hi nairaland users! i will like to ask what the house feels about dragnet,the recruitment agency that asks for 7500 before you can be registered on their database.why should graduates who can barely afford t.fares to their test centres be allowed to face such wicked hurdles?personally,i can afford the 7500 but how many people can afford that amount of money considering the amount we expend on browsing monthly.what do you feel about this?

Guy I no believe those people at all.The fact that they are advertising on radio does not change any thing for me
7,500 for registration.
Are they WES?

Do they guarantee jobs ni?

Nigerians shine your eyes wella ooooooooo.

They have been others before them.Imagine going for an interview and them telling you to come with 2,000 naira

i think those guys are just taking advantage of the very faulty social security system we have in this country. I do not se any reason why any one should pay an amount so high just to drop your CV on their site

Its plain Corruption

i don't know what is going on in this country anymore peolpe are just taking avantage of the frustrated youths and poverty in the land to expliot their fellow country men and women. dragnet should be closed down by efcc.

Happy Eid el Fitri

My name is Baba Ikazoboh – of Dragnet.

This debate did not start now, it started back in 2004 when the concept was being drawn up, so don’t expect a short answer.

Why charge the applicant?

Dragnet is a standard recruitment examination. Like JAMB, GMAT, WAEC, ICAN, etc, it is positioned as an extra qualification profile. However, the cynic in me says that it’s simply another pre-condition for getting a job. It is yours to have but just for a year. You can choose to do it, or you may decide that it’s not for you, but we believe it will give you a better chance of being seen, and thus, of being considered for job opportunities with the firms you want.

Many companies like the concept and are switching, because like it or not, it’s a better way, a major advancement. It saves them money because we give it to them free; but that’s because we want them to get your CV for free. We want them to get your aptitude test scores for free. We give them your personality profile also free. We do that with the TOP 500 companies and that’s part of what you’re paying for.

Infact, it’s the same as how you pay for all the exams and tests mentioned above. Even the degree you have is not free. Very far from it, lets break it down:
N48,500 annual tuition
N30,000 rent per annum
N100,000  a year for food, handouts and stationary, clothes, small drink, credit, handset, etc, etc….
Lets even say the total, is a minimum of N100,000.00 per annum, over 4 – 7 yrs striving to obtain a qualification from a tertiary institution with which we hope to use to signal our quality (and ability to bring value) to these employers. A total cost of between N400k – N700k. Today, I’m certain that the top employers do not take the results of your N400k degree as absolute proof of your intellect, because they ALL (ok maybe not ALL, but most) test you again before they give you a job.

As we say in our brochure:
Employer’s perception is that the number of graduates completing higher education (university and polytechnics) has expanded significantly over the last decade. The institutions for higher education are of varying standards and varying levels of integrity. Their graduates are also of varying standards. As a result, comparison across candidates from different institutions is difficult to achieve under these circumstances. In other words, the degrees obtained and grades achieved are not a sufficient indicator of their true quality.

Hundreds of companies around the country today use aptitude tests in their screening process with a view to ascertaining true quality of the intakes. Having a University Degree or a Polytechnic’s National Diploma and composing a CV is not sufficient. The recruitment process of top employer’s now requires Aptitude Tests of all candidates to allow objective comparison between candidates. As a result, applicants now spend a great deal of their job search effort chasing Aptitude Test opportunities with organisations.

Dragnet Solutions is the solution. Dragnet is today providing a central testing and assessing solution, which allows fresh graduate applicants take internationally accredited standard aptitude tests and personality assessments, results of which will be presented to the top 500 employers in Nigeria in a format in which they require it. Complete with CV/Resume information, Aptitude Test Results and Personality Profile Sten Scores. That’s why Dragnet demands a payment of N7500 for registration.

Dragnet Solutions makes sense due to the following:
1. Job search for graduates is a major challenge
2. To be considered for employment, you must apply and be visible
3. CV information is no longer enough, aptitude test is now the standard
4. Dragnet will take the Dragnet Profile (CV, Aptitude Tests, Personality Profile) of applicants to the Top 500 companies

The advantages of Dragnet is that it offers you a one-stop-shop for your search thereby drastically reducing the cost of search and the cost used in pursuing and attending individual company tests as well as soliciting feedback. The cost associated with missed opportunities is also there and if you don’t know how to even commence your job search there is an intangible cost for hopelessness and attendant stress.

SO why pay? What are the benefits?
1. Dragnet gives you visibility to the top 500 Companies and helps you eliminate cost of search.
2. Our tests are professionally designed for work based assessment not like GMAT which is for academia. Ours is a true assessment.
3. Personality profile gives you a good chance if your test results are not as good
4. We bring feedback instantly on your test performance
5. We open a vast new horizon of opportunities//unparalleled visibility
6. We bring you hope in an organised and stress free manner as our tests are all taken in a conducive environment.
7. We bring about equal opportunity for all ensuring that recruitment screening is now based on meritocracy.

