972-386-6133

They're still at it.  Same address, same phone numbers, but a shiny new name SEO-DFW.  Right.. just try searching SEO.  After a weeding through few thousand hits for search engine optimization, you start finding sites like this.  They do have a slick website, at least until you notice that pretty much everything on there was published in a 2-4 week span in 2013 and doesn't seem to have been updated since.

Got a similar pitch. They told me they got my number from another recruiter that does not work with unemployed job seekers. Said the contact was confidential.

I was contacted by someone named Tina. Phone # 972-730-3000. Location 12th floor Lincoln Center Tower ll.
Company was called SEO.
Upfront cost for employment assistance approx. $6,000.00

Like most people responding on this blog I can find very little info on this company.

Got the same pitch. Sorry, you did not see this blog in time to save you grief and money.
Thanks for sharing. Good luck on your search.

I was approached by a SEI representative by the name of Marina Parker through LinkedIn.com with 2 separate messages that can be found below. I had many questions since I found the messages, logos and links to be inconsistent.

So here is my story...

After I responded to a some Linkedin.com correspondence from Marina Parker, I received a call from someone who said that they set up an appointment between Paul Jackson and me. However, when I actually visited the office the person I met with was Robert Hill, Executive Vice President of Client Services, who presented a similar presentation to those posted on this site.

During our initial interview, Mr. Hill requested that I complete and send a scanned version of a 12 page document before returning to his office. However, after my visit, I decided to do some follow up research about this company's operation - which led me to this site. Additionally, found that this company operates under various alias. There appears to be two separate entities working together (SEI and SEO among other LLCs). Listed below are a few of the discrepancies that I noticed:

   SEO  (located on the Robert Hill's business card)
   www.seo-dfw.com (located at the bottom of the 12 document I received from Mr. Hill),
   rhill@dallastransition.com  (email address located on the Robert Hill's business card)
   Systems Evolution, Inc. or SEI (as seen in the letter and links from Marina Parker as shown below)
   http://www.sei.com (as seen the letter below)

      The logo and address are also different than the actual location that I was invited to visit:

            www.SEI.com – Dallas, LLC (As seen on the links provided in Ms. Parker's correspondence)
            1717 McKinney Avenue
            Suite 700
            Dallas, TX 75202
            Phone: 214.593.6438
            Fax: 513.459.1911

                vs.

           www.SEO-dfw.com (This is location that I visited) - the logo is different than the log for the site above
           Two Lincoln Centre
           5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
           Dallas, TX 75240
           (972)730-3000 Phone
           (972)386-3275 FAX
           dallas@seo-dfw.com

Needless to say, these raised questions in my mind - in addition to finding limited access to the company's information online. Based on my finding and my intuition, I plan to stay clear of this company. Though I am a risk-taker, I believe that I am better safe than sorry on this one. I've listed the letters I received for your viewing so that you can have better information to draw your own conclusion. I hope everyone makes the right decision.

___________
1st letter sent from Marina Parker is as follows:

I hope this email finds you well. As a quick introduction, my name is Marina Parker and I am a Consultant in the Dallas location of Systems Evolution, a local based, employee owned consulting firm. I wanted to reach out to you to see if you had interest in discussing a role with our organization. Your professional background is very impressive and it translates very well to the engagements of our SEI consultants. SEI has a fantastic culture, a flat organizational structure, and we are always looking to network with great talent.  I would love to set up a time with either myself, or an SEI consultant – depending on your availability - for a quick conversation/coffee/lunch. Even if you’re not in the market for a new position, I would welcome the opportunity to network. Below are a few links and some information about SEI:  • SEI Website: www.sei.com • Glassdoor ratings (100% approval rating of our CEO and 4.8 rating for our company): http://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at- ... 82972.11,28.htm • We are an employee owned firm: we redistribute our profits through profit sharing and a dividend based equity model • Local clients. No travel. • We are a “flat” organization and all consultants are leaders in the branch • This video illustrates our Shared Vision and Core Values. See if they align with yours. http://sysev.com/our-story/about-sei  I look forward to hearing from you!

Warm Regards,
Marina Parker, PMP
Principal Consultant at Systems Evolution, Inc.
_________
2nd letter sent from Marin Parker is below:

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'm glad you're interested in hearing more about the opportunity! I will have my coordinator, Aislinn Crist, reach out to get a call set up with myself or a colleague if our calendars don't align.   Marina

They are going by the name SEO or SEO-DFW.

