Job search services: a shopper’s guide

You may be looking for your first job, re-entering the job market or hoping for a career change — whatever your situation, job searching can be a time consuming, exhausting task. Here are some short cuts to help make the task a little bit easier. We tell you where to find seminars, services and resources that can help you in your search and how to evaluate them before you part with your hard earned cash.

Resume preparation services

If you've had some experience in creating resumes you may not need to seek professional guidance. However, if you're new to the job market, re-entering after a long break, looking to move into a new area or keep missing out on the interview, it may be well worth getting an expert opinion.

You may think that you have such limited work experience that it's not even worth having a resume — wrong. A professional resume writer could find a wealth of experience in jobs that you thought were unrelated to the work force: charity work, football coaching, social committees or school canteen manager. These jobs may have provided you with respected skills that can be related to your employment objectives.

If you're looking for help in preparing your resume you may want to seek the services of a professional resume writer. They offer a range of services varying from full-scale skills assessment and interview preparation to basic word processing. These services are often offered by former human resource manager or careers counsellors, who should know the area thoroughly. Don't be afraid to scrutinise their qualifications and experience and don't be shy about asking for examples.

If you already have your resume prepared, you may just need a secretarial service to help you pull it all together. Expect to pay $20-$40 per hour for basic word processing, and allow two to three hours for full formatting of a resume.

Upside

• The writer assesses your skills and experience during a personal interview.
• The writer may visit you at your home at a convenient time, saving on travel time.
• Offers a quick turnaround.
• Your resume is presented in a professional format, typed, printed and bound for you.
• You can get changes made quickly for specific job applications.

Downside

• Typically, resume preparation might cost: $100-$150 per resume (you get two copies of your resume); $10 for preparation of a cover letter; $50 if you want to own the disk (in addition to above costs). You pay for any changes you want made to the resume
• Tailoring resumes to specific jobs becomes very expensive
• You can't get access to your resume without paying a fee for the disk (and some companies don't offer that service anyway).

Where to find resume writers

• The employment section of a Saturday edition of any metropolitan newspaper. (Look under "Resume Preparation".)
• Under "Careers Counselling" in the Yellow Pages.

Questions to ask before you buy

• What will it cost and what exactly do you provide?
• Is your travelling time included in the cost?
• What experience and qualifications do you have in the field?
• How long have you been doing it?
• Can I see some samples of your work?
• Do you use more than one type of resume format, depending on my skills and circumstances?
• How long does the interview session last?
• Do you offer a job referral service?

How to evaluate the service

• Were the service and costs clearly explained in advance?
• Do you feel comfortable with the writer?
• Did they seek to find out what your needs were before they started writing?
• Did they take their time in the interview session with you?
• Were your true skills and aspirations reflected in the resume?
• Did your resume get you a job interview?

Resume books and resources

Books can be an excellent source of advice, samples and formats when you're creating your own resume. You can work through the information at your own pace. The disadvantage is that there's no personal guidance. You have to decide what advice best suits your situation.

There's lots of options for finding good books and resources. You can find books at your local library, bookshop and second-hand bookshop.

How to evaluate books

These tips will help you decide between the many books available.

• Read the author's biography and or introduction. There are many different opinions about what is the "best" way to prepare a resume. Critically analyse why this author's view is credible and trustworthy. What are the author's qualifications and experience?
• Check to see if the book offers samples that you can copy or adapt.
• Check the first few pages, to see where the book was published. Locally published books will be more in touch with Australian workplace culture. Advice for American job-seekers isn't always effective for Australians.
• If the book was first published two or more years ago, has it been reprinted, or new editions published? Does the book say how many copies have been sold? This indicates how popular the book has been.
• Is the book endorsed or recommended by relevant associations or individuals? Has it won any awards or commendations?

Libraries

Your council-run library is a terrific, free resource. Membership is usually open to anyone — you don't have to live or work in a particular area to be eligible to join. Borrowing books is free; plus audio loans and search and reserve services are often available at no or little cost. Look in the White Pages under the name of your local council to find your nearest library.

Libraries respond to their members' needs and interests, so it's a safe bet you'll find books on looking for work and resume preparation. These books are also likely to be popular. If you can't find them, ask a librarian about how to reserve the books, or to request that the library purchase a particular title.

Borrowing from your local library means you can review a range of professional opinions from different authors. This includes different examples of resumes and cover letters, which you can copy and adapt. On the other hand, libraries often don't have the most up to date edition of a book. Check the publication date. Anything older than four or five years will be less useful.

Where to find the right books

Either go to the Careers Section in the library or type in the following key words into the key word search section of the library's computerised database.

• Jobs
• Resume
• CV
• Career
• Employment
• Interviewing

Bookshops

Bookshops offer up-to-date resources, which detail the latest in techniques and approaches to job-hunting. They will also have Australian books available. Most bookshops will specially order any book you want, usually at no extra cost. This is useful if you've had to return a library book you found very helpful! Don't forget you can order books online too.

On the other hand, buying books can quickly get expensive, particularly if you want to consider more than one opinion or approach. Evaluate the book carefully. Ask your bookseller or friends for recommendations.

Second-hand bookshops

Buying books second-hand is worth considering. You'll save money, but it may take some time on your part. Have a look through more than one shop and be patient. Many second-hand bookshops now have computerised records of books in stock, so don't hesitate to ask the bookseller if you're after a particular book.

Interview preparation services;

Special services for unemployed people

The National Vacancy Database (NVDB) run by Centrelink offers a centralised job search facility for unemployed people. This replaced the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) in May 1998. You can find out information like the job title, description, hours of work, pay rate, start date and number of positions available via a touchscreen. Private job providers can now assist you with preparation of resumes, business cards and career counselling. Brochures at the Centrelink office provide more information or visit the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) website.

Workshops/coaching

The most popular courses of training in this area involve personal presentation and/or interview skills. Personal presentation courses generally covers grooming, deportment, self-esteem, interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Interview skills courses cover those areas too but tend to focus mainly on more detailed aspects, such as preparation, question handling, interview styles, relaxation and salary negotiation.

This section will handle interview skills training specifically, although the information can be applied to personal presentation courses also. Courses are often offered on an individual or group tuition basis.

Upside

• The interview is everything. Any training to assist you in handling the interview with more confidence and power is valuable.
• Thinking on your feet under pressure is a great skill to have and can only be developed with practice.
• It develops transferable skills that you will have at your disposal forever.
• Video playback of your performance can save hours of discussion — you can see your habitual mannerisms and vocal tendencies that could be preventing you from communicating effectively.
• It offers you the chance to gain practical experience in a simulated environment that allows you to mentally rehearse before the actual interview.

Advantages of group tuition include:

• You can learn a lot from watching other people make mistakes.
• It can be a lot of fun and you can make new contacts.
• You can receive group feedback as opposed to one person's feedback.

Advantages of individual tuition include:

• Can focus on specific problems.
• Can be less confronting than a group situation.
• Get more personalised attention and more time.

Downside

• Can be expensive.
• Time-consuming.
• Requires personal commitment and a desire to change habits.
• It can be uncomfortable watching yourself on camera.
• Can be confronting for shy or introverted people.

Where to find them

• "Careers Counselling" section in the Yellow Pages.
• Word of mouth recommendations.

How to evaluate them

• Ring them up and ask for an information pack and, if available, a video of their work to be sent to you.
• Ask to speak to people who have been through the course.
• Ask what the success rate of course graduates.

by Bernadette Schwerdt