The costs are positive value creation costs.

They result from the need to meet the following costs.
The costs of development and maintenance of the portal.
The costs of the tests which are paid for from our partners in the UK in POUNDS. The test provider is a UK based firm (see Technical partners on the website), and the cost of sitting this test with them (if you go direct) is far more than N7,500. We pay for serious volumes of the test, that’s how we can bring the price lower.
The test centres cost a lot to configure and set-up as well as to run.
Back-up generators, diesel, staff etc.
We also need to pay for adverts and other communication that keeps you informed.

Today, there are quite a lot of vacancies in companies but the thought of mounting a recruitment/screening campaign with the difficulties involved keeps the exercise at bay. If they use consultants, they will have to obtain internal approvals to select and pay the consultants which carries some bureaucracy, effort and time delay. In short, it is not easy for them to recruit fresh graduates.

With the Dragnet approach we try and make it as easy as possible to bring people in. With Dragnet, its so simple, the employer doesn’t even need to advertise, they just come to the database for free and shortlist. Full stop.

We all need to be on the same side here, to make it as easy as possible for them to employ so that many more of you can get employed. I am biased, so I suggest you join and support the Dragnet Revolution in screening. This will ensure that you no longer need ‘connection’ to take any tests. You will get feedback on the test (Meritocracy and Transparency). You don’t have to travel about pursuing test dates, simply send an email or call 0700DRAGNET. More people will get employed this way, because many employers are switching.

Furthermore, there is no pass mark. One employer might require a person that scores 80% verbal test score for a marketing, while the same employer for a different role, might require just 50% verbal test score.

If this essay does not make the point, here it is:
The recruitment industry has changed shape. Dragnet is the new way. We make the applicants visible to more companies than they would by themselves have been able to reach, presenting all their information to the companies in a format they desire/require (and more), and then we make it too easy for the companies and their recruitment agencies to reach these applicants for free.

@ DRAGNETNGR.
Thats a nice one but you should put all this long talk in your advert. Maybe you will then see the graduates that are willing to apply. Its a nice one but try to make us understand this because most of us didnt have a idea of what it was all about. just the adverts we saw.

I do believe nairalanders agree to this

all this story is a calm
what do you take nigerian graduate for?
we do wise up now,u cannot scam us again
nairalanders dont mind them o

7500 is not the problem, but is it certain that u will be employed or after ur assessment you will be laid off if ur perfomance was not good enuf despite u paying 7500 becos its not easy to get money o

@dragnetngr

This is a bull cheat.I surely know you just wantto exploit people.I got to hear that you also employ or NOC former NNPC.This is a pure lie.Since 2001 till date ,NNPC employed its staff by itself.The only time its contracted it out was 2005 and it was contracted to Accenture. How could you be lying to pple.

Pls shine your eyes.

All your grammar is trying to justify why jobless youths have to spend N7500 for an exercise that doesn't guarantee them a placement. Your fim has to review the price down wards. People are suffering and internationally I haven't seen a country where its applicable. I am still asking questions to authenticate your company. To make sure its not another smart Alec trying to take advantage of hapless youths. Employers are the ideal one to pay once they make their selection. Not the propective employees.[size=8pt][/size]

@dragnetngr,

For sure, you are a fake person or company or what ever you call urself. Imagine this 419'ers again ooo, trying to play on our intelligence. You see all tghe stories he posted are just to make things seem real. All na lie.

See Mr. Dragnetngr just got registered on nairaland on 10th of this month oo and as i post this piece he is online. That is enough fact to let you know they fraudstars like pennywise and wealth-solution. This fraudstar can spend hours with you on the phone and can be hooked to the net all-day looking for preys.

MY friend, we at nairaland use panasharp oooo.

If you fall prey, OYO for u be that ooo

Rgds.

hi nairalanders!i actually initiated this topic and i am really impressed with the responses.i dont blame that guy from dragnet,one shouldnt expect less from an employee of an organisation.i believe the best way for them to prove us wrong is to test-run a member of this forum for free,so the person can actually come and feed us back,whether our accusations are founded or not.thank you everyone!

I thank the house for your feedback.
The fact that I make the effort to respond to the house is out of respect for your freedom to be heard and your rights to clarification, and not, as a small number chose to believe, because of a scam.

Xvenus:
Although a good suggestion, we unfortunately have only between 30 and 40 seconds of advert slots and so we try to capture as much of this information as possible on our website. Thanks to Nairalanders we are also going to include excerpts from my last response on our website.

Tejutaiwoh:
Sorry you have been a victim of one scam or another. The world is full of it, not just Nigeria.
You are wiser now, so I recommend that you display it by doing a thorough verification of the company Dragnet before you pay. Some tips:

1. Check with the companies we work for. Try to avoid Lekany2k's approach of broadcasting what would sound like factually based statements, without first contacting the company in question. (For NNPC who signed up on 21st August 2007: contact the General Manager Group Learning Department, and acting General Manager Human Resources, Abuja).

