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NewswireToday - /newswire/ -
Wallingford, CT, United States, 08/22/2008 - Better Business Bureau Connecticut Alerts - Tight job market demands verifying the reputation of employment career counseling and job placement services.
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As the national unemployment rate continues to climb, Connecticut Better Business Bureau has advice for job-seekers, to help them safely navigate the maze of available methods for finding employment.
According to Connecticut Better Business Bureau President, Paulette Hotton, the job market is tight and competitive.
“In February there were more than 3.8 million openings in the job market. While this sounds like a lot, there were more than twice as many people applying for those jobs.”
The current unemployment rate is five percent, and the Federal Reserve forecasts that rate will rise as high as 5.7 percent in the coming months. Hotton adds, “There are many places job-hunters can go for help landing a job, but they should ensure they are using an organization they can trust.”
Public Employment Service (a.k.a Job Service): This is a federally-funded, state-operated program with 1,700 offices across the country. It provides free assistance, and also operates America’s Job Bank which lists hundreds of thousands of job opportunities.
Temporary (Temp) Services: These agencies place people looking for temporary employment and their services are usually free of charge. Temporary positions can sometimes evolve into permanent positions and give job hunters an opportunity to bring in some money while the employment search continues.
Employment Agencies: In some cases, people looking for jobs must pay a fee to these kinds of agencies, which search for employees to fill permanent or part-time positions. Businesses seeking employees, however, typically pay for these employment agency services.
Executive or Career Counseling Services: They help job hunters evaluate their career path and provide guidance on resume writing, interview coaching and presentation. These services may charge thousands of dollars for their services and do not guarantee job placement.
BBB offers the following advice for job seekers when enlisting the help of an agency or counselor:
• Always check out a job placement or career counseling organization with BBB first to view reliability reports that show not only how many complaints a company may have received, but also if it works to resolve disputes with clients.
• Carefully review any contracts for counseling or placement services, ensuring all oral promises are included, even if that means taking the contract home and having a trusted friend or relative also review the documents.
• Job seekers should be wary of paying upfront fees to a placement agency, and be extremely cautious when giving out credit card or bank account information.
For additional BBB advice on finding a job, including tips and techniques for writing a resume and performing well in job interviews, visit the Better Business Bureau website (bbb.org).
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hschwartz[.]ct.bbb.org 
