Dear Matt: Catherine Byers Breet's advice is spot on (Ask Matt, "I've had one job offer, but I might get another one", Feb. 24; www.startribune.com/jobs/193038491.html). I was actually offered three jobs last week, accepted the one that I had to have the interview moved up from Friday to Wednesday for, all while delaying my final decision on the other two offers until Friday. Now, I'm excited to start my new job!
Matt says: It's always nice to hear success stories from readers like this. I hear from so many job seekers who are struggling in their search, and it's often because they are not being proactive and taking charge of their careers. They do the same thing, keep the same routine, getting nowhere and blaming everyone but themselves.
I still remember an article in which I listed four Twin Cities career coaches who all offered free 15- to 30-minute career coaching consultations over the phone. Combined that could equal two hours of career advice — for free! What a great opportunity, right? Well, I know that over 2,000 people read that article and not one called those career coaches listed. One of them was Byers Breet.
"Speaking with recruitment professionals or career coaches can help you avoid the blind spots that most job seekers aren't aware of," said Byers Breet. "When you get an hour of my time, you're not just getting an hour of my time, you're getting 15 years of experience from someone who has read thousands of résumés, conducted hundreds of interviews and helped job seekers uncover those hidden barriers holding them back."
And while it does eventually cost money to work with career coaches like Byers Breet, the long-term results are more than worth it. Here's more proof: Byers Breet recently had a client who paid the $200 to purchase her Job Hunt Workshop program (jobhuntworkshop.com). She coached the client through the negotiating portion of the program — and guess what happened? This job seeker was confident enough that she negotiated $8,000 more per year for herself using the coaching strategy Byers Breet offered. This woman was also unemployed, and people told her she was crazy to not just take the job at the original offer and be happy she got a job.
Now, isn't that small investment in a professional's advice worth it?
Your job search is an investment — an investment in your future success, earnings, happiness and growth. Every week this column provides advice geared toward job seekers of all experiences, backgrounds and skills. Use those tips from these experts and apply them to your job search, just like this reader did, and hopefully soon you will be another success story — proof this advice does work!
