from Hacker News

Ask HN: Applying for jobs as a service

by edgefield0 on 11/25/20, 12:13 AM with 2 comments

Finding and applying for jobs is super time consuming and tedious. What if there was a service that refined your resume, tailored cover letters, found relevant opportunities, and sent you all the materials on a weekly basis so you could apply for jobs without taking up tremendous amounts of time? The revenue model would be a weekly subscription charge and possibly a small percentage of the salary for a job you land. I realize there are search firms but these typically only cater to senior managers and up. Feedback?

  • by the_resistence on 11/25/20, 5:25 AM

    FWIW, throwaway account, running an agency writing resumes & linkedin profiles, and interview coaching. Now pivoting to serving SMBs and startups with hiring as I am burned out on helping retail...

    For some reason, folks (individual job seekers) think they can do it on their own and there is an incredible amount of price sensitivity there. In my own career spanning 25 years and then running this business for 5 years, I remain shocked at how little calculation people do on the ROI of doing it themselves vs. re: hiring a specialist and the doors it could open. I venture at least a 10x return on the latter based on experience.

    The only pleasure I have found is working with senior people who understand the value of the service and will pay whatever it takes (~500-1000 USD), to be maximally competitive. It's like the old story, you would not do brain surgery on yourself. I am not saying resumes, etc. are extraordinarily difficult. But most people don't know the best practices, can't write well in English, and don't have the proper time to create. Hence, they fail.

    Lastly, it is really hard getting public testimonials even when clients succeed since there is this ridiculous falsehood that everyone carries around. Job seekers must appear to have done it all themselves or the employer will pull offers. Silly but true.

  • by jhoutromundo on 11/25/20, 1:36 AM

    You might find some other companies that do so, but the whole problem is the 'i-need-the-job-to-get-the-money-to-get-the-job'.