I met with them. Seemed to good to be true. Besides the red flags during the pitch, you cannot find references to them online besides their website. If they were so good, wouldn't their executives be in business magazines saying how great they were and being experts when journalists called?

Of course "SEO" is also Search Engine Optimization so you can't find it easily online.

Their website is vague without any actual specifics other than trying to snow you with logos of companies they claim to work with. In my case it was $5400 to start.

Tiffany Spears
SEO
Two Lincoln Centre
5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
P: (972) 730-3000
F: (972) 386-3275
www.seo-dfw.com

Got the same pitch. "You should be making $XXXX to XXXX" which is $50k to $80k more than is customary.

Met with "Robert Hill" and I assume that is his real name.
His card says:
Robert Hill
Executive Vice President of Client Services
5420 LBJ Freeway
Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
Phone (972) 762-7000
Fax  (972) 386-3275
rhill@dallastransition.com

Clearly a ripoff.

same scam as above from:
Larry Paul Spradling
Executive Vice President of Client Services
SEO
(214) 695-2652
lpspradling@dallastransition.com
*** AND ***
Tiffany Spears
SEO
Two Lincoln Centre
5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
(972)730-3000
http://www.seo-dfw.com

From: "Jackie" <dallas@seo-dfw.com>
Date: July 25, 2017 at 7:58:46 AM CDT
To:
Subject: RE: Meeting Confirmation

It was formerly TOP.

Kind Regards,

Jackie  Aguilera
SEO
Two Lincoln Centre
5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
p (972) 730-3000
F: (972) 386-3275
www.SEO-dfw.com
------------------------------------------------------------------

From:
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2017 2:45 PM
To: SEO
Subject: Re: Meeting Confirmation

Hello Jackie,
Was SEO formerly TOP and/or SEI.
-------------------------------------------------/---/---------

On Jul 24, 2017, at 1:32 PM, SEO <dallas@seo-dfw.com> wrote:

Dear ,

This message is to confirm the meeting you scheduled with us at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, 7/26/17.  If there is a problem with this schedule or the directions please let us know as soon as possible.  Dress is business casual or professional.  Please bring a hard copy of your resume with you.

We are located in the Lincoln Centre on the southeast corner of 635 and the North Dallas Tollway directly across 635 from the Galleria shopping mall.  We are on the 12th floor of Building Two which has visitor parking directly in front of the building entrance.  Building Two is located next to the Hilton Hotel.

A map is attached for your convenience and for turn-by-turn directions to our office please click on the link below and enter your address.

https://goo.gl/maps/EHrrPXEMeXN2

If you need further directions please call.  We look forward to meeting you!

Jackie Aguilera
SEO
Two Lincoln Centre
5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
(972)730-3000
http://www.seo-dfw.com

I just got the same call and wanting to set up an appointmenet with her "Executive Vice President" for a "sit down".  Totally weird!!  Thanks for all these posts!  Here is who the communication came from:

Best Regards,

Sherry M.
SEO
Two Lincoln Centre

5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230
Dallas, TX 75240
P: (972) 730-3000

F: (972) 386-3275

www.seo-dfw.com

Thank god there are websites like this to alert others to potential scams and bad business practices.

Within a few hours of responding to a job posting on Career Builders (which I never do), I got a call from SEO.  A woman by the name of Sherry left a voice mail message stating that her VP reviewed my resume and was very impressed with my background.  She left her name and the company name (SEO) on the VM.  I proceeded to spend 30 minutes trying to find information about SEO, but nothing came up.  I then performed a reverse phone number lookup on the number she called from (972-239-3243) and found out that it was registered to a Jose Gonzales at a residential address.  That's when my antenna first went up.  Without good information, and suspicious of SEO, I returned her call to find out more.  Without hesitation, she asked if I would be able to meet with Paul Jackson the following day.  I played along and booked an appointment at their office in the Lincoln Center (LBJ Freeway, Dallas).  After the call, I tried to locate Paul Jackson on LinkedIn... nothing.  I then tried to find SEO employees on LinkedIn... still nothing.  My antenna went up further.  I then tried a reverse phone number lookup on the number that I reached her on (972-730-3000) and I was able to locate the feedback that y'all provided.  Thank you.

