Companies involved in job hunting
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From the HPAlumnipedia (www.hpalumnipedia.com) on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 07:10 • Page last modified: 12/10/2007
HPAlumnipedia > Career > Companies involved in job hunting
For current discussions, go to: HPAA Career Forum
Curt Gowan, April 2007
HPAA members report that paying someone by the hour specifically to coach you and help you with your resume can be money very well spent – but you should never pay anyone thousands of dollars in advance to get you a job.
What's the difference between career marketing companies, headhunters, employment agencies, temporary help services, executive counseling services, and job listing services?
Here are articles that members have suggested on how to evaluate the various companies involved in job hunting. It includes URLs for articles from the Wall Street Journal and other sources.
Contents |
"Types of Employment Service Firms"
"When you're looking for help in finding a job, it's important to understand the differences among employment services. Many terms, such as employment agency, personnel placement service, executive search firm, or executive counseling service are used interchangeably. Find out what services a firm offers, how much the services cost, and who pays. If you're required to pay the fee, find out what you'll owe if the employment service fails to find you a job or any leads.
"Six basic types of service companies/agencies offer consumers help in finding a job. They include: public employment services; employment agencies; executive search services; temporary help services; executive counseling services; and job listing services...."
--Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/jobsffc.shtm
"How Career-Marketing Firms Betray Unwary Candidates"
"Should you sign on with a career-placement service that says it can introduce you, for a four-figure fee or more, to top executives and help you find unadvertised jobs? Job seekers who post their resumes on the Internet often receive such tantalizing offers by e-mail...
"When he used the firm's letter of introduction to send over 50 letters of his own, 'all I got back was one e-mail saying they didn't accept unsolicited resumes...'
"...they could bypass the personnel departments of employers when they could not and that they had access to the 'hidden job market,' which they did not.. running solicitations disguised as job openings in newspapers, calling prospects whose resumes they found on the Internet for a 'job interview,' which was in fact a sales representation... representing that ...research was exclusive and proprietary, when it wasn't..."
--Barbara Mende, Wall Street Journal http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/strategies/20021015-mende.html
"A Rare Look Inside A Career-Marketing Firm"
"A former career counselor offered to give us a rare glimpse into the inside practices at one such firm...
"...some clients seemed to expect access to a special network of insiders in companies or to unadvertised jobs... When I first asked a salesperson what was said, I was reprimanded...
"The average working adult is never more vulnerable than when they have lost a job... a primary source of identity... often their job and workplace is a source of emotional support... Without a job and steady income, the things we take for granted come into question and jeopardy. Fear can run rampant..."
"You can always hire a professional on an hourly basis rather than having to pay a large fee in advance...
"...when clients threatened serious legal action... the client would have to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would effectively hush the matter and protect the company from future negative publicity...
"...my employer managed to get all customer complaints to the BBB sent to the office in the city where the headquarters was located. That way, complaints about some offices were never registered with that city's BBB..."
--Perri Capell, Wall Street Journal http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/strategies/20040601-capell.html
"Career Counselors Are Not Headhunters"
"...A headhunter is retained and paid by an employer to fill a position. He earns a fee for actually putting a person and a job together. He's an expert in the industry he hunts in, and he actually has access to open jobs. However, he doesn't work for you; he works for the employer. So, don't expect his attention unless you fit the parameters of a search he's conducting...
"A legitimate counselor will charge you as you go, by the hour...
"If career counselors don't deliver jobs, why do people hire them? Because most counselors deliver two things a desperate job hunter needs: (a) a sense that you're 'doing something' (paying them) to win a job, and (b) a good swift kick every day to get you out to start 'looking'. With a little help, you can do this for yourself and you can do it better...
"The legitimate reason to hire a career counselor is because you need help with career issues (e.g., issues regarding your motivation, discouragement, long-term goals, inter-personal matters, and so on) rather than with the job search process itself. This requires an expert, probably a psychologist with a specialization in career counseling... "
--Nick Corcodilos http://www.asktheheadhunter.com/hacounselors.htm
Read the company's website carefully
Remember that what the salesperson says is not a legal contract.
Read the website and sales literature to see what they are willing to commit to on paper.
For example, careful reading of one career marketing company's website tells you that what they really do is carpet bomb a giant mailing list with copies of your resume.
One red flag is if there is no street address anywhere on the site. If there is a street address, google it to see if it is a UPS Store or whatever mail drop.
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