My problems with Scotia Personnel started on the day I first went in there. I had applied for a nanny position that paid quite a bit more than I am making now (which is why I was considering that kind of job). I never did hear back about the job I wanted, but they brought me in for an interview for "future opportunities." They pushed for as many childcare references as possible that day. In a couple of cases, I would have to tell the friends after-the-fact that I had listed them. One such case was my neighbour. I told her the moment I came home, and she wasn't happy with me. She agreed to provide the reference, but explained that she has a major aversion to providing references. Although she had said she would do it, I felt bad; so I called the agency back to try to tell them to remove that one name from their list of references. No one returned my calls, and two weeks later (when they finally contacted my references), I found out that her name had been left on the list.

That was about the same time they started calling me on a daily basis to ask for my availability. I told them repeatedly that my schedule DOES NOT CHANGE: I am only available for nights and weekends unless it is a full-time position. They continued to harass me like this day after day until I called and complained.

At that time, they let me know about a full-time opportunity. It was for less money than I am making now, but I agreed to meet with these parents. When I did, the interview was weird. The woman asked me very few questions (far fewer than one would expect for people looking for someone to take care of their children!). I remember the woman asking me whether I would be returning to grad school this year, since she needed someone who could commit to at least a year. "Due to financial reasons," I answered, "I don't foresee going back to university anytime in the near future. I should be able to commit to a year easily." She also asked me how soon I could leave my current job. "I would prefer to give two weeks' notice," I replied, "but it is a call center. They would really not care if anyone only gave a day's notice, since the turnover is so high in that sort of company."

About a week later, the agency called me with some feedback. They stated that the couple did not want to hire me because I told them I would be going back to university in less than a year. I explained that this was the opposite of what I had told them, and that there had been some kind of miscommunication. The agency rep said that she would call the woman, but I honestly did not expect to hear back from her.

I was surprised to get a call on my phone last night from the woman who interviewed me. She started going on about looking at my resume and wanting to meet me for an interview. I reminded her that she had already interviewed me, and that's where the snarkiness started...

I advised her that from the feedback I had been given, there was a big misunderstanding at the last interview and that I would like to apologize for that and clear it up. "No there was not!" she snapped. I explained that I thought I had been clear about not going back to university anytime soon, and she replied, "You said 'I don't foresee going back' - the word 'foresee tells me that I can't count on you to work for me for a year!" She was starting to get the agitated tone of voice of a crazy, escalating customer. That's when I (and I never do this outside of work) put on my neutral and professional voice, the magical de-escalating voice of reason, the calm and soothing Michelle...

"I'm really sorry," I explained. "Unfortunately, it seems like what I was trying to say did not come out as clearly as I thought, and you got a different impression than I intended."

It didn't work! She kept escalating her bitchiness, and then started screaming at me that she could not count on my reliability, either, since I said that I would leave my job with no notice if she needed me to do so. "How do I know that you can be a dedicated employee?" she barked. Without missing a beat, I replied, "Because I've been working for the same company for going on three years."

She started to ramp up into another bitch, and I thought to myself, "WTF? Why do I have to take this abuse? This woman wasn't going to hire me fom the get-go, so why is she now using me as a convenient target for whatever pent-up anger she has about other things? In fact, I don't have to take it!"

I cut her off and said, "Obviously, you have no intention of hiring me. I do not see the need to continue the conversation. Goodbye!" and I disconnected the call. I might have put on my de-escalating voice, but I wasn't at work. This was basically a personal call, and for a job I now really did not want. Not only did it pay less than my current job, but it was for some rich bitch from Bedford (a "Bedford Wife," as my friend Stef calls them), a woman who was probably going to treat me like garbage if she was giving me that much disrespect and condescension only the second time ever speaking with me. I feel bad for the person she does hire; it seems obvious to me that she had to use an agency because she was having a hard time getting nannies who would stay. Wonder why?

So I called the agency back today and demanded to speak with the person in charge of my file. The receptionist tried to block me (like they do every time I've called, even though they called and harassed me repeatedly) and told me to tell her the details of why I was calling. I told her that I have had nothing but bad experiences with their agency (detailed all of the issues above) and said that as a result, I wanted nothing to do with either them or the employers who are their clients. When she heard about the verbal attack I got last night, she asked for the name of the woman (which I gave her).

I think the receptionist could hear in my voice how much the events had bothered me, and was essentially left in a stunned silence. She connected me with the person in charge of my file. When she asked what she could do for me, I asked that (due to very unpleasant experiences with their agency) she completely remove my resume from their files and never call me or have any employers call me again. "No problem" she said. "I can do that for you right away."

That's how the conversation ended. No apology. She couldn't even throw me a "I'm sorry to hear you were dissatisfied with your experience." Nada. Scotia Personnel is the worst employment agency in Halifax. If they had apologized for the way I had been treated, they could have escaped RANT MACHINE. Since they did not, I will now tell every parent and nanny I can to steer clear of this unprofessional agency!

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