Is ExeQfind Group Legit or Scam? Exeqfindgroup.com Review

The ExeQfind Group is an executive search and talent management firm that claims to have over 20 years of experience placing leaders across various functions and industries. However, as an unrated company with no independent reviews, it’s natural to wonder – is The ExeQfind Group a legitimate firm or could they potentially be running a scam?

In this comprehensive review, I’ll take an in-depth look at The ExeQfind Group to determine if they seem trustworthy or display any red flags that indicate a potential scam.

We’ll examine their background, services, process, website, online presence, reactions from those they’ve contacted, and more. At the end of this review, you should have a clear picture of whether The ExeQfind Group seems on the up and up or if you should be cautious engaging with them.

Overview of The ExeQfind Group

The ExeQfind Group presents itself as an executive search firm founded in 1999 that helps companies recruit senior managers, executives, and board members. They state they use a “retained search” model where clients pay an upfront retainer fee for their services.

Additionally, they claim expertise across functions like finance, HR, legal, marketing, and technology roles in industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing.

According to their website, The ExeQfind Group takes a “deep dive” approach to understand each client’s specific organizational and business needs before searching for and vetting leadership candidates. They also emphasize relationship-building and cultural fit.

Background Research on The ExeQfind Group

To evaluate if a company is legitimate, the first thing to examine is their background and history. Several key facts emerged from researching The ExeQfind Group:

Website Origin: Their domain, exeqfindgroup.com, was registered on April 5th, 2019 through GoDaddy. This gives them a reasonable but not extensive internet presence span.

Business History: Searches uncovered no evidence of The ExeQfind Group operating under that business name prior to their 2019 website registration. While they claim over 20 years of experience, I could not verify if they previously operated under a different name.

Lack of Reviews: Despite their purported length of time in business, there are no independent reviews of The ExeQfind Group on reputable review sites. All that could be found was a brief 2-sentence listing on ProvenExpert.com simply repeating statements from their website.

Named Leadership: No specific executives or leadership team members are listed on their site or could be found associated with the firm through searches.

Unknown Physical Presence: While their website indicates a mailing address in Atlanta, GA, searches uncovered no evidence that The ExeQfind Group has actual offices or operations located at that listed address.

Analysis of The ExeQfind Group’s Website

A company’s website can provide clues as to their legitimacy. Reviewing exeqfindgroup.com more closely revealed:

Professional Design: Their site has a professional design with polished copy and stock photography. This level of quality suggests reasonable effort into an intentional, ongoing enterprise.

Services Align: The services and areas of expertise they promote align logically with an executive talent firm. This appropriate messaging adds credibility versus making unrelated or outsized claims.

Contact Page: Their contact page simply presents a form to submit messages directly through their site rather than listing names of specific staff. This keeps personnel anonymous but allows for some direct engagement.

In summary, The ExeQfind Group’s website itself does not raise immediate red flags. However, combined with the lack of track record, verified team, physical location, or client reviews, it also does little to affirmatively confirm their reputation.

Online Reactions to The ExeQfind Group

One way to gauge a company’s legitimacy is to examine reactions from others they have contacted. Do people vouch for receiving real services or Claim interactions raised concerns of a potential scam?

In terms of direct reviews for The ExeQfind Group itself, there is little reaction to evaluate. However, searching more broadly uncovered detailed posts on sites like Reddit and LinkedIn regarding suspiciously similar recruiting scams people had encountered:

On Reddit, user “rdab” reported being contacted for a fake executive role by “nynextlevel.com”, with all the same red flags – blocked phone numbers, emphasis on reputation without evidence, and ultimately a demand for an upfront “recruiting fee”. They explicitly called out this type of offer as an infamous scam in the recruitment industry.

A Director of IT named John Sidoti wrote a viral LinkedIn post warning to “Beware the Executive Recruiter Phone Scam”. He described receiving sketchy cold calls from firms claiming to represent prestigious companies urgently seeking to fill high level positions. But digging deeper revealed those executive recruiting agencies had limited online histories along with other suspicious characteristics. Dozens of commenters affirmed running into nearly identical scams.

So while no one had yet posted about The ExeQfind Group specifically, many reported encounters with executive recruiting scams operating remarkably similar processes. This suggests at minimum a prevalent scam industry The ExeQfind Group seems aligned with. And it merits extra caution assessing their particular claims.

