviate stand a risk of getting caught anytime.
I am glad you survived. Thanks for coming forward to share your story with us here on my blog. But you did not win a fair competition my friend and therefore it is not a success story but a survival story. I apologize if my words sound odd. I have no intention of offending you or cheapening your efforts. At the same time, I cannot deviate away from the basic understanding of fairness.
Hi Motts,
ReplyDeleteI am in the same position where Consulting company is asking me to fake my resume and they are even ready to proxy my interview. I did sign an agreement before the training which requires me to pay a huge $$ amount if I had to come out of the contract. It was signed by me. No person name was mentioned from the consulting company, just the name of the company on the contract. And I have not received any signed contract from them. I called up the company and made them aware of my intentions and as expected they were not happy. They are asking me to pay the whole amount or face the consequences.
I don’t want to get into any legal trouble. Do I need to get the contract reviewed by a lawyer before I pull the plug on them? Please advise
They are trying to scare you. Feel free to pull the plug on them. But I suggest you meet a lawyer and discuss the 'appropriate method' to pull the plug. You will be doing the right thing but in the court, actions get interpreted based on current laws. You need to make sure you are on the right side when you are pulling the plug. Whatever you do, my dear friend, stay safe and act as your lawyer asks you to. If you suspect the company of any further malpractice, you need to inform the court on time. The extreme of this will be you testifying in court of your actions and how the company has made you sign a 'suspicious' agreement that is forcing you to go to the law. trust me. it will not get that bad. The consultancy will threaten you and I guess they are already doing it. Stay strong. Speak to a lawyer. DO it as per the law. remember, if you are doing it, do it completely. Again, a lawyer will tell you the right steps. Blog about your experience and let someone in the local media know about your actions (a special correspondent) in private. These will help you later on.
DeleteI salute your integrity Abe. It takes more than courage to do what you decided to do. let me know if you have further questions. remember, you are not alone. Stay strong. Stay safe.
Let me know where you and the consulting company are located (state) and we can discuss further on how to proceed.
DeleteI am in MI and the company is in NJ
DeleteOk. I have contacted a few law firms and lawyers. I have explained the issue in general sense and asked for their advice. I will publish when I receive their response. I have contacted some NJ lawyers too. I believe if the consultancy is in NJ, then a lawyer who is registered with the NJ Bar Council/Association alone can represent a case there. But lawyers tend to have multiple bar memberships. After receiving so much queries about legal issues, I have decided to give my readers a helping hand in securing credible legal advice. I believe a lawyer can give credible advice than me. Not sure if I will succeed in getting one but I am sure of my committed efforts towards it. I am sure there is at least one lawyer out there who will step forward to advice. Anyways, secure all your electronic and physical evidences. Emails, PDF's, Paper documents, If you can record a conversation with the consultancy's personnel, say their marketers/recruiters, then that will help too. Make sure you have enough evidence to prove that they actually hired you. Are you currently working on a project? If yes, get an email/document from the client that you are a contract employee from your consultancy. I will update the comments when I start getting some real response from the legal crowd. Thanks for taking time to read my blog and comment. I hope it helped you.
DeleteYou did Motts! Internet has several blogs of why you should not but there are not very many which describes how to come out of this situation. And then I found your blog !!! With lawyers weighing in, I am hoping we will have a closure on the issue. Motts if you can ensure the we get specific details of why such contracts aren't valid, it will help.
DeleteGlad to know my blog helped you. Read the comments above, me and others have discussed quite bit about the consultancy contracts being bogus. I will publish the specific details when I get them. Remember, with a valid contract, the company will directly press charges and won't threaten you. You will have received a legal notice from their lawyer if it was a valid contract. Read the comments above and you will be able to interpret this area yourself.
DeleteHey Motts, did you hear from any lawyer?
DeleteHi Motts, First of all thank you so much for your blog, you really helped me understands what i will be getting my self into in the next few weeks. My story is , i was contacted by a consulting company through university career website, next phone interview, the onsite interview, which was basically describing the program and explaining that they will help me change my resume and make lots of money working as a consultant with their clients. anyway, they asked me to sign an employment agreement with both my name and their COO name, also included my SSN . I asked them if i can take the agreement with me for review they said we are here to answer any questions you have. my questions were basic at the time of signing the agreement. after going home, i found my self surrounded with lots of questions, then i started emailing them to ask about pay rate/ project period/ traveling/ relocation . and my important question is am i getting paid between project (bench time). in the agreement there is nothing talking about compensation, i am really worry about where i am getting my self into. they emailed me back saying we can not give you a rate that we have not received from our client, each project is different and all comes down to how is your performance after the training. My concern is, since i have not started the training with them am i eligible to walk out with no problem ? they told me once you signed you are bound to us for one year of billable work. i told them i have the right to walk out since you have not spend any money on me . they strictly told me that if i walk out i will be in trouble . could you please elaborate on my concern , i need to see if i can walk out of this mess before the training period starts soon ? by the way, I am a US citizen .
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous Friend,
ReplyDeleteGlad that my blog helped you understand the mess you are about to step in. Run out of this mess as soon as possible. I know my suggestion here tends to keep you away from making money but trust me, If you get into this pseudo-consulting scam, you will be making money out of your misery, embarrassment and compromise of integrity at all levels.
As expected, they have refused to give you a signed contract copy which proves this business is a scam and they are manipulating you. Feel free to walk away right now and nothing will happen to you. That joke-of-a-contract you signed will never make it out of that office. Nobody can hold you responsible for a breach of an INVALID CONTRACT. In fact if you have the right legal support, may be their act of getting your signature on a contract of that nature can get them into trouble.
Ask your fellow colleagues there if they know how much their clients are being billed for their work with them. Most consultancies never tell their employees that they get a 'Purchase Order' (PO as they call it) from their clients for every Fake-Resume-Joker they send. The PO will mention the hourly pay being paid by the client to the consultancy.
Being a US citizen, I wonder why you need to fake an experience. You can get by with anything until you land yourself your dream job.
You have thought about quitting. That is good. You have made a start. Don't stop. Get out of there asap. They won't and can't do anything to you. Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. All the best.
otts, thank you so much for the reply, i am so relieved to hear that i have a chance to walk out .by the way, i have a copy of the employment agreement, i got it after we both signed (me and the COO). As a fresh out of college with a computer degree i was thinking this might be a great opportunity for me to built my career, since i have never heard of fake resume or even how consultant companies works. anyway, after emailing them many times about my concerns regarding compensation, bench time, i found their answer are not always convincing . i did my research and i can relate the content of this blog to their practice. i was sure enough that opportunities that sound too good to be true usually are aside from the cryptic description of the business i am yet to know what the company does...These are all alarming signs. Last week i sent out an email asking if i received an offer from another employee and i want to accept the offer , am i allowed to accept it . Their answer was like . You can not accept any offers or conduct interviews since you signed then you are bound to us even though we have not spend any training on you yet. in my mind i am thinking why somebody will force you to work for them and they know that you want to leave . they even asked me if i need housing since they are putting other freshers in one apartment. SO, what is a best way to notified them that i need to be out? since, i have not started the training with them .
Deletesorry, i meant Hello Motts,
DeleteThe best way forward is to formally let them know that you are leaving and getting the hell out of that shady organization. They might threaten you. Don't worry. Just walk out whenever you find it appropriate. the sooner the better.
DeleteYou are at the risk of living the rest of your life with a faked out resume and risking the embarrassment of getting caught. I hope you read the examples we have discussed in this thread above.
As for the details, they will not pay you unless you get on a project and they will not pay you while you are in bench. They will continuously insult you so you get frustrated and fall at their feet. This is how they get long-term slaves who will sound confident, only to substantiate their faked-out professional lives. Give them a few drinks and they will blurp out the facts which cannot be digested by normal human beings. Give it a try and you won't need to ask any more questions here on this blog. :)
All the best!
Hello Motts,
ReplyDeleteI graduated recently and my OPT has started. I tried to look for jobs on my own but am finding it very hard. I approached a few consultants some told me they will be adding experience on my resume, another consultant said only if I am ok they will add experience. I felt that not adding experience consultant is better, however in their contract there is no mention of this, when I asked them to add it to the contract they said take my word for it, we cant change standard contracts. I am scared now that they may change my resume later. I also am meeting with the lawyer about the contract, but wanted your opinion on this. Thanks for helping!
Hello Anonymous Friend,
DeleteWords spoken in a meeting room are not equal to a written and properly executed contract. Don't sign the contract if you feel it does not portray the truth or if it hides vital facts that will protect you.
