A legal recruitment consultancy has invented members of staff and provided them with fictional profiles and fake LinkedIn pages.
According to its website, Dawn Ellmore Employment comprises nine members of staff. However, RollOnFriday has discovered that two of them, recruitment consultants 'Josephine Allan' and 'Paul McDermott', do not really actually exist.
According to his staff profile, McDermott possesses "extensive knowledge" which "sets him apart from other recruiters". Stealing another man's face also sets him apart, because McDermott bears an uncanny resemblance to a receptionist who worked at the business for six months in 2014, Aaron Sims.
Allan is described as "going the extra mile" to find suitable candidates for law firms. However, she is also a stock photo available for sale on shutterstock.com. A source reports that she "doesn't and has never existed at this agency or in recruitment". When RollOnFriday attempted to contact Allan, a receptionist said, "She's not available at the moment", but that she would call back when she was free.
Both Allan and McDermott have LinkedIn profiles, where their histories begin and end with their positions at Dawn Ellmore Employment. Each has won a ringing endorsement from 'Henry D.', who is described on his own LinkedIn profile as an IP Consultant with Dawn Ellmore Employment and a Harvard graduate.
RollOnFriday informed the company of its findings and requested an explanation. Two days later, director Dawn Ellmore said, "This matter forms part of an investigation and legal steps we are undertaking following the departure of a former employee. While the investigation continues, we have suspended the 'Meet the Team' section of the website, and I'm afraid we are unable to comment".
RollOnFriday asked Ellmore if she was seriously suggesting that two of her nine staff had been invented and given company profiles, email addresses and telephone numbers without management's knowledge. She did not respond. Allan still hasn't called back, either.
Tip Off ROF
According to its website, Dawn Ellmore Employment comprises nine members of staff. However, RollOnFriday has discovered that two of them, recruitment consultants 'Josephine Allan' and 'Paul McDermott', do not really actually exist.
Meet the Team! And their imaginary friends! |
Sims |
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Simulation |
Allan is described as "going the extra mile" to find suitable candidates for law firms. However, she is also a stock photo available for sale on shutterstock.com. A source reports that she "doesn't and has never existed at this agency or in recruitment". When RollOnFriday attempted to contact Allan, a receptionist said, "She's not available at the moment", but that she would call back when she was free.
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Chinny | |
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Chinny beard |
Both Allan and McDermott have LinkedIn profiles, where their histories begin and end with their positions at Dawn Ellmore Employment. Each has won a ringing endorsement from 'Henry D.', who is described on his own LinkedIn profile as an IP Consultant with Dawn Ellmore Employment and a Harvard graduate.
RollOnFriday informed the company of its findings and requested an explanation. Two days later, director Dawn Ellmore said, "This matter forms part of an investigation and legal steps we are undertaking following the departure of a former employee. While the investigation continues, we have suspended the 'Meet the Team' section of the website, and I'm afraid we are unable to comment".
RollOnFriday asked Ellmore if she was seriously suggesting that two of her nine staff had been invented and given company profiles, email addresses and telephone numbers without management's knowledge. She did not respond. Allan still hasn't called back, either.
Comments
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Best,
Donna Barton
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Love, Josephine
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I work for a fantastic legal recruitment agency and I hate to see these type of articles. I hope the REC takes appropriate steps. Back to work!
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Those below who sound bitter maybe aren't good enough to attract the attention of the good agents?
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Great article!
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A recruiter ultimately has 1 goal, to make placements and make money... But there are the few recruiters out there that go the extra mile, they work for you, they get to know you, and give you advice, even if it is you are better with the devil you know. MD's that begins their careers with lies, create a bed of lies for the future and will make their employees disgruntled to the point where they reap what they sow.
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I know people need to make money but 99% manage to do it without having to be dishonest. No excuses
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One reul for the profession and one for the recruiters
And what about the Employment agencies Inspectorate...do they know of this?
Are you RoF going to report this..I do hope so?
Mind you makes a change from all those fake jobs out there!
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Apart from anything else it might well be a criminal offence contrary to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 if the advertising is misleading potential employees.
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Dawn Ellmore herself must be complicit in this. There is absolutely no other explanation. Dawn is connected to both Paul and Josephine on LinkedIn, and therefore must have either initiated or accepted the invite, in respect of fictional characters she knows she doesn't employ. Don't try and pass the buck. Admit what you did was wrong and apologise.
An absolute disgrace.
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http://www.buzzfeed.com/themysteryrecruiter/legal-recruitment-agency-invent-fake-staff-fail-279n6
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'There is a constant stream of fake candidates...' - I'm guessing these fake candidates originate from other recruitment firms trying steal business!
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Perhaps no one has sustained a loss as a result of this behaviour, but I would find it difficult to trust an organisation which had intentionally misrepresented itself in this way.
Just in case you are actually trolling - good work.
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That simply has to be somebody who works at Dawn Ellmore to have that response! Nobody can actually think that it is ok for this sort of behaviour.
People like this give recruitment a bad name.... Unbelievable she hasn't felt the need to respond to ROF with an an apology but clearly isn't bothered that she has been caught.
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Didn't say it was ok, I just didn't understand why people were so upset about this. People seem to be over egging the pudding with their disdain. I get it, they lied, that is not good. However, no one has lost anything so comments like "how does she sleep at night" just seem like sanctimonious codswallop! Anyway, what do I know!
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Didn't take her long to go back to her old ways then!!
http://www.dawnellmore.co.uk/meet-the-team
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http://www.rollonfriday.com/TheNews/EuropeNews/tabid/58/Id/4764/fromTab/58/currentIndex/0/Default.aspx
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