2.  Check with the company that is our psychometric testing technical partner:
ASE Solutions Limited.
http://www.ase-solutions.co.uk/
Our Technical Associate is Jeremy Pemberton-Pigott
Granada Learning Limited, Chiswick Centre, 414 Chiswick High Road, London, United Kingdom

3. Check with the company that has spent the last 2 years developing our Portal and integrating with our partners overseas to allow tests to be taken and marked real time:
Socketworks Limited, 20 Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos
www.socketworksglobal.com

4. Check with the company that provided business advisory services from concept creation , feasibility studies, and have acted as consultants to the deployment phase.
Nextzon Business Services Ltd
www.nextzon.com

5. Check with the CAC in Abuja, we have very credible directors as I'm sure you have seen from the site.


Olayeni:
I'm sure you do not expect that there is money that can be paid that would guarantee anyone a job for life, especially when as you say, job performance is not good enough. What we are doing is putting your details firmly on the tables of recruitment decision makers in the format they want it so that they can see you in the first place.

Lekany2k:
I have not researched your response, but frankly, if its true then that is surely proof of how impressive Dragnet is. NNPC signed up to Dragnet on 21st August 2007. But why won't they, it is free, and allows them recruit based on MERIT rather than through connection.

Emperoh:
Please do not look at it as grammar. A lot of thought has gone into this and that is why the answers are not as simple. For example, if we truly wanted to speak grammar on justifying this, it would sound more like this:
In Economic Theory of Imperfect information whereby the information set available to transacting parties is asymmetric, one side knows better than the other, you know your competence and abilities better than the employers do. To correct for this, signalling and screening strategies are adopted. Most times they are costly especially when the information has been so bastardised and the volumes in question are overwhelming. In Nigeria, some youths and some universities have through nefarious activities totally rendered the degrees grading system difficult to objectively interpret, the population size of our youths also further complicates the issue. The onus is on the party that broke it to fix it. The onus is on the applicants to bear some of the costs of correction to the information set. This is straight laced economic logic. This is the way a free market economy corrects for imperfections. We do not run a socialist order in Nigeria. If we stop worrying about the money for a while and start being positive about the opportunities that will open up through the Dragnet Revolution, as there is no HR department we've spoken to that does not love the new way, especially as it will help them take up more people with little effort. This is better than any sentimental argument we may make about N7,500. The tests are not free. The costs are on the website of our test partners. This is a more efficient way to allow deserving graduates signal their quality to at the very least THE TOP 500 Nigerian companies. If you were to attend individual tests for even 100 companies, you would spend more than N7,500 in transportation alone. Be positive and see the benefits. I absolutely agree with you, do your search on Dragnet, we're going to be here a while.

I refer you to the comments on authentication given above.

NAIRALANDERS:
Visit the 1st "best in class" computerised Dragnet Test Centre at 7 New Market Road, Lekki, Lagos. Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

You can also call 0700DRAGNET (07003724638) for enquiries.

SMAZ:

Since you started this, I'm glad you brought the good suggestion.
Kindly call 0700DRAGNET (07003724638) and we will through one of our sponsors arrange a test for you immediately.

EMPEROH:

As part of your authentication excercise, it would be worthwhile extending the same gesture to you if you are interested.

AUSSIE:

I only joined Nairaland when I heard that a bunch of IT literate young Nigerians were discussing Dragnet. I wanted to see the conversations and have the ability to respond on behalf of the company. To guide your misconceptions. But frankly, I do not see the link between joining Nairaland on the 10th, and declaring that the Dragnet Solution which has cost investors over N61m so far, with "in-pipe-line" investments of a further N436m in test centre roll-out alone, is therefore a ruse. The logic beats me.
I discovered that it is a very good forum and I sent a message to its creator, congratulating him on this success.

SMAZ and EMPEROH, I look forward to hearing from you.

u guys are talking bout DRAGNET,has any1 in the house been called up by WORKFORCE in the last 2/3 weeks?
they send u a text or a mail invitting u for a test / interview.
u get there write d test, they bounce those that do not pass,u go tru an interview process and also a 3mins presentation if u pass that, they now tell u that u will av to pay 50,000 to go thru their 2weeks training. thay are not guaranteeing any job even after d 50k but u will get a certificate for goin thru the 2weeks thing.
wat do u guys think bout this?