Don't expect them to be honest. Their business is based on lies and the risk taken by desperate jobseekers such as you. They can and will protect themselves from every possible legal liability. Throughout the process, you will remain as the sole bearer of the risk.
Overall, my sincere opinion is, get away from that consultancy. I am sure your lawyer is suggesting you right. If the End-Client catches you for wrong doing, the court can only convict you for providing wrongful information on the employment form and the consultancy cannot be convicted for a falsified resume.
Your fear will be proved right if you stick with the consultancy. All the best!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have had a pretty bad experience myself and the agency in question has been harassing me to no end. I never signed a contract this agency. I did give them out my details such as SSN, etc so they could everify me. They gave a couple of weeks worth of "crash course" training. I realized right away that I was not comfortable marketing a fake resume. I had seen many other around me do it but I did not deem it ethically right. Therefore, I cut all ties with this agency and starting preparing for my GRE to be back in school by august for my MS.
The head of the agency, based in Virginia started harassing me to end. I did try to give him many indirect hints that I wanted to pursue other options but he wouldn't have any of it. I finally got fed up and told him that I did not want anything to do with him and considering that I never my initials, signature or right thumb impression on the contract, she was wrong in harassing me and that I'd contact the authorities if he did not stop pursuing me. Replying to this, he told me that an email is a legally binding contract and that he had had ample emails suggesting that I agreed to the terms of employment. While , through my emails I may have made the intent clear to work with him initially, I never in any way suggested that I agreed to the shady terms of employment. Anyhow, today the company's legal dept. sent me an email stating they intend to file legal complaint against me that would hamper and complicate chances of my getting a non-immigrant work visa approved and they are giving me a final chance to resolve it as it will save me added interest and court costs, and also help preserve my credit rating.
I do not quite know how to react to this. Are they still bluffing me or do I need to hire a lawyer, which I just can not afford at this point.
Kindly guide me a little here. Thank you.
Hey Friend, Sorry about not replying to you on time. I somehow missed your comment in this thread. As long as you wish to do what you want to do, go ahead and do it. Nobody from the consultancy can hold you to any contract or email. They will never let their identity out. They are merely trying to maintain you in a state of fear. Stay strong and follow your heart. All the best.
DeleteHi Motts,
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. I faced a similar situation and am glad I found your article and comments and responses. I would want to complain against the agency for creating a fake resume racket, fake references because that`s obviously not legal. How can I go ahead and what consequences they or I have to face after doing that É
Hi Friend, You will not face any consequences. Just stay away from the consultancy folks while you do this. I suggest, you contact a lawyer near you and proceed as per his/her suggestion.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteYour article is very nice and it does give a clear picture. However, I feel that its just win-win condition for both job-seeker and the consultancy as well as the end-client. There are many international students who come here and study and finally end up jobless. There is limited time for F1 students to find a job and one cannot afford to go back to home country empty hand after spending hell amount of fees on Master's degree. Having said that, these consultancies can give you something to start with, though I agree they do wrong, but the need has been created by the companies here itself. They just want much more experienced people and don't want to sponsor visas, or either will give preference to local, which is an obvious thing and cannot blame them. But then what will the job-seeker do? Who will give them job? who will sponsor visa for them? Will they just return back empty handed?
Instead, in such scenarios, the job-seeker will have a job on hand, consultancies will earn commission, end-client need not worry about visa or any other benefits.
I was also on same boat, and just to support my survival (visa) here i joined them, worked for some time with them and simultaneously looked for opportunities elsewhere on my original resume, when i got one, i switched to a permanent job with my own resume.
So, long story short, there can be various perspectives to look things, its upto you.
Hi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteThanks for taking time to read my blog and sharing your thoughts. Everybody does not win in this game. Your point that the candidate, consultancy and client win is merely a 'perception' you chose to believe in. When the end-clients want an experienced candidate, they really want an experienced candidate. They don't mind a Fake-Resume-Candidate because that is all they get from the Vendors/Consultancies. The candidate has plans for his/her career but is not doing exactly what he/she wanted to (most of the cases). So basically the end-client and candidate are making big compromises, which means they are far from the 'win' situation. At least the end-client gets the work done. The candidate goes through situations that they can never divulge. The consultancies are the clear winners as they don't make any compromises. They get paid for the hardships faced by the candidate and compromises made by the clients. This is the fact of the situation. You have been through this and I appreciate your honesty (It takes a brave heart to agree what you agreed). But you left an anonymous comment. And so have many. If it is really about a mere 'perspective' why not let the identity out while revealing that one had worked with a fake resume in the past? It is hard to do that. That is the standing proof that this is not a win-win situation. Can the Fake-resume-candidates reveal the company they worked for with a fake resume out in public? Forget the public, can they openly divulge this information to their family/loved ones? Can they tell their kids, that they defended a faked-out resume for food?
When someone forces an innocent girl into prostitution, the perverts who pay for it get pleasure, the girl gets paid and taken-care-of (they get the minimum care to keep them alive for the trade) and the broker gets paid handsomely too. From an earnings-to-get-by stand-point, everybody wins. Does this mean prostitution is correct and harmless or 'OK-provided-everybody-survives'? Definitely not. The girl is not built to be sold out as merchandise but she is built to live her own life in freedom the way she intends to (every human deserves to). There can be various perspectives as you mentioned. Will you consider prostitution the same way you consider Fake-Resume-Employment? It is up to you. In my honest opinion, Fake-Resume-Employment is 'Intellectual Prostitution.' Just because many people do it and they have been doing it for a long time, doesn't make anything right or appropriate.
Instead of asking 'Who will give job?' the candidates need to ask 'What is my career plan?' 'What more should I do to reach out to my potential employers?' Skipping 'professional ethics' is completely out of the 'hard-work' 'perseverance' 'effort' domains. Just my thought.
I have not read your article fully. In case you missed it, you might want to add proxy interviews. Most of these desi consultants have someone else take the interview for them on the phone. As for skype, there is someone giving them answers to the questions in another window. Yeah ! This is still happening even in 2016. I can't believe that people haven't really woken up and declared this as a crisis of national importance.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteThis is very good information. What ever you explained is all 100% true. Well I like to ask from you that, what if I already signed the agreement, took the job with proxy interview and then quit the job after one and a half week (making excuse to end client that I have family emergency). I can not explain you the humiliation and mental stress I have to go through everyday in that one and half week, because of the questions asked to me at the job by my managers, which I was never able to explain them. But now the consulting company is asking the money for training they provide me (which they said was free) and interview (paid to person who did interview for me) and money they pay me for relocation. I wanted to know if I don't pay them do I have face any legal issues. I even quit what I was doing for doing this job. Now I have no job. Please advise.
Hi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteThanks for taking time to read my blog and commenting on it. I appreciate your integrity. You did the right thing in every sense of the phrase.
YOU WILL NOT FACE ANY LEGAL ISSUES. Sorry about that yell. I got this question so many times via email that I had to get it out loud. Don't worry. Tell them on their face that you don't owe them anything and keep walking. They will face more trouble than you can imagine if they go to the authorities.
They might threaten you with a 'meeting' where their legal consultant will give you a sermon on the dangers that can happen to you. Treat that as a good written stand-up.
Now that you are out of this shit, please share your experience, as a comment here or somewhere you find appropriate and help people like you. Also put your resume and work sample out on a blog so your employers can find you. For someone who chose to quit lying and being open about it, you are one hell of a choice for a company that is really looking to grow. All the best for the rest of your career!!!
Motts
Thank you very much. Motts. Your advice will help me a lot. Thanks for telling people the facts.
DeleteHow do these companies clear one's background anyway? haha insane!
ReplyDeleteHi Motts,
ReplyDeleteLiked your article! You have written about candidates with Master'd degree, but there are indian housewives with absolutely no qualifications and no IT background who take the help of these Consultancies to fake resumes and succeed in getting jobs! As a result a genuine candidate with fewer than 8 years of experience is completely neglected! This dishonest practice is completely spoiling the job market. Candidates with real qualifications and experience ,and who don't want to lie, are left without jobs! I am one of them. Question is , am I being really foolish by not wanting to lie?
Hi Anonymous Friend,
ReplyDeleteWhen people with no relevant backgrounds are being pushed into this dark trade, I don't see any difference among individuals. They can be anyone and the resume is fake anyways. What sickens me is the fact that people who have the real experience and intellect have to compete with fakers and jokers who will do anything for money.
