Someone in your corner

JOB SEEKER
BRIAN BRUGGEMAN, software engineer
Used a Recruiter
Laid off and unemployed for the first time in a decade, Bruggeman’s wish list was simple. “I wanted a job. Any job.” To speed the process along, Bruggeman, 34, of Buena Park, turned to a headhunter recommended by his former boss. Like most recruiters, the service was free to the job hunter (companies pay the headhunter a percentage of the employee’s salary upon hire).

“[The headhunter] looked at my résumé and…really tried to sell me on this one job, saying we’d first have to completely revise my résumé,” Bruggeman recalls. After two months, multiple résumé tweaks and a phone interview, Bruggeman interviewed in person—only to learn the project had been put on hold. The recruiter advised he wait.

Frustrated he wasn’t being shopped around, Bruggeman dumped the headhunter. “When he’d call me, it wasn’t to talk about my position—it was to see if I knew anyone he could match up with other positions he was trying to fill,” Bruggeman says. “I still get calls from him. It’s crazy.”

Now happily employed at a Loop-based firm, Bruggeman doesn’t regret his headhunting dalliance. “I learned a lot, and my résumé’s much stronger now,” he says. “You can’t be complacent and just sit back. It’s better to have multiple headhunters because, frankly, you’re working for yourself.”

The expert’s take Recruiter Wendy Unsworth, owner of Wendosity Partners, says while it’s not unusual to go a few weeks without hearing from your headhunter, you should follow up every three to four weeks. “Don’t always rely on e-mails—pick up the phone,” she advises, adding that recruiters are busy working with a sea of job seekers. Unsworth also cautions against dismissing those pesky calls asking for referrals. “In most cases, referrals are the number one source of a hire,” she says. And in this market, can you really afford to scoff at the concept of job karma? —AB

JOB SEEKER
LAUREN MCEWEN, catering sales coordinator
Used a Life coach
“I’ve always said I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I grew up—that I needed someone to just tell me,” jokes former sales rep McEwen, 27, of Wauconda. After a friend recommended life coaching, McEwen researched half a dozen coaches, interviewed three and finally chose a person she felt an instant connection with.

Although she expected to talk strictly about her career in the one-hour sessions, McEwen found the experience benefited all areas of her life. Unemployed, engaged and about to become a stepmother, McEwen found her whole identity changing. “Going from being solely independent to being unemployed and living in the suburbs with my fiancé, I found there were other areas of my life [besides career] that needed improvement or change.”

Her coach helped McEwen work through exercises like rating her satisfaction in different areas of her life, developing a list of her values and learning to overcome doubt. “Putting my desires into words solidified them, and that was a step toward attaining them,” McEwen says.

Her coach negotiated a rate she could afford: $100 per month (three one-hour phone sessions, with e-mail and phone support in between), increased to $150 once the coach completed all of her certifications (the industry standard is $300 per month).

By the end of almost eight months of coaching, McEwen had accepted a new sales coordinator position, as well as her new life. “She gave me the tools to [find a path] on my own,” McEwen says. “But it really does require you…to put in the time and effort.”

The expert’s take “What made [McEwen’s] experience so successful was her great connection with her coach,” says Anne Kellogg Reed, owner of Bicycle Life Coaching. However, she warns, there are no legal regulations on the still-evolving industry, “so it’s really up to the individual to do their homework” when researching a coach.

For skeptics of phone-only coaching, Reed explains, “It can be really effective because you’re in your own space, so there’s a balance of anonymity and a willingness to make yourself vulnerable.” —AB

JOB SEEKER
JENNIFER BENNETT, attorney
Used a Career coach
A full-time attorney, Bennett, 32, of North Center, had dreamed of opening her own law practice, but the idea seemed overwhelming until she hooked up with a career coach last December. “I had been making some efforts on my own and not getting too far,” she says. “I thought [coaching] might help me to prioritize and decide what direction to take.”

Bennett took advantage of the free introductory session many coaches offer before choosing her coach, who gave Bennett a “good vibe.”

During weekly, one-hour phone sessions with her coach, Bennett worked to develop the confidence and business skills that would help her create a law practice. She also focused on goal setting and long-term planning. Twelve sessions set her back about $1,000, with subsequent four-session packages costing $360, but Bennett says it was money well spent.

“It’s awesome having a coach on your side,” she says. “It’s someone rooting for you, holding you accountable, someone to bounce ideas off of and provide new ways of figuring out how you could accomplish your goals.”

Although still working her day job, Bennett opened her own part-time law practice in January. “I’ve taken huge strides and made things happen that I couldn’t have without [my coach],” she says. “It’s a luxury [to hire a career coach], but it’s so worth it.”

The expert’s take Career coach and certified job loss recovery coach Jill MacFadyen says although Bennett made substantial progress, “the seeds planted during coaching often take time to show results.” She also recommends doing a free sample session with at least three coaches before choosing one.

In addition to goal setting, MacFadyen says career coaches and counselors can help with résumé writing, job-search techniques, networking, interviewing and salary negotiation. In the past, some job seekers have been disappointed to learn coaches don’t go out and find jobs for clients—a common misconception, MacFadyen says. Rather, “The career coach takes the client from where he is to where he wants to be—or helps him figure out where that might be.” —AB

JOB SEEKER
ANNA, quality-control manager
Used a Résumé writer
Anna (last name and age withheld) thought she was on her way to a better job when she forked over more than $5,500 to a premier résumé-writing and job-search agency she found online in January. She e-mailed the company her résumé and filled out a short questionnaire about her biggest accomplishments. A few weeks later, the company sent her a condensed “quick response” résumé that includes space for a handwritten note to employers and a lengthier one-pager. The company also wrote a cover letter for her and two letters she could use to follow up on a job lead and gave her access to a database where she could look up recent mergers and acquisitions. Considering how much cash she doled out, Anna wasn’t impressed with the results.

“I thought I would be employed by now, but I haven’t gotten anything,” she says. “Recruiters just sent [the quick response résumé] back because they said it didn’t have enough information.”

The expert’s take “There’s no such thing as a ‘quick response’ résumé,” says Steven Provenzano, a certified professional résumé writer (CPRW) and president of ExeCareers in Streamwood. “Most professionals with more than ten years of experience need two pages [for their résumé].”

Provenzano adds that job seekers should work only with certified résumé writers, most of whom work independently, and avoid large-scale résumé-writing firms. “Clients should also get free direct feedback [about their résumé] from the writer, not a salesperson, on the phone,” he says. “If [the client] proceeds, the interview should be anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes [by phone], with the goal being to bring out skills the client didn’t know they had.”

A résumé shouldn’t cost you your firstborn, either. Clients typically pay $200–$500, depending on the length and depth of the interview, and they can expect to work with the writer once a first draft is complete in order to perfect it.

“This is a personal document, so you need someone who is willing to ask you personal questions and dig,” he says. “That’s the benefit of hiring someone to do it.” —CC

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