It seems like every client or potential client is being sold to buy some secret ingredient to short cut their difficult search. It does bother me that these services claim a short cut to success in finding meaningful employment. As an 18+ career services veteran I have viewed and overviewed hundreds of these services it seems, their claims and their methodologies. We have never promised someone a job or x amount of income. These services should not either. The good ones offer one piece of a what should be a multi-pronged approach when it comes to career search.
We promise to do what we say we will do in our contract and agreed upon terms. We often and always strive to do more than people expect. That’s our goal. We have never made wild claims but remain hopeful and positive about the good things that come from foundational elements to a strong, multi-faceted and often multi-month search strategy.
One strategy that has been utilized by savvy, career services veterans focuses on targeted distribution of resumes. But no career services professional or career coach would ever suggest that you blindly and only send any old resume out to recruiters. Search is a planned event. One method among probably hundreds that we use remains selected, targeted or hand picked resume distribution. These distribution services can offer one aspect of this strategy. Furthermore, don’t think that your labor is not required in a high level job search. It is. No one can do it for you if you are not involved and following up with recruiters and others.