"No job for a month costs more": Can $5K buy you an offer?

We investigated the topic with both HR professionals and job candidates.

A major discussion has erupted on LinkedIn after a user shared how he declined a job offer and ended up owing $5,000.

In short, he made a deal with a career consultant who promised to help him find work in exchange for 50% of his first salary or $5,000 if he rejected any offer—which he did. The author ultimately decided to advertise the consultant’s services to settle his debt and launched a fundraiser to pay for job search assistance for a position he never accepted.

This sparked an interesting debate about «offer sellers.» Is it really possible to guarantee employment for $5,000 without much effort?

What HR professionals/consultants say

It’s expensive because the market is stagnating

HR Director and career consultant Irina Vishnevskaya says that «none of these specialists guarantee a candidate an offer.»

«The main components of career consulting services include creating an attractive resume and cover letter, taking on the search for suitable vacancies, applying on behalf of the candidate, and 'coaching' them to pass all interviews.»

These are essentially services for the 'lazy.' Their high cost is based on the current stagnant market with few vacancies and many candidates—they’re able to inflate prices by preying on people’s failures and fears.

When asked about pricing, Irina revealed the highest rates are around 4-5 thousand euros. However, fees can also be tied to a percentage of the candidate’s annual income or one monthly salary. «For top positions, the amount can reach €10,000–€15,000.

Anastasia*, an HR director with 15+ years of experience, says she once met such a career consultant during an interview.

«She assured me that her candidates 'always' get jobs at companies they want to join. However, she also noted that she doesn’t guarantee an offer—she only helps create resumes, connect with company recruiters, and prepare for interviews.»

Anastasia explains that consultants may work independently or for legal entities—for example, companies that help with employment in the U.S. or Europe (there are quite a few now). Each consultant typically handles 4-5 clients simultaneously. The candidate pays, although sometimes companies are willing to offer bounties for finding rare specialists.

«Consultants might know about non-public vacancies in companies»

Yulia* explains that the market has several types of specialists: some focus on career guidance and development, while others help with specific technical job search tasks.

«There are career consultants who offer 'turnkey' job search assistance: they prepare cover letters, create multiple CVs for different positions, optimize LinkedIn profiles that candidates provide access to. And then there are those who actually apply on behalf of candidates and send out their resumes—which costs more.»

Yulia suggested that specialists who «sell offers» might also have connections in large companies.

«They might know about certain [non-public] vacancies that are open in companies.»

What candidates say

We spoke with those who have used career consultant services.

Improved CV for 500 euros. «If I can’t find a job, I’ll consider the full package»

Dmitry is the head of a sales department with 15 years in IT. He currently lives in Spain and is looking for work at a local or European company.

«I spent six months searching on my own, but out of 200 CVs sent, I received only about 10 interview invitations. After that, I decided to contact a specialized company.»

Dmitry says he purchased the «minimum package» costing just under 500 euros. It included a career vision session—«what I see for myself and what they see based on my CV,» two CV improvement sessions, one LinkedIn profile improvement session, and one interview training session.

«It’s been a couple of weeks since I started sending out my updated CV and adjusted everything in LinkedIn to appear more frequently in recruiters' searches. So it’s hard to say objectively how much has changed/helped: no recruiter has contacted me on LinkedIn yet, and I’m still getting rejections in response to the CVs I’ve sent.»

Dmitry admits that over the next 4-5 months, he’ll continue looking for work «with their adjustments,» and if unsuccessful, he’ll consider the «turnkey» package.

Full package

Dmitry shared the details with us. The package is called «Support until offer» and costs around 3,300 euros «plus 5% of annual salary/installment plan available.» It’s specified that «the second payment is only after receiving an offer and starting work.» The service lasts for 7 months and includes:

• «All services» of the company that helps with job searching;
• «A personal mentor who manages [the client’s] case and is responsible for strategy;»
• Resume, LinkedIn and cover letter creation according to international standards;
• Unlimited job search, applications, LinkedIn networking, and statistics tracking;
• Individual plan, English language improvement, and intensive training;
• Preparation for each interview and help finding a mentor to train hard skills.

Dmitry says friends recommended the company to him, and their prices are «below average.»

Gave free advice because «it’s too expensive for me»

Sergey* is a .Net developer. He switched to IT from another field «at not the best time—in 2022.»

«While looking for my first job after courses, I tried everything: I saw an article on devby about how another junior promised to give 30% of his salary for two years to whoever got him a job—and I repeated this on LinkedIn (but with a different formulation—I promised 2 full salaries). I reached out to career specialists recommended by commenters on my posts.»

One career consultant actually responded that his services were too expensive for me and he wouldn’t take me on because I was «not even mid-level» and he needed a sure thing.

So he simply advised me on next steps and whom to follow on LinkedIn (for which I’m grateful—that’s how I found an internship at an IT company).

Sergey says he didn’t inquire about the career consultant’s rates. And he generally understands why he was rejected then.

«I think 'offer hunters' would be more suitable. They’ve been in these 'waters' for a long time and know what employers bite on.»

«It’s a considerable amount, but each month without work means losing an even larger sum»

Alina* is a frontend developer. She and her husband moved to Europe because he was offered a position at a local company. She «last looked for a job about 7 years ago.»

«Someone recommended a person who helps create resumes and explains what to write on LinkedIn to get noticed by recruiters. We had a 2-hour call that cost $60. Then I further refined my resume with ChatGPT, sent it to the consultant—he said, 'It’s fine.'»

But Alina hasn’t made much progress in her search yet.

Her husband’s colleague recommended an acquaintance who helps people find employment in Europe—not just «packaging» resumes and LinkedIn profiles but also finding employers. «He has extensive connections,» says the woman. This costs 5,000 euros. «It’s a considerable amount, but as that colleague said, each month without work means losing an even larger sum.»

Nevertheless, Alina isn’t ready for such an arrangement yet. She continues to work remotely for a company in Belarus while «quietly» searching for a new job.

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We didn’t find any successful cases of interactions with career consultants, but if you have a story—write to our bot or tell us in the comments.

*Speakers' names have been changed at their request.