Job Search Assistance: Your Options Explained
Job search assistance means different things to different people. Here is what actually exists, what it costs, and how to pick the right option for your situation.
4 types of job search assistance
Before you spend money or time on any service, understand what each type actually does:
Career coaching
What it is: 1-on-1 help with positioning, resume, interview prep, and job search strategy.
How it works:
- You book sessions (usually virtual)
- The coach reviews your materials and gives feedback
- They help you figure out what you want and how to present yourself
Best for: You do not know what role to target, or you are struggling with interviews.
Typical cost: $100-500 per hour, or $1,000-5,000 for packages
What you should know:
- Quality varies wildly — ask for references
- They do NOT submit applications for you
- Good for strategy, not execution
Recruiters and staffing
What it is: Agents who place candidates at companies that pay them to fill roles.
How it works:
- You submit your resume to their database
- They match you with open roles in their network
- They present you to hiring managers
Best for: You have a strong profile in their specialty niche.
Typical cost: Free to you (employer pays)
What you should know:
- They work for employers, not you
- Limited to roles they are paid to fill
- If you are not what they need, your resume sits in a database
Recruiters are paid when they fill roles. They are motivated to place candidates quickly, not necessarily to find your perfect fit. Know what you are getting.
Job boards and aggregators
What it is: Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and similar platforms that list jobs.
How it works:
- You search for jobs
- You apply directly or through Easy Apply buttons
- Some offer premium features like seeing who viewed your profile
Best for: Everyone. This is baseline job search infrastructure.
Typical cost: Free, or $20-60 per month for premium features
What you should know:
- You still do all the work
- Popular jobs get hundreds of applications
- Speed matters — apply within 48 hours
Application automation
What it is: AI tools that find and apply to jobs for you.
How it works:
- You upload your resume and set targeting preferences
- The tool monitors job boards 24/7
- It applies to matching roles on company career sites
Best for: You know your target roles and need scale and speed.
Typical cost: $50-200 per month (subscription)
What you should know:
- Requires clear targeting upfront
- Does not fix a bad resume
- Results still depend on fit and market
Where automation fits
If you already know what roles you want and the bottleneck is volume and consistency, automation can help.
Automation is right for you if:
- You have a clear target role (or 2-3 related titles)
- Your resume gets responses when you apply
- You are spending 10+ hours per week on applications
- The grind is burning you out
Automation is NOT right for you if:
- You do not know what role to target (coaching first)
- You only want 2-3 specific companies (networking beats volume)
- Your resume is not working (fix that before scaling)
Careery: automation that works for you
Careery is an AI agent that applies to jobs for you 24/7 with strict targeting filters.
Runs in the cloud
No browser extension. Works while you sleep, work, or travel.
Company career sites
Applies on Workday, Greenhouse, Lever — not just Easy Apply buttons.
Precise targeting
You control titles, locations, salary, seniority, and exclusions.
Interview shortlisting
Highlights important emails so you do not miss replies.
When automation is NOT the answer
Be honest about your situation:
You are not sure what role to target
The symptom: You apply to very different types of jobs. Your resume feels generic.
The fix: Get coaching first. Figure out what you want before scaling applications.
You only want 2-3 specific companies
The symptom: You have dream companies in mind and are not interested in applying broadly.
The fix: Networking and referrals beat volume here. Focus on relationships, not scale.
Your resume is not working
The symptom: You have applied to 20+ jobs and gotten zero responses.
The fix: Fix the resume first. Automation amplifies what you have. If what you have is not working, automation sends more of what is not working.
Can you combine these?
Yes. They solve different problems at different stages.
Common combinations:
- Coaching + Automation: Get your positioning right, then scale applications
- Recruiter + Automation: Recruiter handles hidden roles, automation covers the open market
- Coaching + Recruiter: Get strategy help, then leverage recruiter relationships in your niche
The key is diagnosing your bottleneck first.
How they got hired
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Careery a recruiter?
No. Recruiters work for employers and show you roles they are paid to fill. Careery works for you and applies to any job matching your criteria.
Do I need a finished resume first?
Yes. Automation amplifies what you have. If your resume is not ready or not working, fix that first before scaling.
Can I use coaching AND automation?
Yes. Get coaching for strategy and positioning, then use automation for execution at scale. They complement each other.
How do I know which type of assistance I need?
Track your numbers. If you do not know what to target, you need coaching. If your resume gets zero responses, you need resume help. If volume is the bottleneck, you need automation.
Is job search assistance worth paying for?
It depends on your time value and bottleneck. If you spend 20 hours per week on applications at $30/hour equivalent, that is $600 in time. A $100/month tool that saves 15 hours is worth it.
What if automation does not work for me?
Track your numbers. If you send 100 applications and get 0 responses, the problem is not volume — it is your resume or targeting. Go back to basics before scaling again.
Founded Careery in 2020 to help job seekers automate the grind and land interviews faster.
Ready to scale your applications?
If you know your target and the bottleneck is volume, automation can help remove the grind.
Related guides
- Apply to Jobs for Me — compare VAs, extensions, and AI agents
- Job Application Service — how automation compares to recruiters and coaches
- AI Job Applier — how cloud agents compare to browser extensions
- Help Finding a Job — diagnose what kind of help you actually need