Has anyone used a paid career service to successfully land a new job?

14 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 26,2024 at 3:50PM UTC

   Are they career coaches or a recruiting agency? I would never pay a recruiter, as the reputable ones get paid by the companies rather than the recruited person. What they say they can do, you can do yourself through several free or inexpensive tools. If you are shelling out that kind of money, make sure they offer some guarantee that their "system" will work (a job within six months or they refund the resume review fee, for example).

   Career coaches will help you present yourself in your chosen career and verify that you have the appropriate credentials for the jobs you apply for, but generally don't connect you with a network, do the "recruiting" tasks, or take a back-end commission. I'm guessing the videos are staged, so it should be a hard pass unless you can verify they work at the company they say they do (if they even say it). Please don't waste your money.

2. rgstaffing@bellsouth.netAugust 26,2024 at 4:15PM UTC

   It depends on what your position is. Are you a CEO?

3. AnonymousAugust 26,2024 at 4:53PM UTC

   Run.

   $1k up front and 6% of your salary sounds like a scam. And the fact that they couldn't put you directly in touch with references sounds shady.

   I came across a similar agency when I started my job search. I didn't see any value other than they would do all the busy work I could have done myself. I've also found that by doing my search and reaching out to people on LinkedIn, I stumbled upon learnings and people that I don't think I would have otherwise.

   For the same or less money, you could hire someone to help with your resume or a career coach who could work with you to realize your strengths and give you the tools to position yourself for success.

4. AnonymousAugust 27,2024 at 4:24PM UTC

   OP here, your comment of "could have done myself" resonated with me, it's exactly what I was thinking when on the call. It wasn't clear what they were offering that I couldn't do myself (assuming I was willing to invest the time to do all of the networking, etc. Perhaps that's where they come in, doing some of the legwork). I appreciate your insights!

5. AnonymousAugust 26,2024 at 5:06PM UTC

   That sounds steep.

6. AnonymousAugust 26,2024 at 7:57PM UTC

   Sounds like a scam

7. AnonymousAugust 27,2024 at 1:31PM UTC

   Is the $1000 refunded if they don’t get you a job in a certain amount

   of time? Is there any sort of criteria you have to pass in order for them to take you on as a client? It sounds like heaps of money for the prospective employee to pay. Do they charge prospective employers as well? Interesting business model! Why didn’t I think of this?

8. AnonymousAugust 27,2024 at 4:10PM UTC

   OP here, and you were thinking what I was thinking. No refund, and supposedly they do have criteria for taking on new clients, but that criteria isn't shared publicly, so no idea how true that really is. They do not charge prospective employers, because they don't market clients directly.

9. AnonymousAugust 27,2024 at 4:10PM UTC

   Thank you, this is helpful!

10. AnonymousAugust 28,2024 at 2:31PM UTC

    I also got courted by Pathrise, and after the free trial, I opted not to pursue it. Their job search strategy for me was to apply to at least 20 jobs every week, and I told them that I don’t think I can do that volume EVERY week, though I have hit it or passed it *some* weeks (and I’m pretty sure this is going to be one of them). My field is not that niche, but certain roles require certain *types* of experience, or offer less pay, or require travel, etc., so I don’t just apply to everything willy-nilly. That’s when it occurred to me that the ridiculous volume was designed to get me hired quicker. They didn’t care about me being in a role that I loved at a company that aligned with my core values. They just wanted me to get a job ASAP. The quicker I got hired, the sooner they started getting paid, and the less time and money they had to invest to get me there.

11. Jennifer TaylorAugust 29,2024 at 1:57PM UTC

    They want part of your first-year salary? That doesn't sound right. All that they are offering, you can easily do yourself if you designate a few hours each night.

    When I was in the thick of the job search, I connected with hundreds of recruiters and managers in my target industry with companies I was most interested.

    I read everything I could on resumes and how to rework mine myself. I learned how to optimize my LinkedIn profile for the most views. I posted at least once a day, and commented and shared others posts. It's all about the algorithm.

12. AnonymousAugust 30,2024 at 1:09PM UTC

    They give you access to their website with an application tracking tool and email lookup, templates to help with your job search, webinars and a couple one-on-ones with professionals (people in your profession, resume writers, job search strategists, etc.), and it’s spread out over, if I remember correctly, a two-week free trial. If your aim is to get a foot in the door at a FAANG and you have no connection to anyone at your target company, it may be worth it, but you owe them a percentage of your pay monthly until you’ve paid off the cost of the service which, if memory serves, ranges between $6k and $18k. The most expensive tier is full-service—they rewrite your resume, rewrite your LinkedIn profile, and even network and apply to positions on your behalf. I won’t lie—if I had the money to pay for the service outright rather than as a percentage of pay from my new job, I might’ve done it.

13. AnonymousAugust 30,2024 at 1:24PM UTC

    RUN AWAY fast

    NEVER pay for anyone to find you a job. Career counseling and resume review/rewrite is fine, but that should be a flat fee.

    Never give someone 6% of your salary. This is scam preying on desperate people looking for a job. What happens if you lose/quit the job before a year is up. You are still on the hook.

14. AnonymousAugust 30,2024 at 2:52PM UTC

    Never never never never never never never never never never never ever pay to land a job. They are scammers. Genuine placement agencies get paid from the employers who hire you. RUN, WOMAN, RUN!