Valuable Content, but Beware of Overlapping Material
I've been following Heather Austin's career advice on YouTube and decided to invest in her Resume Mastery Pro and Cover Letter Magic courses, as well as her private workshop. While her content is generally helpful, I was disappointed that the March 2024 resume and cover letter workshop material is mainly identical to the courses and has not been changed or updated. Heather recently refused to answer current students’ questions about whether the course materials are updated. That is a serious concern. Please be wary of live streams and videos Heather has on her YouTube channel, free resources thst require your name and email address, and her paid individual courses and her paid courses programs - World-Class Career Academy and Career Advancement Toolkit, which is where you will find all individual courses she offers. I feel that it's essential for Heather to be more transparent about the similarities between her offerings, significantly when students are investing their time and money. I hope she will address this issue and consider offering a discount or refund for those who have already purchased her courses. Despite this issue, I still value her insights, but more transparent communication about the content would greatly benefit her audience. She must be upfront and honest with her students, email subscribers, and audiences on her YouTube channel.
For people considering Heather Austin's courses or workshops, I would offer the following advice:
1. Research thoroughly: Before investing in any of Heather Austin's programs, take the time to research her content and read reviews from other participants. This will help you understand what to expect from her offerings and determine if they are the right fit for your needs. Ask questions. Do not let a YouTube career coach/influencer like Professor Heather Austin deceive you or trick you. It is not all gold and glitter here. Heather has admitted to collaborating with a Utah-based resume writing service called “Upword Resume,” where Heather’s resume template and career scenario-based resume templates designed for the applicant tracking system (ATS) are taken from. They are a complete replica of done-for-you resumes that Upword Resumes and their resume writers create and write for job seekers, clients, professionals, and executives. Upword Resume has openly confirmed its involvement with Professor Heather Austin and that Heather Austin’s resume template is a completely identical copy of Upword Resume’s resume templates. They are also similar to other resume writing services like “Hinge Resume,” for example, which has a mid-level resume template format. Heather is getting the resume template, which is Upword Resume’s format. Heather and Upword Resume have also work and collaborate with a Utah-based career coach Britt Larsen who has her own career coaching service called Livlyhood.
2. Consider your goals: Identify your specific career development goals and assess whether Heather Austin's content aligns with those objectives. Ensure that the material covered in her courses and workshops will provide the guidance and skills you need to achieve your goals. Most of the success stories you see on the sale page for Heather Austin’s course and what she plays on her live stream videos are older, middle-aged clients. She is using videos of clients’ experiences for testimony purposes to sell her paid courses to you.
3. Evaluate the value: If you've already purchased some of Heather Austin's courses, carefully evaluate the value of investing in additional workshops or programs. Given the concerns about overlapping content, consider whether the new material will provide enough unique insights and value to justify the cost.
4. Look for alternatives: There are numerous career coaches and resources available online. Explore alternative options and compare the content, reviews, and pricing to Heather Austin's offerings. You may find other resources and other career coaches that better suit your needs or offer more diverse content.
5. Provide feedback: If you choose to participate in Heather Austin's courses or workshops, don't hesitate to provide constructive feedback about the content and your experience. This will help her improve her offerings and better serve her audience in the future.
March 12, 2024
Unprompted review