As for your question, the answer is simple. If you fall for the 'Lie and Earn' tactic used by the consultancies, you will be branding yourself as a 'Fool.' I have to say, the very fact that you have this question in mind indicates that you can fall anytime to their gimmicks. All they need to tell you is you are loosing 250 dollars a day because you are not making a small 'compromise.' This is how they get their slaves. They will train their slaves to defend a fake resume and lead a life sans basic integrity while enjoying the revenue from providing manpower to their clients.
The real questions are: Is your integrity for sale? If yes, how much does it cost?
I am sure you are talented enough to not become a slave to these darkside businesses. All the very best with your job search!!!
Motts
Thanks Motts! My Integrity is definately not for sale and I will not fall for their gimmicks. I pray that these people are exposed!! Right now they are only targeting IT profession, but who knows someday they might go into other professions.
ReplyDeleteHi Motts! You have a very informative article here. Thanks for this! I, actually am about to get into this mess. But somehow my ethics are not agreeing on this 'fake resume' thing. Are there any other ways to get a job in the IT field other than these foxy consultancies? I just have 1.5 year of experience and passed B.Tech in Information Technology. Please reply
ReplyDeleteLet me share with you my experience. About 3 years ago when I was about to graduate, I was contacted by one of the recruiters from a consultancy. Back then, I knew nothing about this kind of flex-staffing thing, so without much hesitation, I took up the job. As mentioned by the OP, 100% of the things I've been through are REAL! But what I'm trying to share here is not about the job, but your immigration status.
ReplyDeleteFor those who do not know yet, when applying for H1b or Green Card, you need to proof your qualification by showing your education, but most importantly - your work experience.
So now you have a very big dilemma - Do you use your real experience when applying for H1b/Green card? Or the fake one?
Next question - Assuming you apply with your real experience, and for some reasons in the future, you would like to transfer your H1b to other company for a full time position - How are you going to explain your "fake experience" - both to the USCIS as well as your prospective new employers?
On the other hand, if you choose to use your fake experience for any of your application - then you need to be ready to defend your fake experience, pretty much for the rest of your life.
USCIS will forgive some mistakes, but they will NEVER tolerate any lies. let me share with you my story:
About 8 months into my consultancy using my fake experience, I received a full time job offer from one other company using my REAL resume, and they are willing to sponsor my H1b. Here is the complicated part - I have to omit all 8 months of my fake working experience (since my previous Consultancy will never provide me with any proof of employment because I left them) - which created another problem: because now I have 8 months of unemployment. When my new employer was applying for my H1b, I received a RFE stating asking me to proof that I did not violate my OPT (did not get unemployed for more than 60 days). I was rather fortunate because one of the staffs from my previous Consultancy was willing to write me a "coworker affidavit", also, instead of saying that I worked as a 8 years Consultant, I merely attended an unpaid "technical training".
Things turned out pretty well in the end. I got my H1b, and I completely wiped out my 8 months of fake credential. But I was lucky, so for those of you who are considering working for these consultancies, please think twice.
Oops, I just quit the desi consultant without requiring any kind of proof of employment...guess I need to try to get a coworker affidavit at least....
Deletethank you for your article it's very interesting for me because I'm in this situation.I was just sent to a project like 2 weeks ago but I feel bad because this is not my thing and this is far from my education background. I have a question, do I have any risk if I quiet the project and leave this stupid agency ? Thanks
ReplyDeleteMonetary and legal wise - not at all! Trust me, they may threaten you a little bit, but they can't do anything to you.
DeleteYour only risk is: If you're on OPT, your 90 days unemployment may expires.
I'm here to share my experience when I quit my company:
ReplyDeleteIn the begining I sent an e-mail to say that I'll leave the company by 1/12. Then the HR manager asked me to pay the fee, and he said he'll wait until 1/16 or else he'll take legal action. But when I asked him to send me a signed contract, he simply stopped replying any e-mail from me.
Today is 1/22 and still, nothing happens, I hope they will just leave me alone.
Hi, One of the best ways to tackle this issue would be to verify SSN issuance date (http://www.ssnvalidator.com/). If the candidate shows his first project in USA from 2008 and if he is 2014 Masters graduate then his SSN issuance date would be either in the range of 2011 to 2014. If you see his SSN being issued before this range then you can use state as another identifier in which you can check if the state of his consultancy company is same as of his SSN. Also, ethically it is not the candidate who can be solely blamed for this but the company as well as his family should be. In certain states of India it is just a matter of prestige for families to send their kids to USA and being submerged into IT as their sole bread and butter, such parents themselves push their students into such system.
ReplyDeleteAlso MOTTS......you have done a great work.............I still see people doing some soul searching.............
DeleteThanks Ritika, I am glad I could help.
DeleteThis is a GREAT blog.
ReplyDeleteIt describes my exact feelings and it confirms everything I've heard/read about this topic. I am currently in the training for a consultancy. I do have an IT background (work and education) and I am familiar with BA concepts. But, I don't have more than 2 years related experience in the workforce and I would definitely not be comfortable about lying on my resume.
I am a US citizen. So, my question is, if I quit the company, either before or after the training, what could be some issues I could face as US citizen?
I'm pretty sure there is nothing that can harm me (expect for my reputation and my conscious), but I want to make sure there isn't anything out there that I am not aware of.
Thanks in advance!
Find a Job with out don't lying
DeleteI have met several people who put fake experiences and land up in IT Jobs as a BA / Dev / QA mostly... Wonder why the client's don't check their SSN and get to know what exactly they have done .. I believe these clients are involved too in this money making business.. . btw I am one among the so called Unfortunate Honest struggling to find a job category.... hoping for the US government to catch these people and give genuine guys an opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIrony is these fake people just don't accept that they are doing something criminal activity illegal to get a job like that... I hate this whole system.
Hi Motts, You have done a great job in this article. I was in this industry for sometime and left it for a very good full time opportunity. I am currently working on a article on ethical dilemma on HR practices and I plan to emphasize on the topic of IT consulting. Would it be fine if I cite some of your work.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteThanks for taking time to read my blog. Feel free to use any information from here that may serve your purpose. Do email me your article after you are done. May be I can share the link here for people to read that too. All the best!!!
I quit two of them in NJ an CA. I went back to China and am looking for a job in Shanghai. Someday I will have that damn $1 million and get back to the States with dignity. I'm feeling a great relief now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Motts
In the first place why are these people flocking to USA if they are not competent to find a job ? And is banglore hyd Pune is prospering based on grate value add they built ? Guys frustrating ranting is easy thanks to google and most of these venting forums doesn't cost anything so go baby go and vent and rant
ReplyDeleteMott I love the way you passionately put effort to do dissection of so called flex system ; would like to know your opinion on the following
ReplyDeleteI would frame my questions to you and all the folks who made judgments and be kind to give me your take on the following
1. I feel US is the most rigged nation since it forces every one to measure and trade in terms is USD , that's the reasons every one wanna come to USA to be prosperous materially, as per your analysis the the so called greatest country which gave lightbulb to cathode tube to cell phone to google is stinking as Flex , is that right ?
2. All the reach guys are predominantly rich because of stock market , gates Buffett jobs mitral Tata ( Radia tapes ) most of the poor souls adore are outcome of PE multiple stock market fraud
3. Is this flex ecosystem created because of H1 and F1 invasion or does Flex system created a inflow ? Why many incompetent people are given degrees and visas by U.S. Schools and U.S. State department
4. Does people don't have choice to participate ?
5. Do you ever low how difficult it is to be an entrapenure in any country ? Are you telling me flex business make lot of money ? Do you know how many companies work with less than 3% margin all 80 20 etc and I believe those owners are stupid to do so because many are behind bars too
Let me know your answers ..
Read first what I mean by USA reserve currency is rigged so that you get the perspective how real world works
Harvard MIT IIT IVY graduates are part of mortgage fraud in USA , they are all competent , then how they endorsed and ended up in rigged financial market
Kindly advise H1 and F1 if they are victims they are becoming by choice since they don't follow so called rules don't find job then go back to home country don't go to flex .... Guys US system blames prostitiues as equally the person who solicits them , even its part of citizenship questioner , don't be saints or in some psudo reality of how real world works ... People have choice , frustrated people rant , can you all do a self diagnosis and don't be part of this flex or any system you don't like and build a system like Horward Rorck fromAyn Rands Atlus Strugged !!!!'
No one is victim by force , people chose and losers come out and try to be James Bonds and code breakers since U.S. Created technology by product of rigged financial systems free all of us go GaGa and rant
People think thru and respond
Dear Common Sense,
DeleteThanks for taking time to read my blog and submitting this detailed comment. Please write your own post on the US system being rigged and may be the interested readers can discuss it there.