The Verdict: Is The ExeQfind Group Legitimate or a Scam?

Evaluating all the above details provides a rather ambiguous picture – while several characteristics raise yellow flags, there is also a lack of specific evidence proving The ExeQfind Group is outright fraudulent. There are a few possibilities to explain this middle ground:

1. Unestablished Startup – They could be an early-stage firm not around long enough to have a robust online footprint. If so, they may still intend to operate legitimately even while appearing sparse.

2. Industry Disrupter – On the other hand, The ExeQfind Group could be intentionally mysterious in order to hide strategies for disrupting the traditional recruitment model. Their vagueness may then signal innovating rather than ill intent.

3. Elaborate Scam – Alternatively, drawing on common recruiting scam tactics, The ExeQfind Group could turn out to fabricate their services while pursuing upfront fees without placements. That would indicate simply a more sophisticatedly designed fraud operation.

Unfortunately without further evidence of verified placements or client experiences, there is no way to definitively rule out the risk of the last scenario – that The ExeQfind Group could ultimately be a polished but nonetheless illegitimate scam.

As such, I cannot recommend engaging with or sharing personal information and especially cannot advise paying any upfront fees to The ExeQfind Group without much further verification. While possibilities one and two can’t be fully dismissed either, there are enough similarities to prevalent scams and missing credibility signals to warrant high caution.

For executives specifically contacted by The ExeQfind Group about a potential role, I suggest politely asking more qualifying questions upfront before providing any sensitive details or payments. And search industry news sites to be alert for any emerging definitive positive or negative developments regarding their firm.

How to Spot Fraudulent Recruitment Firms

Based on tactics used by known scammers in the executive search industry, be wary of companies displaying these characteristics:

No Track Record or Validation – Little to no history before recent website origin date; no evidence of past placements or client reviews

Vague About Specific Openings – Details on actual open positions remain murky; emphasis on selling their own firm vs specifics

Name Dropping Without Proof – Touting connections to elite companies without naming verified contacts or showing confirmation

Request for Upfront Payment – Demanding recruiting or other fees from candidates rather than getting paid by hiring companies

Odd Interview Practices – Conducting overly generic interviews focused on selling services vs vetting fit or scheduling face-to-face meetings

Aggressive Persistence – Pressuring candidates to sign agreements or make payments urgently without allowing time for further diligence

Alternatives to The ExeQfind Group

Rather than risk your reputation and money on an unvalidated firm like The ExeQfind Group, safer options include:

Established Firms With Proven Track Records – Search job sites and industry recommendations to find recruiting agencies with many years of verified history successfully placing executives

Direct Job Search – You can avoid any intermediary by applying directly to open executive positions on trusted sites like LinkedIn and company career pages

Validated Staffing Agencies – Well-reviewed temp/contract agencies with strong incentive models can provide a credible path to permanent roles

Executive Career Coaches – Search specialists focused on client best interests, with flexible personalized services and no upfront fees

What to Do if You Fall Victim to a Recruiting Scam

If you engaged with a fraudulent executive search firm and lost money, take these steps:

Report Them – File complaints with enforcement groups like the FTC, State Attorney General’s office, and IC3 to get the scam on regulators’ radar

Warn Others – Post detailed reviews on sites like Reddit, LinkedIn, and RipOff Report so others can avoid the same trap

Dispute Payments – Work with your bank and payment providers to reverse any fraudulent charges made

Consult an Attorney – Speak with a lawyer to understand if any legal remedies are feasible for recovering lost money

Learn From it – Unfortunately scammers are sophisticated today. But use the experience to equip yourself to better spot the warning signs going forward. Stay vigilant in validating future offers rather than simply trusting bold claims.

The key is acting swiftly upon realizing you’ve been defrauded so that you can minimize damages and do your part to prevent the criminals from perpetrating further.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, with no affirming client reviews and limited verification details available, interacting with The ExeQfind Group currently carries meaningful risk until more evidence of their actual placements and recruiter track records can substantiate their legitimacy.

I hope this comprehensive review provides an informative assessment of the potential risks and open questions surrounding The ExeQfind Group at this time.

Let me know in the comments if you have any further experiences or details to help shed more light – positive or negative – on confirming whether their executive recruiting firm is indeed operating with integrity or not.