It is annoying though how anyone walking into your agency or sending a CV to you expects first class service at no charge to them at all- and even berates you for being a bit short when necessary. Even 15 minutes of advice – which is how long it takes to speak to anyone costs the agency money in time, yet it is all take for granted as though the government is paying for the service. It is a difficult problem but if ‘The ladders’ can get away with it perhaps it is time to change our attitude and use that loophole.

As a competitor it would be wrong of me to comment on pricing directly, but in terms of strategy allowing candidates to stand out differentially, network more effectively, and be better prepared for potential interviews (and indeed their job hunt) is definitely an important part of the future online recruitment landscape (granted I have to say that as it’s also the reason Zookel exists).

Controversy (and competition) aside – I must admit I’m also glad to see another site pushing the boundaries of the online recruitment market.

Of course this leaves job seekers in a very difficult position. The buoyant jobs market over the past decade has meant that many people, who although they may be very good at their jobs, are not very good at job-seeking as they have not needed to acquire this knowledge and skill. In these very tough times they now require extra assistance in order to stand a reasonable chance of securing a new role. As taxpayers we all pay for this assistance via Jobcentre Plus. Unfortunately at present they do not provide a very good service for the mid-tier or senior level unemployed. The very senior executive has for some while been comfortable paying for out placement and career management, receiving this either as a perk or through self-funding. The mid-tier has the need but at present must self-fund and some will regard it as a pragmatic investment. Technology makes this far more affordable than was hitherto the case and Workthing should be congratulated for recognising the market situation and providing an offering.

I must lay my cards on the table as I will soon be launching a competitive offering. At this point I do not know how many customers we will secure or at what price-point. However I have no ethical qualms charging the job-seeker. In fact as someone who has been in this sector for over twenty years I feel great about my involvement. We will only win business and stave off the bad headlines if we provide a decent offering at competitive prices and my colleagues and I are determined to excel at this. We will be helping job seekers learn what they need to do and providing the tools and support to equip them in doing this. Earning a living whilst helping people get back into employment is something I will be very proud of.

Is it fair to charge for any career management service? Jamie’s observation that mechanics don’t fix your car for free is to the point. Traditional outplacement consultants can charge thousands of pounds for support; CV writing services can cost hundreds of pounds; career advice books sell by the thousand – all charging candidates to help them manage their career. Workthing+ is doing the same; the fact that the services are delivered online rather than in a book or face-to-face obviously doesn’t make them less valuable or mean they should be given away for free.

How much should we charge for Workthing+? Firstly, we’re very conscious of both quality and value-for-money: Workthing+ contains premium, high quality tools (such as the full psychometric tests that Matt refers to above) that are sold elsewhere for more than our headline pricing. Secondly, as you’d expect, in this phase of our launch, we’re assessing how many subscribers we get at different price points/models, so we can pitch our pricing to be accessible and affordable for as many people as possible.

I agree with Derek’s well-made point about candidates having a choice as to whether or not to subscribe, and making that choice through educated insight rather than desperation. We want Workthing+ to improve the jobsearch experience for candidates – to help them be better-prepared, more structured and to find the right job for them.

Yes, it has brilliant tools and content, yes I would like to use the site – but no – I will not pay for it, when I can get all the information on the web and to be honest with you – looking for a job isn’t rocket science. For the people that this site is aimed at (middle tier earners – quite intelligent people) – I’m not sure they need all the advice that is on there (such as what clothes to wear to an interview – it’s common sense is it not?)

I have been receiving emails from TMDR asking me if my career is worth 50p a day so I can see who they are targeting…

I think charging candidates and expecting people who may be out of work to have to pay £15 a month out what they are getting from the government (£64 a week) is cheeky. £15 isn’t a lot to someone who is in work, but trust me – when you have to count every penny when you’re signing on – it’s a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere (on food for example).

However – in agreement with Alex – there is a need for service like this as Jobcentre plus is no place to get careers advice so something like this is needed, I’m just not comfortable with the whole charging aspect….