This blog is here to help people who are shamed of submitting fake resumes for jobs and those who want their way out of the shady consultancies. I have seen resumes where other than the names and mobile numbers, everything else is cooked up [including their degrees]. Such fakers and jokers take away opportunities from people with real experience. Those who lose their jobs to fakers and jokers are the real victims and they are forced to lose their rightful opportunities by the shady consultancies and the fakers who agree to submit faked out resumes.
I just entered training and now I am figuring out about this fake resume thing...
ReplyDeleteHow do you know the contract is not going to be enforced?
The contract is bullshit. If you are a business which supplies candidates with fake experience, will you go to court pressing charges on someone who decides to stop working for you? A contract can be enforced when it is legal and binding. You agreeing to submit a fake resume will show up in the court proceedings which will bring the consultancy under the scanner for filing h1b's against fake professional experience. No consultancy will go to court.
DeleteI'm not going to comment on the morality of immorality of this subject. That is a long discussion which I will leave up to philosophers. Frankly, those people who are concerned by the immorality aspect of this, I consider them to be naive. But anyways - I've been working as a contractor in this role for a year now, and I don't necessarily agree with Motts on a number of things, especially considering that he has never, ever worked in the field himself.
ReplyDelete1. Humiliation and verbal abuse: This is nonsense. One can receive humiliation whether one is a legitimate employee, or a faker. In general, American workplaces deal with you in a pretty decent manner, compared to how one is treated in other countries. Quite frankly, once you are in, people are more than willing to spend extra time with you to teach you. It's easier and less efficient and less expensive for a company to give you some time to catch up, rather than fire you and look for another candidate.
2. There are tons of motivated people who have picked up the skills this way and built careers as a result. Why do these agencies exist? Because they are mutually beneficial to everyone. End of story.
3. Repercussions: Unless you are in some sort of immigration situation, sure.. maybe you need to do your homework, fully and obtain a lawyer to figure out the ins and outs. Otherwise, if you are a Greencard holder, or Citizen... what repercussions? Motts posts links to stories of CEOs and such to scare you... which has almost no relevance to this subject. It's almost like saying... "Don't drive a car! You might get into an accident! Here's a news story on a car accident!" It's silly. In the real world, statistics matter. Numbers matter. In this industry, if 90% of the people are benefiting in some way.. then it will exist. End of story.
4. Staffing agencies are vampires: How so? If a person is making a salary of $50,000 - 60,000 and the agency is keeping $20-30k, why the hell are you complaining?
All of that being said... sure, there may be a few companies which may mistreat you... or force you to stay within their contracts,etc.,etc.. I'm going to be very frank here... Go work with Desis in India, or in the U.S. you WILL get mistreated! Or better yet, go work in any low-end position with ANY group of people... you WILL get mistreated in some way, shape, or form!
In short, the benefits out-weigh any possible negatives. And in my one year, I have never seen any of the negatives Motts is talking about.
1. High pay
2. Gaining experience
3. Possibility of moving on and going solo once your contract is done.
Again... I'm a U.S. Citizen.. so I can't comment on visa holders.. but as a whole.. this industry gave me direction and saved my life and marriage.
Those who take jobs using resumes which contain cooked-up work experience and credentials are taking away opportunities from professionals who have the real education and real experience. Their lives and marriages are at stake because a bunch of fakers and jokers are taking away positions using resumes where the only original details are their names and mobile numbers. Some even have multiple resumes with their names spelled differently so their marketing team can submit them a separate candidate to the vendors. If someone wishes to compete with 8-10 year experienced professionals, they can always do so with their real resume describing their real experience. If the candidate can beat someone with experience without having the experience, then that candidate is a worthy asset for the employer. But doing so with a faked out resume is exploiting the system which rightfully belongs to everyone.
DeleteI am glad that this blog post has finally got the attention of those who feel positive about faked out resumes and presenting false credentials for professional growth. Those who want their way out of this fake-resume racket and those who are working to make the h1b system benefit everyone do get an opportunity to learn what goes through the minds of those who abuse the system.
The real victims are those who are really qualified for the contractor positions but lose those to candidates with fake resumes. Picking up skills and creating a career is absolutely fine and commendable when done so with a real resume with real experience. When people submit fake resumes, have someone else impersonate them in the phone interviews and send their official work to their friends to be completed, that is taking away opportunities from people who have real provable credentials, who can answer interview questions themselves and obviously those who can DO THE ACTUAL WORK.
If working through a fake-resume consultancy is not a negative, please mention the consultancy you are working with, specify the false information presented on your resume, what is your real experience and how much you have told your end/mid-client and the client's name. To make things simple, how about publishing a blog post with your faked out resume stating the details of the fakeness and how it really doesn't hurt?
How come all those who want to justify fake resume are not submitting their faked out resume and specifying the lies they told to get their contractor jobs? how come they speak so much about driving without even mentioning what car they are driving and if they even have a real license to drive? Why maintain anonymity when the words indicate courage and confidence?
The fact is that these individuals are afraid their end-client/mid-client will find out and fire them. They are afraid of the mistreatment/humiliation they will face from the consultancy when they get fired by the client for submitting false credentials and fake resumes.
Again, this game runs on the risks of the candidates who choose to submit fake resumes. The consultancies are just the mechanisms that live on the desperation of internationals who are looking to get their share of the American Dream.
DeleteMutual benefits is a perception that does not include those who lose these positions in spite of having the real credentials and real work experience. This fake resume racket benefits the consultancies but destroys the candidates who submit fake resumes and takes away opportunities from the real professionals who deserve them. Of course this industry will exist, just like prostitution and drug-trafficking.
We can see a change when candidates publicly publish their fake resumes stating how they managed to get their contractor jobs using their fake resumes and how they feel positive about it. That is when we will get to know the real risk of driving the fake resume car and the accident opportunities that driving comes with. Wonder if there might be someone who can come clean about their fake resume while they are on the job they got using the fake resume.....That's when we can hear the jokes from the jokers themselves......
Naturally, when we discuss this topic... We are bound to get emotional about it... So let's start over and speak on the topic from a logical stand-point.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before.. We are not discussing the ethics of it. That is a separate topic.
The fact is that you have been unable to show the following things:
1. How is the candidate risking anything if they are a citizen or green card holder? Reputation? The country is big enough for that... We are not in a village.
2. If you get fired, the agency places you somewhere else. End of story. What humiliation? Work is work. Move on.
3. I personally know people who are working as project managers and leads after getting a chance to do this. So for you to claim that nobody gets anywhere by doing this is a big fat lie.
There is a saying... "Khaatay ko dekh nahi saktey, bhookay ko deh nahi saktey"
That is your case... You couldn't make it in this industry as is evident by your writing as you refer to "ass-kissers" as being the ones who get the better placements... And now you're just bitter.
The ONLY argument you have on your side is that of the morality piece... That's it. Other than that, you have no real arguments as to why this system doesn't benefit anyone... Because obviously it does and my paycheck along with thousands of others is proof of it.
And still you continue to keep the name of your consultancy and the lies on your resume as a secret.......Anyways, I thank you for letting out your anger in an open forum...Everybody deserves the right to defend themselves and that includes you too....
ReplyDeleteIf what you say is really true, I want the community to know the fact of it. I can't and don't want to be right all the time.
Email me your 'fake resume' and the details of your end/mid-client and the consultancy. Also your real name and email id.
Let me upload your fake resume, details of your contract-employment and the consultancy you are working for. When you say ...."What humiliation? Work is work. Move on."... I would definitely like to give that a try and also allow everyone who reads this blog to try it.
If I can come forward to support those who are trying to quit fake-resume consultancies, I am no one to judge someone who would come forward to help those who want to get a job with fake resume.
This is a free world and we are free humans. But my question is:
If this job you are enjoying with a fake resume is truly beneficial and doesn't cover anything wrong, how come you are unable to enjoy it without arguing about it online?
Playing with words and semantics doesn't win arguments. Results do. The end result is that people are earning money and building a "real resume" by starting off with a fake one. As for your request that I should give you my information.... Why? It's fake.. We both know this... But now you will try to make the case that "ohhh since he is arguing with me online.. He must be dissatisfied in some way...Hmmmm!"
DeleteDude... You're evading the primary issue... The question I posed to you from the very beginning:
Putting your ethics aside: Is it not true that many, many people turn their fake resumes into real ones over time and build a career?
