Professional Help Finding a Job
Thinking about paying for job search help? Here is what exists, what it costs, and how to decide what is worth your money.
3 types of professional job search help
There are three main categories of paid job search assistance. They solve different problems at different price points.
Career coaches
What they do: 1-on-1 guidance on positioning, resume, and interview prep.
Typical cost: $100-500 per hour, or $1,000-5,000 for packages
Best for:
- You do not know what role to target
- Your resume is not getting responses
- You are struggling with interviews
- You need an outside perspective on your approach
Watch out for:
- Quality varies wildly
- They do NOT submit applications for you
- Expensive if you just need execution
If you have been applying and getting zero responses, the problem is probably positioning or materials. Coaching can help you fix that before you spend more time on applications.
Recruiters and staffing agencies
What they do: Connect candidates with employers who pay them to fill roles.
Typical cost: Free to you (employer pays the fee)
Best for:
- You have an in-demand profile in their specialty
- You want access to roles not publicly posted
- You are open to contract or temp-to-perm
Watch out for:
- They work for employers, not you
- Limited to roles they are paid to fill
- If your profile is not what they are looking for, you will not hear back
Recruiters are not job search assistants. They are salespeople matching inventory (candidates) to buyer needs (employers). If you are not the inventory they need, they cannot help.
Application automation
What it does: Software that finds matching jobs and applies on your behalf.
Typical cost: $50-200 per month
Best for:
- You know what role you want
- Your resume works when you apply
- The bottleneck is volume and speed
Watch out for:
- Requires clear targeting upfront
- Does not fix a bad resume
- Results still depend on fit and market
Which one is worth paying for?
The right answer depends on where you are stuck.
If you do not know what role you want
Start with coaching. No amount of applications will help if you are applying to the wrong things. Get clear on your target first.
If you have a niche skill set
Try recruiters in your industry. If they specialize in your field and have relevant roles, they can open doors you cannot find yourself.
If you know your target and need speed
Use automation. You have already done the strategy work. Now you need execution at scale.
Can you combine these?
Yes. They solve different problems.
Common combinations:
- Coaching + automation: Get your positioning right, then scale applications
- Recruiter + automation: Let recruiters handle their network while automation covers the open market
- Resume review + automation: Fix your resume, then test it at scale
The key is diagnosing your actual bottleneck first.
What Careery does
Careery is application automation. An AI agent that applies to jobs for you 24/7 on company career sites.
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 set titles, locations, salary, seniority, and exclusions.
Interview shortlisting
Highlights important emails so you do not miss replies.
What Careery does NOT do
Be honest about what you need:
- Not career coaching — We do not help with strategy, positioning, or interview prep
- Not recruiting — We do not place candidates or work for employers
- Not a guarantee — Results depend on your fit and the market
If your resume is not working, automation will just send more of what is not working. Fix the resume first, then scale.
How they got hired
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Careery a career coach?
No. Coaching helps with strategy and positioning. Careery is automation that handles execution. If you need help figuring out what to target, get coaching first.
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.
How much does professional job search help cost?
Career coaching runs $100-500 per hour or $1,000-5,000 for packages. Recruiters are free to you (employers pay). Automation like Careery is typically $50-200 per month.
Can I use Careery and a coach together?
Yes. Get coaching to clarify your target and fix your materials, then use automation to scale applications. They complement each other.
Is paying for job search help worth it?
It depends on your time value and bottleneck. If you spend 20 hours per week on applications and value your time at $30/hour, that is $600 in time. A tool that saves 15 hours for $100/month is worth it. Coaching that fixes a broken resume can pay for itself in faster results.
How do I know which help I need?
Track your numbers. If you are not sure what to target, you need coaching. If your resume gets zero responses, you need resume help. If volume is the bottleneck, you need automation.
Founded Careery in 2020 to help job seekers automate the grind and land interviews faster.
Know your target? Need to scale?
If you have done the strategy work and the bottleneck is volume, automation can help.
Related guides
- Apply to Jobs for Me — compare VAs, extensions, and AI agents
- Job Application Service — how automation compares to recruiters and coaches
- Help Finding a Job — diagnose your actual bottleneck first