Career Services -- value for money?

tgon

I've been out of work for a few months following redundancy. No luck securing anything yet in spite of endless searching and applying. However, I've been considering a career service provider who will rewrite my CV "to give it focus", distribute it to "the hidden jobs market" and "guarantee" me interviews (therefore a greater chance of success). All for the princely sum of £399.

With the general doom and gloom about and lack of success through my efforts so far, I'm at a point where such notion is being considered and wondered if anyone has used this type of service, has it been a success for you [because of it] and if it was value for money. Thanks.

tinkerbell84

never pay for advice like that

bunny999

complete rip off - don't do it

love_lifer

theres usually free adult careers advice around-ask ur local council if they know of any? i'd always try this route 1st. and cvs are pretty easy to get advice on for free

poker_face

tgon wrote: »

I've been out of work for a few months following redundancy. No luck securing anything yet in spite of endless searching and applying. However, I've been considering a career service provider who will rewrite my CV "to give it focus", distribute it to "the hidden jobs market" and "guarantee" me interviews (therefore a greater chance of success). All for the princely sum of £399.

With the general doom and gloom about and lack of success through my efforts so far, I'm at a point where such notion is being considered and wondered if anyone has used this type of service, has it been a success for you [because of it] and if it was value for money. Thanks.

Complete waste of money! They cannot "guarantee" you a job at the end of the day. There are plenty of places that can give you free and probably more honest advice.

mymatebob

There are various sites (such as Monster) which allow you to create an online CV and post it for people to see, you can sign up for regular job alerts. All for free.
Mind you once your details are on there you will be contacted by even more of these companies offering the "hidden job market" nonsense.
Do not accept their kind offers - not worth it at all.

flutterbyuk25

Did you go to uni?

If so you can use your uni's (or your local uni if you now live elsewhere) career service for free.

they will have a look at your CV and give you pointers.

x

DCFC79

You can save yourself money and do it all yourself

tgon

Thanks for all good advice and opinion. I guess I'm at the stage in this rotten process that's ripe for an easy rub. I don't think I lack effort or have a poor CV and think its largely poor scope for opportunity more than direction or grammar. The market's very tough in my region but will push on now that my glass of optimism is half full again.

SomeBozo

I've been considering a career service provider who will rewrite my CV "to give it focus", distribute it to "the hidden jobs market" and "guarantee" me interviews (therefore a greater chance of success). All for the princely sum of £399.

The company I own and run offer this service, but only to certain types of a applicants, and we never tout for service, we tend to approach candidates who we know jobs exist for.

Then we charge the company we "introduce" them to, never the applicant.

So, i would never tell a private citizen to pay anyone for CV help or introduction.

Bozo

tgon

SomeBozo, thanks for your honesty and integrity in this matter. You describe how I had imagined it should work as a total solution for all to benefit. The service was not touted as I responded to their email for a free, no obligation CV appraisal, thinking that perhaps after 3 months searching my CV was simply not working for me.

There are so many questions about job seeking and, not wishing to appear pretentious, at my career level executive jobs are often marketed by "secret doors" or spoof jobs that don't exist in spite of EAS adverising regulations to the contrary.

The company I had been talking to clearly impled my fruitless search and aimless CV combined with the insignificance of me in a market filled with "millions of CV's" and processes that means mine, with their help, will be like the lucky salmon who reaches spawning grounds! (terrible analogy - sorry)