[Fengirl]

Ninja, my experience is that the majority of mainstream recruitment consultants are a total waste of space. Remember - they get paid by the employer, not you, so their focus is on finding what their client says they want, not on advising you how to sell yourself. Mostly, they act as "gatekeepers", blocking the path to jobs, not helping people like us find them. Those I have met have no skill in thinking creatively about how your skills would match any given position. They work strictly to the employers spec and won't deviate - in a downturn, where there are more candidates than jobs, they don't have to. Their margins are tight and they won't take chances. I've been told that they won't even send me for most jobs because I'm "over-qualified".

As you are unemployed, consider signing on for Job Seekers Allowance if you are entitled. It's not about the money (£64 a week won't even pay your grocery bill) - it's about all the free assistance that suddenly becomes available to you! They probably won't be able to find you a job (they admitted as much to me - they can help you if you're a factory worker or a forklift truck driver, but they struggle to place professional people) ... BUT (and this is the important bit) most Job Centres arrange special services for unemployed professionals - workshops, seminars, "Back to Business" networking events, etc. Some of it is a bit noddy, but you suddenly realise that there are lots of excellent, highly-qualified and competent people out there in the same position as you. Stockbrokers, bankers, IT professionals, accountants, architects... we are all struggling in this job market. When you are all on your own out there, you sometimes feel like there must be something wrong with you - you're useless, unemployable. Don't go there! It's not you, it's the recession and you are not alone.

Through the Job Centre I went on a one-day CV-writing workshop for business professionals, all for free. I wasn't expecting it to be very good but was pleasantly surprised. The woman who ran it usually charges £350 per hour privately. There was tons of great advice, particularly about how to sidestep the recruiters and tap in to the 80 - 90% of job vacancies that are unadvertised, and also how to restructure my CV so that I wasn't stressing that I was a solicitor if the job was for something else. It was an excellent day and would have cost a fortune if I'd had to pay for it.

So, my best advice is to see if you can tap into some of these free services from the Job Centre before you shell out any money to professional CV-writers. For some reason, people often feel shamed by the whole business of being unemployed. It can make you question your self-worth and lead to a downward spiral in your self esteem. Don't let that happen. The best antidote is to get out there and meet others in the same position, have a laugh about how utterly crap it all is... and remind yourself that all things change and it won't be for ever! You will find something eventually. Job-hunting is a game - you need to play it with some enthusiasm and energy, so focus on taking positive actions. We've nothing to lose!