I promised you scam protection and here it is. This post will be quick and to the point though. I don’t like speaking negatively about anyone professionally, but I feel strongly enough about this trend to alert my readers. There are now at least two large job boards conducting predatory business practices that, in my opinion, are not always in the best interest of job seekers.
Much has been written online about resume critiques from The Ladders, and now JobFox seems to be running in the same circles. These boards engage in the practice of sending out a free critique that rips your resume to shreds as part of their strategy to sell their resume writing services. The problem is these write-ups are not assessing your resume. It has been documented repeatedly online that they are form-generated with generic comments that may not even apply to the specifics of your document (i.e., “too many bullets” and you only have three or “you don’t quantify your accomplishments well enough” while your bullets are loaded with #s and %s). A Ladders critique is posted here in full. Look familiar?
I wouldn’t want you to take just my word on the matter. Google “Ladders scam” or “Ladders rip-off” or click through to the following posts on leading blogs in the industry for their take on the situation:
- Jason Alba has an excellent post on the topic from earlier this year. (The comments section speaks for itself.)
- Nick Corcodilos of Ask the Headhunter discusses it several times on his blog and here in his newsletter.
- 3rd party reviews of JobFox here on JobBoardReviews.com.
Moral of the story?
Use aggregate and niche job boards for job postings, but for advice on your resume, work directly with a certified resume writer. Speak with writers who belong to one or more of the industry’s leading associations (including Career Directors International or Career Management Alliance). Review those writers’ websites and blogs, identify several whose marketing material “speaks to you,” and then call those on your short list to see which one is the best fit. I shared five tips for hiring a writer in this post from last year.