The balance has shifted quite dramatically from a market dominated and controlled by talent to recession. Just a few years ago we were all asking ourselves what to do when the Boomers exit the market and how to address the coming void of talent? Now Boomers are competition in a talent rich and jobless market. Competition is high and the opportunity to separate yourself from the pack is sought after daily.

A few weekends ago I spent time at a local church where volunteers helped job seekers by critiquing resumes, providing interview consult and aiding in online job search. These people are looking for help everywhere and in any way possible.

Enter predators
In these situations certain types of people and/or companies automatically see opportunity to take advantage of the person in need by angling a product, service or elixir to sell them. I understand meeting a market need is necessary although charging the jobless is victimizing and is no different morally and ethically than banks approving home loans that could not be paid back.

For example, on several occasions this month I have answered call requests from vendors to chat about "partnerships", which I have accepted. What I've noticed is the number of vendors trying to advertise to JobCentral job seekers for job seeker paid programs has more than doubled. I see moral and ethical lines being crossed by these companies in trying to monetize a situation instead of helping it. Needless to say I've opted not to agree to these types of partnerships even though lucrative revenue splits were promised and comments like "Monster and CareerBuilder does it and they make good money".

When does helping the man or woman next to you take precedence over your revenue stream?