Last week I received a request from a family member of mine in transition. He was asking me to evaluate a proposal he had received from a career marketing firm. He wanted my opinion because I’m a career coach–and because I myself had once been victimized by a similar firm.

His proposal cover letter opened with an aggressive tone heralding the fact that the firm was working with executives who were late of prestigious organizations, members of academia, representatives of nonprofits, and an assortment of clients ranging from younger people just out of college to mature ones with occupations in every industry and covering every income range. Basically–but without saying so–the firm said it caters to everyone who has money to pay!

The next FIVE pages outlined the firm’s services in a very attractive way for someone in transition. And we all know that when someone is, for instance, desperately hungry, anything that looks like food seems scrumptious and delicious. The firm stipulated its fee–which is, typically, 5 percent of the client’s highest achieved income (calculate how much that would be for you!). Then there were supplementary services–provided at an additional $500 for each one. In order to activate the agreement, it needed to be signed and accompanied by a deposit. If the client were not satisfied with the program within two weeks, said the agreement, the company would rework the material. At this point, though, your money is gone forever.

The firm listed offices in various cities nationwide, so I attempted to research the company a bit further. My research led me to a résumé-writing service. Next, I Googled the company name–and searched on other search engines as well–to try to learn something about the proposal/agreement signer with the title of managing director. I would have expected that a person with such a heavy responsibility (after all, the company claims to have offices in more than half a dozen cities) would have at least a presence in cyberspace as well. But no, even LinkedIn did not reveal the signer.

There have been in the past, and there still exist today of course, many similar career marketing firms. I’ve learned of them either through my circle of acquaintances or because they gained their fame via the media’s reporting that they got sued and soon thereafter closed their doors. Of course, unfortunately, those who’d paid for such services were left high and dry.

As a professional career coach, I say unequivocally that everyone in transition should get with their job search.  It’s up to the job seeker to solicit that help by asking others for their opinions. Job search networking groups such as those listed at www.landingexpert.com can provide information, as can an online search for individualized coaching services via LinkedIn or Google. Typically, such individualized career coaching services are your best bets because they’re more individualized and because the fees come to 50 to 75 percent less than those charged by the career marketing firms I’ve described here.

As a career coach who sees people in transition every day, I’ve concluded that the single biggest obstacle for people in transition is not knowing what they don’t know regarding what it takes to win that fierce competition for getting a decent job.

I don’t intend to blame anyone; I’m merely pointing out the fact. When people become part of the in-transition crowd, they also become numb and find themselves in a state of disbelief. Given some time, reality sets in and they know that family priorities and financial obligations need to be met, so they step out from their shells and attempt to become productive.

They remember from the previous job search the steps needed to be taken to get a job offer. Regrettably, though, the rules of the game have changed–and so drastically that the old rules are no longer valid in any sense. For instance, technology has advanced to the point that the job search game is almost totally dependent on it. Plus, résumés are constructed differently from the way they used to be. They need to be tailored to the specific job the person is applying for.

LinkedIn is the most common electronic tool used by recruiters. A poor image on LinkedIn kicks a candidate out of the competition. And there’s where the problem starts. As I said at the beginning, job seekers don’t know what they don’t know, and so it follows that they don’t know how to improve their condition. What is evident is that it seems to take forever to get an interview–if at all. And then the competition among interviewees is fierce. Only one person of very many is offered the job; the rest feel like losers, and typically, they’re not told why they didn’t get an offer.

So, what’s the solution? My advice is to seek help. There are many job search networking groups that hold meetings where speakers are brought in to provide information pertinent to job search. In addition, job seekers who attend such meetings exchange information with each other, and there often is support by career coaches and counselors. Approach a career coach at a networking meeting to learn what he or she can do for you. You’ll probably get answers to questions you didn’t even know to ask! A current–and comprehensive–list of such groups within a 100-mile radius of New York can be downloaded from Web site www.landingexpert.com via the Networking tab.

Itzhak Perlman was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose, who asked Perlman what he looks for when selecting those few special Juilliard School students he wishes to work with. Years before, he himself was a student at Juilliard. “Is it skills or talent?” Rose asked. Perlman’s answer was that talent is not easily defined and that certainly most of Juilliard’s students are very talented to begin with. But Perlman is looking for that spark in their eyes and a special facial expression. So it seems that the differentiator when it comes to selecting students is something beyond skills and talent.

That point is also evident in terms of a job interview. Of course interviewers’ questions can be technical ones requiring skill-based answers or they may be behavioral based and looking for attitude, demeanor, and the like. But interpretation of answers is also heavily psychologically based—meaning, based on what the interviewer sees: Does the candidate have that spark in the eyes when talking about great professional accomplishments? Is there congruity between the spoken words and the body language?

A job interview is a stressful test. I don’t think anyone would deny that. The candidate going through this stressful event has to not only focus on the spoken words but also make sure to literally act out the role as interviewee. And there’s more to being an actor than just having acting skills. One has to have the talent and the ability to control and demonstrate genuine enthusiasm. Like an actor’s role, the interviewee’s role can be learned too with the proper guidance. I practice this every day.

An interview is a business transaction wherein the objective of the hiring manager (the person who has the authority to hire) is to make a selection among job candidates called in for interviews. A candidate has two challenges: first, to convince the hiring manager that he is the ideal candidate for the position, and second, to outshine the others (i.e., the competition for the job). Following are several suggestions.

First, prepare for the interview by working with a seasoned career coach. A career coach can practice with you certain mock-interviewing techniques, thereby helping you to not only answer difficult interview questions but also recognize traps and avoid saying the wrong things. As a career coach, I need no less than five hours to get someone ready for the big test. If the result is to get the job, then the fee paid for such a service is merely a drop in the bucket.

Second, prepare your SARBs: situation/action/result/benefit. These are short vignettes about your experience, describing for the interviewer how you solved problems on the job and the results and benefits to employers. They are the tools you bring with you to the interview. If presented well, the examples will convince the hiring manager you’re the right person for the job.

Third, research the company. Spend some time in the public library investigating as much as you can about the company. You cannot overdo this aspect of the job search, and neither should you underestimate the importance of showing the interviewer you understand–on either a macro- or microlevel–the issues the company faces.

Fourth, use your personal connections via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to discover as much information as you can about the people you’re going to interview with. While doing that, attempt to find something in common with them. This is very important, because people are known to hire candidates with whom they can build a relationship even during the interview process.

And fifth and last but not less important, make sure the position you’re interviewing for aligns with your own needs and desires. Consider your skills and attributes and traits. Evaluate the organization’s work environment, the commute, the compensation, and the benefits. Pay attention to your gut feeling. If it feels good, make sure you clearly show your enthusiasm. This is what the hiring manager wants to “buy.”