I wrote this post and then realized it was rather long so I broke it up into two parts. At the end of tomorrow’s post you’ll be able to download a white paper which will go into a little more detail around the qualities to consider in the vetting process.

When it comes to creating a job search strategy there is a ton of advice out there. In any community you have the local unemployment office, some type of workforce development center, job search clubs and a myriad of job search professionals. For a job seeker knowing, where to get advice and who to let help you build a job search strategy can be very confusing.

I went on a rant recently to my girls Carolyn and Susan about advice I overheard at the local unemployment office. A job seeker was trying to certify for benefits and the worker was telling her she had not recorded enough job searching activities. He then said that she needed to not spend so much time on job boards and that newspapers were “the way to go for jobs like hers”. Just to be sure, I searched the jobs in a newspaper this week and there were very little in there and none that she would have qualified for.

I could write an entire post about bad advice I’ve heard given or job seekers who come to me to help develop a job search strategy after being pointed in the wrong direction. But I won’t. Here’s what I am going to do. I am going to give you a few ideas to help you vet where you are getting your advice.

Background: What is the background of the presenter or coach? Are they a former HR or recruiting professional? If not, do they have continuing education that qualifies them to coach you on your job search? Have they used the tools they are showing you in a job search and had results (whether for themselves or someone else). Often times you will have individuals present on Linkedin for example who use Linkedin for purposes other than a job search. Be wary of coaches or presenters who do not have a professional background in some sort of career development path in either experience or education.

Community: Lets say that your presenter or coach does not have a recruiting background, is not certified in career coaching but seems to know something about job search techniques. Ok, then here is the difference maker. Who is in their community? Who are they connected too? If they have a question about what recruiters are looking for that they can’t answer who would they ask? If they are not a HR or recruiting professional themselves or have not had formal training in creating job search strategies AND they are not connected to enough HR and recruiting professionals to be able to get solid answers when questions arise can they really steer you in the right direction long term?

So now you have the two most important features of a job search adviser. Background and community make a huge difference in someone’s ability to effectively help you through your job search. Tomorrow’s post will demonstrate the value of community and share the final characteristic that should be vetted. Stay tuned.