The answer, even though it may bother you.. Is yes.
The hellish scenarios you are painting in your article account for a small minority of cases.
Dear Anonymous posted on July 3, 2015 at 12:16 PM:
DeletePutting your ethics aside? For real? You do realize the moment you chose this path, you basically have just signed up for "lying for your entire life", not just your future, but also about your past. How so? Let me give you an example:
Let's say you are currently 22 y/o and you graduated college the same year. Now that you claimed to have 7 years of experience, so how is it going to work? Yes, you have to lie about your age and/or the year of graduation.
Now, take this scenario a bit further, say you manage to land a job with your "7 years exp resume", 2 years later, you are switching job. Now everyone in your current job assume that you have 9 years of experience, so all of your references are going to be "9 years" - you see a pattern here? Lies upon lies, and they are cumulative. You are telling me that you have no problem to live your entire life in a pool of lies?
On other thing (but since you're a citizen, so it may not be applicable to you), but for people who are on temporary visa status like us, when pursuing Permanent Residency status, one of the requirements is to prove your qualifications (job experience). I don't think I need to elaborate further, but lying to the USCIS has the most dire consequences.
I think this is probably the best place to discuss my issue, maybe someone here can assist me. I spent almost 18 months with one of those END CLIENTS in virginia, they were convinced i had the experience i was claiming on my resume( i had my boss write me a letter of recommendation for Grad school where i will be pursuing advanced degree in CS). My contract ended and I left Virginia. My `professional social network` had some previous skills which are not IT related, i deleted the education and experience part of the profile . I added some of my ex co workers on the professional networking site and they endorsed me for some of those precious non IT skills (they probably found out my resume was fake). Is that gonna be a problem? I would like to get advanced degree in CS and build real experience, how should i modify my professional social profile so it doesn't convey any non IT information ( basically i just want to keep my old connections from previous non IT work and new connections from my last IT contract) Any suggestions would be really appreciated?
ReplyDeleteThanks
I sincerely hope you don't face any trouble in your career but I don't want to sugarcoat my response. You have received professional favors from colleagues who bought into your 'Fake Resume'. May be they now know you do not have the experience you said you had. It doesn't matter. What matters is one professional recommended you on the basis of your work and the fake-credentials you had earlier presented. Some of them have endorsed you on social media too. If, again, the chances are very very remote, but still, IF moving forward, you end up facing any heat for presenting fake experience long back in your career, those who recommended and endorsed you will also be put under bad light. My sincere suggestion, inform your past colleagues about your fake resume and any professional acquaintance who you think believed the experience you presented on your fake resume. I understand that this is not the most comfortable solution but if you want to make sure, you don't face any trouble years later, this is the way to go. The other way is to maintain radio silence and go anonymous on the internet. Some of the previous comments should serve as a valid proof that individuals who worked on fake resume don't want to reveal their identity. While we cannot narrow it down, that is the indicator for the fact that their is a threat perception out there in terms of revealing past fake experience job.
DeleteSo, summing up, have your connections. Just be honest about what you did in the past and they will understand. Anyone knowing about your fake resume themselves from other/online sources will cost you more than you telling them about it. You got my suggestion. The choice is entirely yours. Wishing you all the best.
In response to "AnonymousJuly 6, 2015 at 12:09 AM" - It's up to you whether you want to add/keep your skills on LinkedIn. I took mine off. And to be quite frank... you're a little overly concerned about your LinkedIn profile.. keep it bare bones.. and concentrate more on the resume that you will send out to your jobs, etc. In the end.. what will matter more is your 1. Degree and 2. The "real" IT related experience you end up gaining.
DeleteHi Motts,
ReplyDeleteDo you think DHS(Homeland Security) will take any action if fake resumes are reported to them?
Desi consultancies tend to register multiple businesses under the same name/group [subsidiaries] to take advantage of the per-business-H1B limit. Before one business runs out on its limit, they will register a business and start filing H1B's from that name. When the authorities notice any H1B malpractices from such consultancies and investigate deeper, and if they find the consultancy on the wrong side of the law [in any aspect, not necessarily fake resume], they will take legal action against the consultancy. When that happens, all those who work for the consultancy will also be prosecuted and the court will decide what happens to them based on the charges pressed and violations used as the basis for judgement. I remember a paper-university based out of Calif which used F1 visas to bring in Indians into the US [they came to stay and work and the university had been running a fake college system preparing paperwork to prove operations]. That F1 visa manipulators were busted and those who entered using their F1 were prosecuted and deported. With the current unemployment trend growing in the US, the demand for H1B will grow and eventually some business will file against a consultancy for abusing the H1B system. The DHS will act based on the court's ruling though. If guilty, then definitely deportation because when the consultancy gets busted they will claim that all the employees voluntarily chose to present false credentials. That is why the consultancies ask the jokers not to talk to any employee in the office they work as a contractor.
DeleteHmm..looks like a long process.no surprises though since I have reported fake resume and haven't heard from them yet.
DeleteIt appears DHS is least bothered to check the complaints. No action has been taken. Good job DHS and USISC. I think they want America to function in this way only. Long live USA.
DeleteDHS may not be the authority to decide on issues such these. If it doesn't fall under their purview, they are bound to ignore comms in that regard.
DeleteExcellent article!! I know about such scams for a long long time and have seen /personally known many who got jobs in this way. I always wished large media organizations like CNN/Fox News would one day show a report on this subject. By the way, it's not only with H1Bs, but also many green card holder and US citizens (who are immigrant) pursue the same approach. Because there are many who have papers (GC/Citizenships) but don't have education/experience and were doing odd jobs until they were lured by these training / consulting firms. Many of the IT jobs , such as QA are not too difficult to learn. These people actually pays money to get training , then make a fake resume and then they are put into the market. Now, I am not saying that all of them made it (many do and many don't). But there are a whole bunches of corporations ( training/ consulting firms) in NY/DC/VA area who targets these GC/US Citizen immigrants who are not doing professional jobs in the states.
ReplyDeleteFinally, have you considered sharing your story with the media?
The media is still grappling with the other aspects of the immigration laws at the moment. A time will come when the fake-resume racket will catch the attention. That's when the fake-resume contractors will get into deep trouble. This is not too far away from happening. Just a matter of time.
DeleteHello Motts,
ReplyDeleteI have graduated about 7 months ago and haven't been able to find a job yet. Meanwhile I have taken a letter from my professor saying that I am doing volunteer work for him and have reported the same to mys school's ISSO. Do you think this could cause a problem later on (in case I do manage to get a job) at the time of STEM extension? Please advise.
I had almost decided tonight to join a consultancy as the indignity and anxiety of being out of a job was killing me. I was about to send emails to a couple of consultants. I had zeroed in on this one as they come off as honest going by their blog: http://vxltraining.blogspot.com/ .
But then I stopped myself when I read your blog and found them to be suspiciously similar to what you describe. Anyways, now I have decided to try harder. I figure worst comes to worst, I will go back to India and drive a cab until I get some job. Meanwhile I have time till Feb. to find a job.
On a personal note any advice on how I can overcome the anxiety of being in a limbotic state and focus fully on the job search?
Hi Anonymous Friend,
DeleteThanks for taking time to read and comment. I can understand the situation you are in. It is easy for me to throw advice at you but handling the situation first hand is a whole different game.
My suggestion is you go full-force on your jobsearch and follow an objective driven approach rather than a mass mail effort where you would just submit resume for every opportunity out there. Go for what you are passionate about. Call companies and talk to the HR team and try to understand what the requirements are. Even if they don't have any requirements, ask them what they might be looking for in terms of qualifications and capabilities in candidates. Prepare online versions of your project/work samples. Blog about your passion and share the link on your resume. This will keep you occupied and also prepare you for your job. Write about what you know and what you wish to know more about. Such activities will help your prospective employers learn about your learning abilities [when they expect candidates to hit the ground running]. Have your eyes on your job and you will do fine. All the best!!!
Hi, Ananymous, August 12, did you luck finding any job? I read vxl consulting blog and after reading four pages, i came to conclusion, the owner Vijay is a very manipulative man who used words and constant bragging that he is "helping" , but he is really helping himself by exploiting people. Can you please tell me if he also shows fake experience? if he does, then what makes him any different ( better) than rest of blood suckin consultin firms? pleasse give us your update and about this company .. thanks
DeleteHi, Ananymous, August 12, did you luck finding any job? I read vxl consulting blog and after reading four pages, i came to conclusion, the owner Vijay is a very manipulative man who used words and constant bragging that he is "helping" , but he is really helping himself by exploiting people. Can you please tell me if he also shows fake experience? if he does, then what makes him any different ( better) than rest of blood suckin consultin firms? pleasse give us your update and about this company .. thanks
Deletei am currently in the same situation undergoing training with one of these companies, my question is how do the end clients not detect through background checks that resumes are fake, i am really worried as i do not want to start my career this way but I have no options at this point.