HMMM
WELL MAYBE I SHUD THINK ALOUD HERE!
FIRSTLY IF DRAGNET HAS COME TO HELP GRADUATES GET JOBS !
THAT IS OK BUT THE WAY THEY HAVE DECIDED TO GO ABOUT IT IS THE PROBLEM
I THINK DRAGNET SHUD HAVE STARTED OUT BY DOING THIS RECRUITMENT FOR
NIGERIANS FREE FOR ABOUT A YEAR OR SIX MONTHS SO YU GET A LOT OF TESTIMONIES FROM PEOPLE AND IT WOULD BE AUTHENTIC TO GRADUATES !!!!!!

SO WN U START OFF AND U JUST WANT TO COLLECT 7,500 FROM GRADUATES WHO HAVE TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES WO DONT GET CASH FROM ANYONE (EXCEPT FOR THE BABES) E NO GO WORK, THAT IS WHY THERE IS SO MUCH DOUBT

WELL I THINK IF U GUYS WANT TO DO WAT U R DOING U THINK U R DOING URSELVES A FAVOUR COS WE CAN EQUALLY GO TO THOSE COMPANIES AND DROP OUR CV'S OR SEND IT ONLINE TO THEM AND THEY WOULD SEE IT AND WHENEVER THERE IS VACANCY THEY LET US KNOW OR THEY PUT IT ON THE PAPER , ON THEIR WEBSITE OR ANNOUNCE IT ON TV OR RADIO

SO MR DRAGNET ALL THIS UR TALK NO GO HOLD WATER !!!!!

AND JUST COS HE GAVE SOMEONE A FREE INV SOME OF U R FALLING , U GUYS ARE SO CHEAP!

MY PEOPLE , WE ARE SMART PEOPLE HERE SO DRAGNET SHUD DO THIER RECRUITMENT FOR ONE YR FREE LETS SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE THET ABLE TO PUTIN COMPANIES THEY WANT TO GET INTO, AFTER ALL WE HAVE VERY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE IN NAIRALAND THAT WILL PASS THRU THE TEST OF TOP CLASS COMPANIES SO LETS SEE THAT HAPPEN

SO MUCH FOR THE TALK !

HOPE NO NAIRALANDER FALL PREY O , GO AND DROP UR CV UR SELF OR DO THAT ONLINE UR SEF AND NETWORK

DIPPY and FRANKOKO:

You comments are linked, and thanks for sharing them.

I hope that with time, young Nigeirans, not just Nairalanders, would see that Dragnet HAS come to help both Graduates and Employer, and with time, each group would think they benefit more than the other.

It can't be done for free and to have offered it for free at the start, only to later introduce a fee, would have been in my opinion, rather misleading. Besides, no company gives anyone a product or service for free for a year. It is what it is, and it comes at a cost.
That said however, we are here to help Graduates and we are fully aware of the spending power of young graduates, hence we set the price as low as it can go, and furthermore we have approached, and are in talks with, a few of the major corporates that support the concept, asking them to offer Dragnet grants by paying on behalf of you (not just Nairalanders but young grads in general). Will keep you posted on this.

DIPPY:

The purpose of paying for 2 people is so that as a House we can send out our own, to go and be witnesses, and report honestly to the house.

HOUSE:

I think I have done a fair job in this forum, of attempting to explain the reason Dragnet charges. I have further gone on to give you an idea of the benefits of going our way. Then eventually, came the issue of if we were real or a fraud, and there I tried to suggest ways you could use to verify this. Now, I ask the house to wish us goodluck. Dragnet is a new company that has so quickly been embraced by the blue chips. It is run by young determined Nigerians like you, and destined with your prayers and our performance, for national, continental and global recognition.

@ ALL
The Nigerian society is one beset with unparalleled fraud, and corruption that transcends ay higher than the heavens, so in this light i will not blame anyone that is extremely skeptical about this whole Dragnet, workforce , peopleprime affair. I was once taken on a carousel ride by people prime and after which i vowed never to fall into such a bad case anymore in my life. Infact after that incidence i have lost the desire to work for anyman, if thats what i will have to go through to get a job then too bad, i think i can start mine.
But without sounding prejudicial, maybe Mr. DRAGNET should bring forward succesful applicants who are not gainfully employed thanks to them, that will do a great good to his cause
Otherwise i will still advice everyone to sit still like Etteh

hi dragnet,i am really impressed with your offering me your recruitment exercise for free.in as much as i need a job like every graduate,i will like to concede the chance to dippy or any member of the house.the fact that i initiated the topic doesnt imply that compulsorily i must enjoy the dividends, choose a member from the house but not me! thanks.

Its not the issue of money, but the authencity of it . how are you sure after paying the money you will be given the opportunity even to be interviewed. i am even taking statistics assuming 20 of us can afford the money that is =N=150,000 yet there is no how they can give the 20 of us job, considering the scarcity of job in the country. after taking in that amount they will wait for about three month then advertise again. when u ask for their address they will not give you its only a/c no u will have.
my opinion is that if its true they shd get the job, when u get the job then u can give them the 7,500 or any percentage u both agree upon.