Part 2: Can I Outsource My Job Search?
“Is it ethical to oursource a job hunt?” asks busy working mom, Marika of Tenley Town, DC.
She asked Aunt Jobby if it was legitimate to outsource her job hunt to a friend, a former HR manager.
She planned to pay her a finder’s fee…”Is this unethical?” Marika asked.
Yesterday’s expert Jeff Anderson of TheCareerGiant told her to go for it. Read his response to job search outsourcing.
Today’s expert Kris Anderson has more reservations.
She replied:
Dear Marika,
Having someone else do your resume and cover letter isn’t unethical, in my opinion. Resume writing companies have existed for years and recruiters at employment agencies often redo resumes for candidates. Additionally, resumes aren’t considered legal documents. I’ve seen resumes with degrees listed and then learned from the candidate the degree wasn’t actually finished. In one case, only one year of college had been completed many years ago. The legal document is the application and misinformation there can definitely result in not being hired, or being terminated if it’s discovered after being hired.
My real concern with having someone else write the resume and cover letter is whether it will be a true representation of you and how it can impact you later if you are hired.
This will be particularly important if written communication is a key part of the position. It would be disheartening to put yourself in a position where your written communication skills are inadequate for the role and now jeopardize your employment.
Do the resume and cover letter:
- represent you well? Are they a reasonably accurate depiction of experience and skills?
- sound like you (formal/informal, word choices, etc.)?
- demonstrate your writing style (spelling, punctuation, grammar, attention to detail and format)? or
- does it reflect the person who does your resume and cover letter?
One company I worked for resolved this by requiring a writing sample from the candidate at the time of the interview, but not all companies do this.
Over the years, I’ve interviewed a number of candidates whom I would not have brought in for an interview had they written their own resume or cover letter.
It was quickly obvious in the interview they didn’t have the experience or communication skills suggested by the resume, and they didn’t continue in the process. There are also some who had help with their resume and cover letter and did move forward in the process. When people are currently employed and have to find a reason to be away from work for an interview, I feel badly they’ve wasted their time through this misrepresentation. Yes, it’s a waste of the interviewer’s time as well, however, not all candidates will continue in the interview process for a variety of reasons, so it can be a cost of doing business.
One other thought: If it’s hard to find time to identify positions, write a resume and cover letter, and balance home and work, what strategies will you use to help you manage the transition to a new position which can often be very demanding? Is there someone you can delegate some of your other work or life responsibilities to? Is it possible to cut out some of the things you think are required of you at this time? I know many people (me included) who are amazed the house only needs a good cleaning once every two weeks when they hire a cleaning lady, rather than the weekly cleaning they were doing on their own for all those years.
And a couple tips: Once you have a good resume, review it every 6-12 months to keep it updated. It’s much easier to maintain a good resume than start over. Also, past performance reviews can be a great resource for your resume. They often have specific information about work experience, skills, and projects which can be utilized on your resume.
Good luck!
Bio: Kris Anderson of Asirk has 20+ years of experience in Human Resources, working in both small and Fortune 500, privately- and publicly-held companies and corporations. She has reviewed tens of thousands of resumes, interviewed thousands of candidates and hired hundreds of employees. Kris also has experience with start ups, mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, out-sourcing, and layoffs. She has been impacted by “position elimination” six times during her career.
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Filed Under: Featured • Managing Your Career • Moms Returning to Work
About the Author: Julie Power is a writer and editor with experience in both the United States and Australia. After living in the United States for 16 years, she recently returned to live in Sydney with her husband and twin boys (9 years old).
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Kris Anderson of Asirk gives some great recommendations!
Kris Anderson hit the nail squarely on the head–the resume must be an accurate representation of the applicant and his or her skills. If this can be done while using a paid consultant, I see not reason to avoid doing so. I can easily imagine situations in which the job seeker is reentering the job market after a long period of employment and needs some help with an up-to-date and stylish professional resume, or perhaps he or she simply doesn’t have the time to actually put the final document together.
Kris’s other pointers on seeking new employment are very helpful. She not only gives us the benefit of years of experience in HR, but also touches on the personal aspects of managing a job change.
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