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this blog a little over a month ago when I was looking up how to deal with a consultancy trying to blackmail you when you have found a job on your own and wanted to leave them. Being extremely worried at that point of time and not knowing what to do, I immediately emailed Motts in the middle of the night. To my utter surprise, he got back to me right away! So, as promised, here is my experience:
I joined one of the consultancies offering free training and placements after graduation. In the meantime, I continued looking for jobs with my original resume till the marketing began because I was well aware of how these people worked and wasn't really comfortable with the extent to which I had to lie. A couple of weeks into the marketing one of my interviews worked and I received an offer which meant I get to quit this consultancy. Now I was in dilemma of whether I should inform the consultancy that I found a job on my own or just make up some excuse. Finally I decided to tell them the truth and emailed them. As expected I received a really rude reply demanding the meager stipend amount back and also an obscenely high amount towards training charges which coincidentally I did not use for my own job search. I was called unprofessional and what not despite telling them the truth. Whatever the case, to be fair, I had decided to pay them back the stipend although I didn't owe them anything, not orally and not in written. Initially I thought of paying them for training as well, given the amount they demanded was reasonable. But they would not barge and instead threatened that I pay them whatever they demanded or they'd take legal action against me as if I had committed a crime! As decided, I sent the stipend back but refused to pay the rest of the amount they were demanding. Haven't heard from them since then and I hope the episode is closed.
Hello Motts:
ReplyDeleteI just found your post, and I'm in the same situation, but now I am at the End-Client side, I had no choice than sign the contract for 2 year or pay back the amount of money "invested" on me. Also if I quit after that time they will force to pay all the money back.
They didn't told us (the full batch) about the lies until we where sitting on the first day of school....
I had no problem memorizing and defending my fake resume and because of that and my great social skills (lying) I got the job in the 2nd interview, I'm not sure if my manager know about my fake resume or not, but right now I'm in the position that I start working with my fake skills and I don't know what to do.
It a real struggle to keep in mind the previous job information and I try to avoid casual conversation with my co-workers, case they ask me about previous activities and jobs, I'm a very social guy and I hate not having friends at work...
I have been practicing when ever I can but as you said, I'm pretty sure that I'll take a lot of time to complete a simple task for a "5 years experience"....
I don't know what to do, I know that I can do what ever my manager (End-Client) request, but I need time to practice, I've been doing this through all my collage but I don't have the abilities as a Senior.
One thing is clear, with every new position and new client, you can remove all the fake information and actually and the real one, as long as you keep track on the same kind of jobs, for now on that's my main idea.
But I don't know if I should tell the true to my manager, he comes from the same country as me, but I don't think that he will understand my situation...
Thanks for the post, you gave me a clear view of how things are done here at US. Do you know how many people are like this, working as a consultant with fake experience?
I hope I can keep the fake character at least for the first client, I'm pretty sure that next one will be lot easier.
Hello Motts,
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best articles that i have read. I have a question for you and it might seem like it is the same but it is a little different.
My consultancy faked my resume but at the same they had made me sign a document which says that they would be faking my resume. Secondly they filed for h1 on my original resume and not the fake resume. Now the situation is that I signed a contract for 12 months and I have finished 8 months and got a full time on my original resume. I just got my H1B approved after an RFE. Now I just told him that I am looking for full time jobs (didnt say that I got it already) and he threatened to Sue me and asked to get a backup and a lawyer, I told him not to threaten me like that. He also is not giving me the H1b documents, all I have is the receipt number. He says he will Sue on the fact that he has spent a lot on me and will file for liquidated damages which he made me sign a contract are for 25000$. I can see how much I get paid and he doesnt even pay half of what I get paid and he has earned about 40000$ from me already in these months but then again he pays me whatever he agreed to pay me initially.
Do you think he can actually press charges against me ? He faked my resume and is not giving me my h1b documents which he is legally obliged to do so but then again he had me sign a bunch of things, again he didnt give me copy of any of those. Should I be scared ?
Very good article..keep it up.
ReplyDeleteSay "YES" to quit the Fake-Resume-Consultancy-Scam AND BE A TRUE human.
Very motivating Article Motts. I am currently on a dependent visa with a valid EAD and searching a job. I remember last year I was in the same situation searching for a job when I had recently moved from India, and it had been a couple of months of constant frustration and disappointment when I was not able to find a job. I had almost landed up with one of the consultancy for "Free training and Placement" but I am glad something stopped me from continuing in that path. I couldn't do that to myself, It kept me wondering How can people lie to themselves and everyone around them of what they are? It all comes back to that, you are faking your resume and faking yourself. Anyway after a lot of bad days, I ended up in a very good job with my real experience.
ReplyDeleteNow I am back on the same boat searching job after a short break but things are better this time, since I have some US experience. It is very hard for genuine people to find a job , or even get interviews because the Market is floating around with 'Fake resumes' with many years of 'Fake experience' who are willing to work for the same rate as a 'Genuine Resume' with less number of years. I hope people will realise how much trouble you are causing others just because you want an easy way out.
Most stakeholders in that network know these are fake resumes. They are willing to take the risk because of the nature of the outsourced work they take from their clients. The candidates are the ones sabotaging their careers. Some say they get into real jobs soon after their consultancy stint. What they won't talk about is the secrecy and anonymity they maintain just out of fear something from the past will bite them. I have seen individuals in that state and that is not a pleasant experience. As long you get a confident statement with a lot of attitude from someone in the consultancy fake resume business, you can be absolutely sure that is pure bullshit. They won't tell you the truth and that's responsible for their revenue. Stay away from fake resume black market. Their time is running out. All the best for your career.
DeleteVery motivating Article Motts. I am currently on a dependent visa with a valid EAD and searching a job. I remember last year I was in the same situation searching for a job when I had recently moved from India, and it had been a couple of months of constant frustration and disappointment when I was not able to find a job. I had almost landed up with one of the consultancy for "Free training and Placement" but I am glad something stopped me from continuing in that path. I couldn't do that to myself, It kept me wondering How can people lie to themselves and everyone around them of what they are? It all comes back to that, you are faking your resume and faking yourself. Anyway after a lot of bad days, I ended up in a very good job with my real experience.
ReplyDeleteNow I am back on the same boat searching job after a short break but things are better this time, since I have some US experience. It is very hard for genuine people to find a job , or even get interviews because the Market is floating around with 'Fake resumes' with many years of 'Fake experience' who are willing to work for the same rate as a 'Genuine Resume' with less number of years. I hope people will realise how much trouble you are causing others just because you want an easy way out.
HI,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this article by an accident. I was searching for keyword " TN working for Desi consulting for different client sites ", and this article showed up on second position. I have spent 7 hours reading each and every word and didn't sleep last night cuz i couldn't stop reading. It is an eye opener. I am Canadian Citizen and looking to work on TN in the US. I am Desi. I spoke with many desi consulting firms and they made me feel as if this is a normal practice as market requires that. I asked them many times that i wouldn't feel comfortable putting 8 years of experience on my resume since i don't know anything about the technology i'd be working in. Everytime, i felt maybe i am overreacting and i should go with the flow. Then , i asked them is there anyway i can have 1 to 3 years of fake experience. It would be a lot easier to defend .. I also understand its very diffcult if not impossible to find any job with no experience since lot of fake resumes are floating around. So i also accepted that it wouldn't hurt to show some experience.. To come to the point..
As someone in comments had indicated, why can't we get a job with fake experience and when we start having REAL experience, we start deleting our prior fake expereince? meaning work for atleast three years and then when you go to a new client, show your REAL resume only... Wouldn't that work ? I know it's immoral and unethical as we all know this... but what is the solution then? Motts seem to be very knowledgeable, and i was wondering if you came up with a solution? do you know any company who would hire a person with no experience? can you make a blog on this subject matter? Freind of mine in Canada did his MBA and he also had to fake 3 yers of experience in Canada. In Canada , we don't have such consulting companies but ppl fake resume on their own , It's illegal for consulting companies to subcontract candidates.
BTW, i recently did MBA-IT from USA online and was looking into getting into QA field...
