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News Release
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By Julie Flaherty
If you are thinking of hiring someone to help with your job search, consider these suggestions from consumer groups and employment experts:
- Pinpoint the help you need. If you are changing careers or are unfamiliar with a job market, a coach or consultant may help create a search strategy. Many charge by the hour, however, so if you just need to brush up on interviewing skills or r�sum� writing, you may turn to the Internet, to books or to a lower-cost service. Tips for selecting employment services are available through the Web site of the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org/library/employ.asp.
- Research the job-search company. To screen for complaints as well as for qualifications, search the Internet for the company name along with its top executives. Web sites like Ripoffreport.com, scamwatch .com and execcareer.com have information about various job-search companies. The local Better Business Bureaus also keep track of consumer complaints against these companies.
- Ask for references. Be wary if a job-search company refuses to give out references because of "client confidentiality." Try to check out the references themselves. R. J. Porter, the immediate past president of the International Association of Career Consulting Firms in Pittsburgh, said some disreputable firms provide phone numbers of "satisfied clients" that ring on a separate telephone in the firm's office.
- Check credentials. A professional organization that sets standards for individual job consultants is the International Board for Career Management Certification, and a group that sets standards for academic programs that train counselors is the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. If the person selling you the service is not the person who will be your consultant during the job search, ask to meet that person.
- Get everything in writing. Make sure that all that is promised is in the contract. Address any discrepancies between spoken promises and written agreements. If the company says it has personal contact with hiring managers, ask for names and phone numbers.
- Scrutinize money-back guarantees. Some contracts stipulate timetables for clients to submit progress reports and other paperwork to get a refund.
- Take your time. Take the contract home and read it carefully. A company's insistence that you sign on the spot should raise a red flag. Be suspicious if a sales representative seems more concerned about money (and asks you about your credit status, for example) than what you want in a job.
- Be alert for too much praise or criticism. Sales representatives use both of these strategies to force a deal: "With your credentials we should have you employed in a week" or "Your r�sum� is a mess, and you'll never find a job without us."
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