So, I've come to the conclusion that SEO is creating fictitious job postings in order to troll for candidates/victims.  The fact that they did not bother to phone screen me before extending an invitation to meet was a dead giveaway.
Needless to say, I canceled the appointment and learned a lesson.

they called me from a direct number 9722393231 and that had received and reviewed my resume and wanted to set up an interview, since im actively applying i called back and asked if this was the confidential company, she said no that they are SEO executive search and that she wanted to set up a meeting tomorrow at the lincoln center so i asked did i apply for a job with your firm? she said they found it online and wanted me to come in so we can talk about their services. good thing i said not interested but still did research to find all this.

im sorry for everyone that fell for it, but really $4,500 to $6,000 to help you find a job? real recruiters get 10% to 20% of you 1st year income and they charge it to the company hiring you. don't fall for this. no real opportunity will ever charge you for anything.

Called me today. Same story as the others. Meeting with Paul Jackson. Weird call, rushed me through, scheduled interview and sent email, etc. Other phone number from them is (972) 730-3000. Call from "Sylvia." Same scam. Don't be tempted!!!!

Wow !  I just received the call this morning - exactly what has been described here.  Sherry left a message saying that SEO executive search firm was impressed with my resume and would like to talk to me.  Since I have been applying to several postings, I called back.  Sherry mentioned her Vice President read my resume and was impressed, and so was she.  (like previous posting, Sherry mentioned her Vice President several times).  I agreed to meet with the Vice President in a couple of days.  Sherry said she would send email with all details.  The email said nothing except directions to the office - not even the name of the Vice President I supposed to meet with.  I called Sherry back for more info - I asked who I was going to meet with  (she said Paul Jackson - who is NOT a vice president per linkedin)  I also asked if I, as the job seeker, was expected to pay a fee (the web site is very vague) .  She told me that SEO is very successful at getting the hiring company to pay the fee.

I am so glad I read all these postings - I have canceled my meeting.

The number I have is:  972-239-3248.  The call back number was 972-730-3000

I was called by these guys.  Same pitch.  Phone number was 972-239-3231.  I am not making an appointment.  Also, there is a company called PMG or Paul Mitchell Group that does the same thing.  They also have had a lot of name changes.  Their number is 214-307-4918.  Any company that has to keep changing their name is a scam.  Really sad because they are preying on people who are most likely at a low point in their life.

Same scam as above. Definitely avoid!

Thanks to everyone for their eye opening input. I met with SEO-SCO, unsure of what they are going by today. VP Robert Hill, whom I met with said they are not an executive employment agency, they help and direct the client to do their own work in pursuing a job. All in all, I think $6,000 is a lot to pay someone for a resume update they call professional. He almost had me, Thanks for all the input and saving me time and money.

First lesson I learned transitioning from the military NEVER pay for executive search services.  They are ALL scams.

Wow! I also was called by a Chelsee, back in March of 2021. Her boss "Joe Johnson" was impressed by my resume they saw online and he wanted to speak with me. I did set up a phone call with him, if I remember it was more of him talking but I just felt like it was an old guy telling stories and (I didn't mention this to him) I was distracted since I was about to list my house and had lots to do. Wasn't sure how they could really help me find a job, but ok, thought I would listen. Skeptical, because, yes there is always a catch. I thought it was either a scam (like you all have mentioned where I would have to pay upfront) or another scam trying to get my personal data.
After that call, Chelsee emailed me to say that her boss was really impressed (?) and wanted to set up a zoom meeting, and she attached 7 documents for me to fill out beforehand. 7 documents with not only personality type questions -but also asking my date of birth, where I was born, marital status, number of kids and ages and what they were doing, any current medical conditions, and so on. For real.
Obviously they don't need to know that. Really pissed me off. I never confirmed the zoom meeting she had set up 2 days later, nor responded to further emails or filled out the damn forms.

"Chelsee
Executive Assistant
SEO | Two Lincoln Centre | 5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1230 | Dallas, TX 75240 | Phone (972) 266-1488 | FAX (972) 386-3275 | http://www.seoexecutivesearch.com"

Interesting how you are so "savvy" about all of this yet you couldn't even find the correct number thread to post in.  Why is that?