I am very happy that people are writing their expereinces and you guys don't realize, your experiences are HELPING people a lot and you are doing a GOod deed and possibly saving lives especially of those who are on OPT and totally at these blood suckin Desi consulting companies Mercy.... Please add more experiences .. thanks
Stay away from consultancies and fake resumes. You are better off struggling than sabotaging your career forever with a faked out resume. You might not get the repercussions immediately but when you do, you won't have a place to hide. Stick around and look for jobs with your real credentials. All the best!
DeleteI hope to get more comments on this blog and also reply from Motts
ReplyDeleteOh boy... I see my journey in your blog Motts. I am in a situation where in I have cleared vendor/client interview and signed an offer letter which has a no show clause saying "I pay 10k USD" if I do not show up at clients location on Date of Joining. The problem is now that I have realized potential dangers in this flexi-staffing scam work, I backed out from joining at client location.
ReplyDeleteThe consultancy threatened to go legal against me for no show clause in the offer letter and says my background will never be cleared for future employment in USA.
I have sent signed copy of offer letter(received over email with HR signature on it) over email to the consulting firm and never met them in person. Spoke to them only on phone and sent my SSN, id proof etc.. documents over email.
Now I do not want to join them but do not want to get into legal issues of what so ever. They took care of my resume and documents to be submitted to vendor/client and secure the job. I have a copy of fake resume shared during skype interview. I have taken 10 days online training on a tool arranged by them.
I need your advice on this case and will be more than happy to talk to you on phone or over email if possible.
Sorry about the late reply. You don't have to pay any money. Just get out of that consultancy network and proceed further with your real career. They will not go to court with the kind of business model they are working with, which as a mater of fact is illegal. The criminal liability is largely shared by the candidates who work for them. Stay away from them. Focus on your career with real experience. All the best!
DeleteIt's really disgusting when you're blacklisted just because someone doesn't like you.
ReplyDeleteOne could try to portray to a civil rights attorney that one's skin color, perceived disability, gender, etc. was the basis of discrimination -- but if enough others in your EEO categories have been placed, then there's nothing one can do except wander around for a place that hasn't heard you're on the blacklist.
Here's a great example: Lifestyle Staffing in Wisconsin blows chunks!
Although I meet its requirements of 6 months prior work history and no felonies, it refused to place me; and its owner told me to never call again when I challenged her decision!
(Yes, I questioned the rep -without- name calling or swearing. I was civil, but for nothing.)
I really hate it when HR managers develop a know-it-all, my-way-or-the-highway God complex that motivates such short-sighted behaviors as telling well-qualified candidates to buzz off permanently.
Not even, "Come back when you've more experience in [certain industry]." The message was literally, "Don't call us or apply here again." How unprofessional!
Having a PHR does -not- make human resources staff any better at deciding who can do certain (non-HR) jobs than boots-on-the-ground employees who've worked those non-HR job for at least a year and have actually seen what goes on, as opposed to those desk jockeys in human resources.
A PHR credential or SHRM membership means -only- an HR worker knows certain laws and how to file specific paperwork. Neither professional status proves his or her judgment on who to hire is an iota superior to the well-accomplished temporary worker!
For example: I know the ticketing system of the department where I work. The nay-saying HR manager does not; and she's never observed the actual workflow to know how simple that job is.
I'm strong enough to lift 50-lb. boxes all day. The pig-headed HR manager is not! (She could barely lift a 20-lb. box in the break room.)
Manual labor is not that HR woman's expertise, yet somehow she ended up responsible for judging apparent fitness for such roles.
So, whose opinion on whether I can perform that manual labor job would you better trust: Mine or hers?
"Enjoy" your weekends, HR folks, because every Saturday and Sunday I work from 6:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. -- and have done so error-free for the past 15 months, only to -not be rewarded- with any job interviews for a permanent role.
And I've a damned master's degree in public administration! All that education, only to claw and scratch for GED-holder jobs! Hard work and education -do not- always pay off.
My point is that HR managers can be really stupid. When the job applicant is in the right about the human resources staff being in the wrong, HR takes it as a slap in the face like a bunch of thin-skinned "special snowflakes." (Yes, even many middle-aged HR managers.)
May as well add some incidental spit to the verbal slap! They deserve the wake-up call.
Seems like you are having trouble finding the job of your choice. Everyone out there, with a career relevant to their qualifications, have been through what you are going through now. Stick around. You will find yours someday. Until then please stay away from any company that promises you a job using fake experience on your resume. All the best!
DeleteMotts,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to America, land of opportunists and capitalists. Those who have the capital, call the shots here.
I am a Desi IT Manager(Started as an intern with my current employer 15 years ago after graduating from UCLA and climbed up in the ladder).
I have hired so many OPTs/New EADs with this so called fake resume and i've seen them learning things fast and surpassing our expectations within few months. We have converted many of these people into full time as well. No issues with the background checks.
For the people who studied in good univs,the internships and full time doors are wide open. They also have a good network of alumnis who are ready to help them.
They can take the moral high ground and look down upon these desi consultancies. But these consultancies play a crucial role in the IT job market. They make the supply meet the demand. They got me a great java developer within two days of notice.I don't care how they got that guy.He was awesome..did a great job.... We paid premium for this service.Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone live and might have ended up loosing big.
He was going thru his H-1 processing. As a client manager,i gave him the letter to answer his RFE. He got the H1.
See..everyone won in this case. It's all voluntary co-operation of various individuals with their own selfish motives but it ends up in resulting a win-win for all.
No wonder these consultancies reap millions in profits because their service is valued by the candidates as well as by the clients. Let the market forces determine whether these consultancies should exist or not. In the present scenario, market really needs them. This need will further accelerate as we are moving into a on-demand and gig based economy.
Everyone will be a contractor. Gone are the days of the safe full time jobs with all the benefits.
Your puritanical righteous indignation is simply scaring away so many people from starting their career.
Thanks for accepting the fact that these 'fake-resume rackets' have a moral low ground. The fact still remains that by faking experience that one doesn't have, contractor opportunities are being snatched away from those who actually has that experience [someone who earned that experience by working on their original resumes in those fields]. Please do not present this out-right cheating mechanism as the basis of any capitalistic market. What I still don't understand is even you would submit an anonymous comment without divulging the details of your consultancy. While I respect everyone's privacy, why isn't anyone willing to share their fake-resume, mentioning their consultancy details and how their transition to original didn't hurt them. let me make it clear: FEAR OF CONSEQUENCE. it is this fear that is scaring people from joining desi fake resume consultancies. I am getting emails from many who join such consultancies and are struggling to get out of their hold fearing 'fake lawsuit threats' from these IT consultancies who do so much more than just meeting the demand. They take away demand from deserving contractors and survive by enslaving eager job-seekers who for the most part are freshers.
DeleteMott. The above poster is right. You are a complete and utter idiot.
DeleteGreat article Motts..I am in a situation wherein I accepted a job offer from my consultancy, but on careful examination, I do not feel like going...I signed a contract in the beginning that I would be with the consultancy for a year. Will I face any legal problems if I decide not to join ?
ReplyDeleteApologies for the late response. Never. They might threaten you with legal action but will not take you to court.
DeleteNice observation and effort MOTTS.
ReplyDeleteYour perspective is easily the most visible one. But then that is just one symptom. Since you have seen a bunch of these 1st hand, I suggest you explore in some detail, the contracts between the clients and vendors, vendors and other layers also. No business is conducted with any naivete by anyone in this country. And absolutely nothing is hidden from the dept. of labor and the USCIS/INS. If officials, clients and vendors, look the other way, there has to be only one reason: somewhere down the line the whole formulation of a qualification/experience of an IT consultant has gone horribly wrong.
Here is a story for you.
I am a scientist by training and on the wrong side of 35. I had to get some simulations done using FEA software.It took me 6 weeks to attain proficiency. I made it a part of my business.As the load increased I employed one experienced Materials Scince guy who wanted $35.00@hr. after 2 months the work load increased a lot so I hired a student for $12.50@hr. He learned what he did not know and in one month and all of us were working at the same pace. I bumped his salary to $30.00@hr after 3 months. He graduated with a degree in EE. Nothing to do with Materials and related simulation.He and I will be publishing a few articles soon.
Now my questions
Am I being unfair to the experienced guy?
Was I cheap when I hired a student and did the student get exploited by $12.50@hr
How does his $40K degree help him get a job?
Hindsight tells me that I helped a kid make a career.
We contributed equally in many projects yet as the proprietor I get to keep the lion's share of the profits.
