Career Coaching
One of the great benefits of being one of the owners of CollegeRecruiter.com is that I am able to speak with both employers and job seekers about the job market and the process of hiring new talent and finding a new job. Yet one of the frustrating aspects is that I am now so aware that so many job seekers make the same mistakes over and over again. For example, probably once a week I hear from a job seeker who is frustrated because they've applied to hundreds of jobs yet can't seem to get hired. When I question why they would continue to do the same thing over and over again when it hasn't brought them success, most basically shrug and say that's the only way that they know to find a job.
Well, they're wrong. No job seeker should be applying to hundreds of jobs. If they are, they haven't properly researched industries, employers within those industries, departments within those employers, and positions within those employers. I understand that many people have never learned how to do such research, and that's why we have a service that helps job seekers learn how to do that research and otherwise manage their careers. See CollegeRecruiter.com Career Consultation Service.
Yes, the process of finding a job is a job. But it is also like running a business. You must identify and properly position your product (you) and you must identify and properly market to your consumer (the employers). All successful businesses invest in the development of their products, and job seekers should be no different. If you earn $35,000 per year, that's about $135 per day. So if having a resume professional written costs you $100, you should do so if you expect that it will help you get hired even one day faster. Don't be afraid to invest in yourself. Instead, be afraid of the job seekers who are competing against you and who have invested in themselves.
A career coach is a very critical step in a person's job search. The coach is the one who can see things the job seeker does not, and is the person who can help with focus. Like a teacher, they can aid in staying on the right track.
A career coach is going to be the one who will ask interesting interview questions (see "Interesting Interview Question" at http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=Entrances&msg=1258.1) that form the bundle of services designed to help the job seeker become a successful career climber.
Viva