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The cost of a job search
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September 20, 2001: 3:30 p.m. ET
Be prepared; it takes some money to find a source of permanent income
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NEW YORK (Money) - When your considering your emergency "worst-case-scenario" unemployment budget, remember to include the money you'll need to find that next job. Especially in a tough market, the job search can be tough on your nerves. You don't want to have to worry about breaking the bank while you're doing it. Here are some of the items you might want to consider for your job-hunting budget.
Think about career counseling, especially if you think you might not be able to find the same type of job you had before. (Dot.com "producers" come to mind.) Career counselors provide guidance to everyone from dazed and confused college graduates to bewildered midlevel execs.
According to Philip Jones, director of Undergraduate Career Services at Yale University, career counseling "is a service that many universities provide free of charge to recent graduates, but may cost older job-hunters dearly." A session with an experienced counselor would cost, on average, between $125 and $150 an hour, according to Judith Gerberg, president of the Career Counselors Consortium in New York.
Many counselors recommend a series of assessment tests to determine the kind of work best suited to your skills, interests, and values. As people get older, they are increasingly interested in pursuing work that reflects their values, says Bettina Seidman, a member of the Career Counselors Consortium and founder of Seidbet Associates in New York.
Major career changes usually occur when a person's job and values don't correspond, resulting in such transitions as a move from a corporate environment to a non-profit organization. Counselors trained in evaluating test results will often charge an assessment fee of $100 to $300 above their hourly fee.
"The assessment fee is a typical example of someone paying for the knowledge and experience a counselor brings to the table, rather than their time," says Seidman.
Of course, every job hunter needs a resume and cover letter, those two all-important pieces of paper that decide whether you get a chance to strut your stuff live during an interview. Head to www.staples.com for some resume paper and envelopes. Try a package of Crane 100 percent Cotton Premium Presentation Paper and Envelopes (25 sets, $9.89).
But if your resume needs some serious polishing or your cover letters lack pizzazz, turn to a professional resume writer. Resume writing is an unregulated industry, says Pat Kendall, author of Jumpstart Your Online Job Search and president of the National Resume Writers Association. That means prices vary - from $50 to get your resume done at the local copy shop to thousands of dollars for a top-tier executive resume writer.
To the many job-hunters who tell her that they can't afford a resume service, Kendall has a quick answer, "If a professional helps you cut even one week off a job search, how much have you saved? Chances are, one week's salary is far more than the cost of getting help."
On average, a consultation with a resume writer for entry to middle-management jobs runs between $200 and $300. Executives (presumably because they have longer and more complicated resumes) can expect to pay about $100 more.
Once you've snagged an interview, be sure to dress the part. "People know they have to buy an interview suit, but they don't often think to buy two," says Phil Jones. "You'll often have a first, second, or even third interview, sometimes one right after the next. In those cases, you've got to have two outfits."
According to NPD Fashionworld, the average cost of a man's suit is about $168, while the average cost of a woman's suit is about $60. Dress shoes sold at department stores average $73.35 for men, and $44.23 for women. Because NPD's numbers reflect national averages, we hit the pavement to find what was now selling at well-known national retail stores.
According to InStyle magazine (an AOL Time Warner affiliate), a woman interviewing for a job at a conservative company should wear a classic suit (wool gabardine two-button jacket, $198, matching trousers, $118; matching skirt, $88; J. Crew stores (www.jcrew.com) paired with slingbacks (Isaac by Isaac Mizrahi, $168, Jacobson's, Tampa, Fla).
For gents, a solid suit in a dark color is usually the best way to go, such as a classic 3-button navy suit (Donna Karan Signature, $795). At Nordstrom.com, quality men's suits begin around $500, with a high-end Zegna suit priced at $1,600. For women starting out, a suit from Caslon runs around $300. Designers suits, such as Armani's, average about $1,200.
Don't forget to polish your interview shoes. And to complete the look, stash your precious documents in a briefcase or portfolio (writing portfolio, $198, or metropolitan briefcase, $398, www.coach.com).
There is one very bright light at the end of what seems like a rather expensive tunnel. Many costs associated with looking for a job are tax-deductible. Save your receipts, and call a good accountant, who can help you claim everything from your suit to the cost of gas when driving to and from interviews. By then, you may even have gotten a raise. 
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