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Job Hunting for Dummies
by Max Messmer
Published by IDG Worldwide
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
Lost your job? Or just afraid that you may be part of the next round of layoffs at your tottering company? In today's soft economy, you can't afford to just sit around and hope that everything will turn out right. Even if your job isn't immediately threatened, you need to be preparing yourself against the very strong possibility that you will soon be changing jobs.
Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International, one of the world's leading specialized staffing firms, has put together the information you'll need to successfully hunt for your next job, whether you've just been laid off, you're afraid you might be, or you just want to be prepared for the worst. And in the true style of the "For Dummies" books, its all written in clear, easy to understand language, organized logically and accompanied by humorous cartoons that help lighten an admittedly unpleasant subject.
For instance, a lot of books on job-hunting start off with writing killer resumés, or winning cover letters, or even how to dress for an interview. Messmer starts at the beginning, with tips on how to break this seemingly overwhelming problem of finding a job into manageable chunks. There is even a discussion of the seven deadly myths that can paralyze one's mind and make it impossible to pursue the job search sensibly.
Only when those important preliminaries are covered does Messmer move on to the mechanics of putting together a resumé. This includes several example resumés that can serve as models for the beginning resumé writer to follow, as well as humorous lists of things not to include in your resumé. (Would you believe that people have written such wonderful bloopers as "Here are my qualifications for you to overlook" or "Work experience: Responsibilities included checking customers out"? Many of them show such a woeful lack of understanding of formal English that you wish you could believe that these are just non-native speakers fumbling with the language).
After you have your resumé in hand (and it's a good idea to keep your resumé up to date at all times, even when you aren't actively looking for work, so you won't have to do it in the emotional haze of the newly unemployed), you need cover letters that will present it to the individuals who can actually hire you. Messmer covers all the basics, from tips and tricks for learning the name and title of the person responsible for hiring, even in companies where the policy is to not give out names, to writing a cover letter to be sent via e-mail.
So now you know how to write a good resumé and cover letter. But it won't get you anywhere if you can't discover potential employers to which you can present them. Messmer doesn't leave you to your own devices. Here is plenty of advice on ways to find out about job openings, from the Internet to personal networking, from a direct ad campaign to temping your way into a permanent position.
Only then does Messmer bring up the issue of the interview. To many people, the job interview is as much an ordeal as an event, so much so that many people have stayed employed indefinitely at unhappy or unpleasant positions rather than have to face an interviewer at a potential better job.
Finally, Messmer deals with how to respond when you are offered a job. How do you go about negotiating salary, benefits, and other important aspects of your new job? When should you pass up on a job offer?
Of course no "For Dummies" book would be complete without the Parts of Ten: ideas for maintaining morale, finding resources in your job hunt, starting your new job on the right foot, and more.
Review posted January 28, 2010
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