Book Number Nine

Yesterday afternoon, I finished The Job-Hunter's Survival Guide by Richard N. Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute. It was a Christmas gift from the womanchild, and she inscribed it, "Mom, I believe in You!! You should too. Go get 'em, Tiger. With Love, C." Yeah, my daughter knows how to get to me.

I've been working my way through this very short book for weeks, and I'll say that this is simply the best guide to job hunting I've read in ages. It's only a hundred pages, but it's so filled with good information, you want to take it in thoroughly. I worked as a recruiter for close to ten years, and I've read a lot of these books. I wanted to know which ones to recommend to my clients because one of the first things I told people was that my agency should not be the only job hunting resource they use. They also helped me hone my professional skills on behalf of other people.

Job hunting for yourself is different though. I don't have the objectivity with myself that I did with my clients though, and this book has helped me look at my job hunting in a fresh way. This book outlines different ways to job hunt and provides statistics about the effectiveness of each approach. It's full of resources you can find online to help with your job search and provides just plain solid information about how to network effectively, build a good online image (your "other" resume) for yourself, how to interview and most important of all, how to find a job that aligns with your identity, skills and personal goals. It was actually quite uplifting about a challenging, nerve wracking and often quite depressing quest. Best of all, it lays on the line just how much work is involved in finding work and provides action plans.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is not only job hunting, but who thinks they ever might have to look for a job, might want to change careers or even people who feel like they've lost sight of themselves and what they can do.