Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are you recruiters?”
A: I hate to give a lawyerly answer, but yes and no. We do not generally solicit recruiting cases, but we do serve as recruiters when asked by our “graduates,” people whom we have helped secure new positions. They can come to us to find attorneys and executives for their organizations.
We are also part of a network of affiliated recruiters. We work closely with other recruiting organizations that we know and trust. We are often a source of talent for these outside firms and we can help them identify good candidates.
However, please be aware that recruiters are looking for very specific types of individuals who possess specialized skills. Typically, they are seeking young lawyers from top schools or more senior professionals with portable business. Recruiters seldom, if ever, have opportunities for those who are seeking career changes. This is where our Career Strategies Group can be of assistance.
Q: Do you charge a fee for your services?
A: Yes. We work with individual clients on identification of career options, resume development, and job search coaching and charge a fee for our services. Typically, we provide professional career advisory and job search services on an hourly fee basis. We have a sliding fee scale. Our fees normally run from $295 to $395 per hour or more, depending upon the complexity of the case, the level of the candidate and their income.
Q: What does a typical program cost?
A: There really are no “typical” programs. Some people need just an hour or two of career advice. Others need comprehensive career assessment testing to identify viable options. Still other people only need a resume upgrade.
We are very “menu driven” and will seek to match an individual’s needs and budget with the appropriate services. Our programs will often begin at $1,500 and can range up to $8,500 or more, depending on the number and complexity of the services we provide. We also have excellent, low-cost, facilitated self-help programs starting at $1000. Most of our consulting programs are in the $2495 to $6500 range.
Q: Do you guarantee interviews or jobs?
A: No. Any organization that says it can guarantee someone an interview or a job is lying and is preying on the fears of its clients. We guarantee that we will use all of our knowledge, experience and resources to help you secure interviews, win at the interviews, and secure a job offer.
Q: Will you work with anyone?
A: No. We are not right for everyone, and not everyone is right for us. It takes more than a checkbook and a pulse to be a client here. We have very strict standards about the candidates we will accept into our program. If we feel the candidate does not have the “right stuff” to be successful in a job search or re-careering, we will not accept the case.
Most attorneys know a bad case when one walks in the door. So do we. While we cannot guarantee success, we stack the deck in our favor by only working with people whom we feel can be successful in our process.
Q: Why should I spend money on your services?
A: We are experts in job search and career change. You are not. Through our knowledge and resources, we may be able to shorten your job search by weeks or months. We can help you compete more effectively in the marketplace by creating compelling marketing materials and dynamic, innovative campaigns.
Do the math. Let’s say you are an out-of-work executive who had been earning $125,000. Every week that you are out of work you are losing $2,400 of income. Say you retain us for a mid-level program priced at $3,600. If, through our efforts, we are able to shorten your job search by a mere 1.5 weeks, you have broken even economically and you are back to work. If we can shorten your search by two months, you are ahead of the game by $15,600!
We are also highly skilled in salary negotiations. It is not unusual for us to develop negotiation strategies that result in the client receiving $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 or more than the company’s original offer, an amount many times the fee we were paid.