Recruitingmaven.com

With the number of job boards available to job seekers why would you pay for a site that claims to offer “exclusivity”?

I was conducting a little bit of research on some sites that offer resume reviews; The Ladders popped up several times.  So I decided to research their site.  The Ladders site claims that you will secure a $100k job by utilizing their site.  I’m telling you now, you should beware of The Ladders.   The site states that they will screen every job and every Recruiter to make sure it’s a legit posting.  (Really?  I haven’t received a call from them yet and  I have hired a few folks making over that.)  So the site says in order to enjoy their benefits you must sign up and select a membership package.  Here they are:

BASIC MEMBERSHIP (Free)
Search for $100K+ jobs to see what’s available in your field.

So for the “free” membership you get to see what’s available.  Really you just get to see it?  Do you get to apply to these positions?  Looks like that is a no unless you are a paying member.

PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP ($35 for 1 month, $75 for 3 months)
Apply to over 58,307 hand-screened $100K+ jobs and receive a complimentary resume critique.

The “premium” membership states that you get to apply to 58,307 hand-screened $100K + jobs and you get a resume critique.  This is what I found when I did a search on The Ladders Scam regarding their resume critique:

This is from a post from JibberJobber- “Here’s the situation: You send a resume to The Ladders for their free critique.  Then you get back a letter telling you what all the problems with your resume is, and for a fee they will get you a new one.  Last I remember the fee is around $700.  Remember, we are usually talking about resumes for executives.

The biggest red flag I’ve read is that the critiques are form letters.  They will even critique their own, The Ladders generated, resumes!  It’s a simple process that a salesperson goes through to make a sale, not a real resume critique that a professional resume writer would give.

In other words, it seems they hardly even look at the resume… they just get you back a scary letter saying how bad your resume sucks, and that they can make it shine like new.  Scare tactics.  I’m sure it’s done well for them.”

JibberJobber even shares a copy of the form letters that were received for the resume review and honestly it’s sounds a little scary and intimidating.  If I were a job seeker, possibly unemployed or have been searching for quite a while possibly feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed this would just make me feel worse.

Nick Corcodilos (love his name) from Ask The Headhunter has written several posts on The Ladders scam, he truly believes the whole system is a scam; I agree.

It seems that The Ladders hasn’t been honest about their actual postings too.  This article again by Ask the Headhunter discusses how they “qualify” positions and candidates.

I believe that if you are seeking a new position whether it’s $100K or not, it’s wise to steer clear from The Ladders.  Keep your money and utilize traditional job boards even if they are not my favorite or best return when it comes to posting positions.  As far as resume review go, there are very many credible sites out there to assist with resume review or resume writing for fractions of the cost of the Ladders membership. And really you should go with a certified resume writing professional if you are going to invest any money on a professional resume.

The whole site seems like a fraud, and honestly sites like this should be shut down.

“If you hate your job, either change your job or change your attitude about the job. One or the other.” — John-Roger

I love my job.  It’s not really a job to me.  I’m a Recruiter and my passion is meeting new people, networking, interviewing and seeing them start in a position that will hopefully lead to a successful career.

It’s important to “Do What You Love”! Why?  Because you spend a majority of your day at work and if you are not doing something you like it can make for a very long and exhaustive work life.  Nothing is worse than getting up in the morning and saying “It’s time to make the donuts!” because you truly hate making donuts and that’s what you are doing.

I have a friend that was laid off recently from her company.  She kept thinking that she had to find another job like the one she had at said company.  Guess what?  She hated what she did.  So she saw the lay off as an opportunity to learn about other occupations and careers that might be more interesting and truly fulfilling.  Some might involve having a specific education (but who says you can’t go back to school) or experience, so start at the bottom and move up if it sounds interesting to you.

I sort of fell into Recruiting many years ago and honestly it was a fall that couldn’t have been better.  It suited me.  So my advice again is do what you love!