Toronto Pathways is a Time Waster in Toronto, Ontario

Rachel from Toronto Pathways Job Search Specialists called me today wanting to set an appointment up for Monday morning.  I tried making a first thing or last thing appointment as, I told her, I am currently working.  She said she could make one for 4:30 on Tuesday, which I accepted.  She went on to go over the details of where they're located.  After this, I asked about what the position was that I was going to be interviewing for.  Rachel seemed to become flustered and said that they would discuss it when I came in. 

I told Rachel I was not going to be taking time off work unless I know that there is a job available that I'm interested in.  She put me on hold for at least about 5 minutes.  Susan then came on the phone and said that I wouldn't have been contacted unless a director had fully reviewed my CV and thought they could help with my job search but that I would "have to take the hour" to go to their office to meet and I couldn't speak with the director about any specific jobs before then. 

This was getting fishy, I'd never had a phone call like this before and I have job hunted for 2½-3 years over the last 7 years.  Plus, having a background in HR and Career Development, this call set off alarm bells everywhere.  They told me to give them a call when I had more time and would be in the area anyway. 

After this, I looked them up online and was so glad I listed to my instincts!  I called them back and asked about if they charge and if they're contacting me about a specific job or more to offer general help and all of these posts were confirmed.  They do not charge upfront but there are services they do charge for, and they did not have a specific job in mind for me.