This may not be the best analogy to explain the predatory nature of the IT consulting industry but there may be some parallels at the core of it.
The main issue is lack of diligence in finding the right recruit. A blanket call for a decade of experience may cover any issue with lack of knowledge in case of extreme cases that crop up once in a while.
So I would begin questioning why do we need a very experienced contractor when what is required is a guidance for a few weeks. A mere glance at the bulk of the requirements is maintenance of current IT infrastructure, which in most cases is well documented. In the few cases where it is not, one may need the experience to save any costly efforts. If there are a 100 IT jobs per specialty at any given time, 80 of them are needed to maintain and build on what is already up and running. So 1-2 months of intensive training and we have our contractor ready to run things as they are.Every now and then someone with good automation skills is needed to decrease the maintenance effort.
Take the example of Big Data IT jobs. Three years ago, the demand was so great that anyone who could spell Hadoop was hired!NO demands were made for experience. But the same job requires 3 years of experience. Not much in the implementation has changed, but since the supply increased, the demand had to be qualified.
These are just about a few observations i thought I would put across. By no means do I condone the exploitation perpetrated by the staffing companies, which I have seen to be real.
So while observing these symptoms, we should try to understand the malady also. There have been feeble attempts by the government to try to understand and remedy this issue, but it can only be rectified, case by case, for obvious reasons....
So it is up to the freshers to know their rights and the intermediates to exercise their rights and the experienced to change the rules of the game.
Interesting take you present Dr. Kasi. The companies asking for experienced candidates might be 'unfair' but presenting cooked-up credentials for a position and taking away from someone with the real credentials is not the appropriate make-up for it. It is also not about investing in training to reduce personnel costs. It is about staffing companies trying to 'keep the tigers alive on a monkey's visa' in the US [or any country for that matter] by falsifying professional credentials that is the focus here. This practice makes a good case study for abusive H1B program. The result can be disastrous for everyone. To me this is a very unique form of intellectual bullying where the victim will never recover from the fakeness they embrace. They create fake confidence and crumble deep inside, the result of which will be faced by their family and friends.
DeleteHello Motts
ReplyDeleteThis article is very nicely written. I was having difficulty finding a job at one point, and I even did the initial call with a consultancy. However, they told me flat, that they would add fake experience and I declined. I did some deep research and was shocked to see the amount of people who have had troubles. I am glad I stayed out of it, and found a proper job myself.
Since then, I try to discourage as many people as I can from joining any consultancy. I know the names of the most popular and fraudulent ones. I can't believe they are in business, and once exposed, they bring shame to the whole country.
Cheers and keep writing such great articles!
Hi Abhishek, Thanks for your kind words. I am glad I could help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lKJXce-9M
DeleteI noticed the word in the end of your article. I just want to say the same thing:
ReplyDelete"Finally quit the desi consultancy today. Feeling great."
Really great. Not only me, but some of my friends used to be in the same desi consultancy as me. They quit, so do I. Some of them managed to get back to our country, and others just got a normal job in the US, all the way out of this shit. However the thing that still annoying me and my friends is that in Pennsylvania, there's something called a "Confession of Judgement", working as that if you owe money to somebody and signed this with the lender, the lender can send this contract directly to the Judge without even notifying you. Yes that is what we signed at the beginning of our consultant life. We're all law noobs and have totally no idea what we've signed with the consultancy. Now they want to enforce it and charge us that so called "training fee" for tens of thousand bucks from us. We will fight with law, beat them up, that could be the thing we can do to fight this kind of shit industry.
But above all, we really feel great for quitting. We got more people quitting or planning to quit.
God bless us, and our lovely guy who write this article :)
Thanks for your kind words. I am glad I could help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lKJXce-9M
DeleteThanks MOTTS for your very informative blog. The new president-elect just announced that he plans to conduct an investigation on the abuse of H1 visa programs to protect the American worker. I wonder what those who glorify the Desi consultancies have to say.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9lKJXce-9M
DeleteMore people need to know about these Indian coward scammers coming to the US and taking domestic jobs. Why dont th gey stay in their own country and improve it instead of coming to America and collectively lowering the moral quality here with their dishonest ways and discriminatory hiring tactics.
ReplyDeleteHi Mott,
ReplyDeleteI am on OPT and my 90 days period is about to get over. I never wanted to join the consultancy and hence I tried by myself. I am running out of time and hence, I contacted one consultancy and they sent me an agreement via email. I have to sign that agreement electronically and it is written that If i break the contract I have to pay $7000 to them. I don't want to do that but at the same time I don't have any other option. I have applied to many jobs and I might get interview also. Please tell me what will happen if I sign an agreement electronically and then break this contract if I get job without any falsification. Will they force me to pay the amount. Your help is appreciated.
Nothing will happen to you as the contract you sign will be null and void and anyone taking it to court will themselves get into trouble. Given the current sensitive situation with respect to Trump Administration cracking down on the H1B program, the consultancy will face way too much trouble. So don't worry, walk away from this scam and you will do just fine. All the best for your career! best regards, Motts.
DeleteIt is a nice article. But don't you think you are playing the blame game here. If you are so much hard working and paid good attention to your education then why you have to make a fake resume, why can't you start from zero level just like everybody else in other country. I believe you are the only one greedy here who want to earn more than he deserves an consultancies are exploiting your greed. It is not like consulting company are forcing you to make a fake resume you are going to them on your own will(whatever the reason financial stability or VISA). So, I wish all these guys stop making fake resume and make an honest living.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous Friend, Thanks for the comment. I agree that the candidate is partly to blame for agreeing to submit a fake resume. However that is how the game is rigged. The submission trail begins from the candidate's inbox which means the marketing team floats the fake resume submitted by the candidate. When the candidate fills out an employment form at the client location corroborating the fake experience [if such is the case], then again the candidate confirms his/her voluntary participation in a cheating behaviour. The consultancy just stands there as a simple middle-man not responsible for anything that is happening. As an employee of the consultancy the candidates are following the orders of the employer but when it comes to getting caught, which happens often but is less spoken about, the candidate goes through humiliating experience and the consultancy just remains with 'business as usual' saying, 'we will get you another project' again for which the candidate is asked for fake resume. Agains the candidate follows instructions and the story continues. The end result, the candidate is done, the consultancy gains. While voluntary participation is undeniable, it is a response to what the employer asks the employee to do. Making a honest living means submitting the real resume to the marketing team which is neither encouraged nor allowed within any consultancy. Summing up, the consultancy is the culprit here taking advantage of the candidates desperate for H1B visa. If the same consultancies work hard and get real contract opportunities for real resumes, which is supposed to be their real jobs, then the candidates can make a honest living. The only other option is to quit the consultancy nonsense.
DeleteReally very good article. Are there any genuine consultancies which can train and market resume without fake experience. If yes please suggest some.
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying that I had no idea that these companies existed before my personal experience.
ReplyDeleteI decided to take part in a training program for a type of software development at a Flex-Staffing Co, or otherwise known as a Desi Consultancy. The first flag was the 3-year contract and penalty if you decided to back out, which I believe is totally bogus because their business model is built on deception. They lure the desperate (at the time, me) with promises of making 55K/year, Visas (doesn't apply to me) and possibly getting bought out by the end-client and making the 6 figure salary they pay to the consultancy. The second flag was the lack of information on the company, which I came to find out later had changed their name. As you pointed out, this is a convention with these shady organizations to stay under the radar. If I had known who they were previously, I would have never considered it due to all the negative reviews and horror stories.
The final straw was last week when they handed me an absurdly faked resume with 7+ years of experience for companies and technologies I had never heard of. Telling me to fabricate and memorize scenarios for each bullet point, and to be ready to lie to interviewers. I didn't agree to that and it is not defined anywhere in the employment agreement I signed, because who would put something so self-incriminating in a contract!? So based on that, I'm out. What are they going to do, take me to court for refusing to lie? And if they try to harass me I’m going to tell them that I have the email from the Trainer that included the fake resume and fabrication instructions saved in a special folder, just for them.
Take note, these companies are starting to target US Citizens because it has recently become very difficult to target non-nationals. Just speculating but this is probably due to changes or coming changes in immigration laws.
Many thanks to you, MOTTS for writing this comprehensive article on this staffing practice. I hope all who are going through troubles with these staffing agencies come across it.
This short film covers the details in a crisp and short format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNyqvM-KqIw
ReplyDeleteFantastic piece, well tailored…. You sort of cleared my phobias… Now I can give it a shot… I pray I don’t run out of contents!…a big kudos
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