But caution is in order. Since about 1980 or before, there have been occasional news stories on a national scale about crack downs on unscrupulous employment agencies and career consultants.
In any profession, of course, you will find con artists who prey on the unsuspecting for the sole purpose of bilking them out of their money. Whether it's a quack who offers a cancer cure, or a "career consultant" who promises to find a job for someone, charlatans will always pounce on people looking for an easy way out and willing to spend lots of money to get it.
In the cases recounted in the news, so-called placement firms took money from their victims - sometimes as much as $6,000 or more-promising to find jobs for these people. Shoddy resumes and outdated lists of corporate contacts were about all most of these firms could offer How can you protect yourself? Primarily by being aware of the many danger signals disreputable firms send out and knowing what to look for in a reputable firm.
First realize that there is no easy way to make a career move. It requires a lot of hard work; hard work theory you can do. Someone who implies that it will be easy or that they can do it for you should be severely questioned.
Next, if someone implies or claims to have access to the "hidden job market," turn tail and run. Yes, indeed, there is a hidden job market. Eighty percent to ninety percent of all jobs are filled without ever being advertised or listed with agencies. An expert career consultant can show you how to tap into that mar ket and uncover those jobs, but there's nobody who has access to very many of them.
Now, if you determine that you need professional help with your career (other than the help available from an employment agency and search firm, which will match your background to available openings), recognize that there are basically four types of career consulting services.
First is the type which focuses on the practicalities of inter viewing techniques and writing resumes, but offers no or little help in the areas of reassessment, planning, and career choice.
Secondly, there seems to be a fairly large number of counselors and counseling psychologists who have endeavored to expand their practices by offering "career counseling." There are many good counselors who can help people deal with the trauma of recent career experiences, but it is the rare one who can help an individual with an assessment of personal "marketability," provide the support and direction for a valid career choice, and give in-depth instruction on professionalism in business, career and job interview communication techniques.
Thirdly, there are firms which seem to restrict their activities to two areas: Career reassessment (for example, examining recur ring job difficulties) and obtaining the next job (with emphasis on the practicalities of job interview techniques and resumes). To me, this is something of a "modified placement" firm, because so many of their clients end up with the same kind of job they had before -just a different setting.
A fairly recent client of mine worked with a local career consulting firm (now out of business) in the early '80s. He approached the firm with the intention of changing his career field. For a hefty fee, they "helped" him realize that the field was not his problem, but simply the firm he was involved with. In about three weeks' time, he took a position in another firm in the same field. About five years later, he came to us and finally got his wish: After many weeks and lots of work on both his part and our part, he changed to a different field,
Lastly, there is the full-service firm, which combines the offerings mentioned above, but takes a step fiirther by helping the individual examine his or her real talents and needs, and make decisions about career direction, and by teaching professional methods of penetrating the marketplace. The core issue for such consultants is helping the individual make a valid decision about his or her career ftiture. The procedure first leads up to that decision (personal reassessment, professional planning), then it deals with the decision (examining the market, considering options), and finally follows upon the decision (developing complete professionalism in market penetration),
As in everything else, it is important to realize that if you are dealing with honest professionals, you generally get what you pay for. Professional practitioners will charge within the local bound aries for hourly professional rates. If you want to be coached to handle a scheduled job interview, it can probably be done in two to ten hours, depending on the nature of the interview and the job If you want therapy for recent (or long-term) traumatic career experiences, you may well be charged on an hourly basis for as long as you and your counselor determine is necessary. The more expert career counselor can command a higher rate. The more complete and supportive the service, the more hours involved.
Pay close attention to the degree to which the firm insists on individual responsibility. The more a firm promises to do your work for you, the less legitimate it is likely to be. Just as a doctor cannot "cure" you if you refuse to take your medicine, neither can a career consultant help you if you refuse to take charge of your own actions in a professional way.
Just as with most things, it's a matter of "buyer beware." But given the major role your career plays in your life, this is an area to which you should devote special concern.
