Job search

Knock ¡Æem Dead 2009: The Ultimate Job Search Guide (Knock 'em Dead)
$14.95
This book offers a relatively comprehensive and aggressive approach to job seeking. Mr. Yate would suggest his other two books as well, Resumes, and Cover Letters.

You always seem to think that you could be doing more in the job search, and this book gives you plenty of ideas and exercises to prepare you for interviews.

The first book I used was Knock 'em Dead 1994. The interview question preparation is pretty much the same. What is really helpful is the recent update on job seeking strategies, with up to date info on how to leverage the web and on line networks. That in itself was worth purchasing it.

This book will definitely help you.

THE FAST JOB SEARCH PROFESSIONAL SERIES - (8 DVDs) - $199.95 Limited Promotion ($995.95 Reg.)
$195.95
To be in the search of a new job is never fun, but most of all I felt that I had no idea how to move forward. I came across these videos and I decided that the investment was worth it. Let me tell you it is! So much info and all seem to be directed to me and my questions. Is very entertaining and easy to watch. Not only has helped me in knowing what to do what how to think so I can nail the interview, and is working too!

Over-40 Job Search Guide: 10 Strategies for Making Your Age an Advantage in Your Career
$14.95
I found Gail Geary's "Over-40 Job Search Guide" to be a very valuable tool in my career search. It is a quick read that helped to jump-start my search, get me focused and on track.

The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the Worlds Leading Career Services Company
$21.95
PROS: A sober, thoughtful, organized book that presents a definite plan for a job search, organizing many common elements of a good job search into one process.

CONS: Extremely dry writing style may put some off. Despite organization, some of the book's organization is odd.

SUMMARY: A must-buy book for the job search, presenting an organized plan you can use "out of the box" as long as you're willing to do some research.

There are a lot of books out there on doing a job search, and it seems most of them repeat about 80% of the same material, with different levels of enthusiasm and different audiences in mind. We all know about networking, resumes, cover letters, etc. It seems there's nothing new under the sun job-search wise, and even the technical innovations we see, such as social media, only seem to build on common behaviors - networking and sending out resumes.

Orville Pierson's book contains all the advice you've ever heard before - there's no magic in a good job search, but a lot of research, networking, and common sense. What Pierson does that makes the book stand out is give you an organized plan for using good job search techniques. This isn't a pile of advice - it's a plan to get you a job and improve your job searching.

The core of Pierson's work is fourfold:
1) Research one does on oneself, one's potential positions, and one's market.
2) Using that research to create a good resume and "sales tools."
3) Networking with an eye toward the long term, while using resources you have now.
4) Treating this as a project with measurable numbers, information, etc.

These four elements work together, feeding into each other and providing feedback. A list of companies you want to work for (a vital part of the Pierson method) feeds into your sales pitch, your networking tells you about the companies further, your plans modify, and you track your results. In the end you navigate closer and closer to your ideal job, probably faster than you may realize.

Besides the plan, the book does provide a lot of useful advice, and fortunately these tidbits are usually couched in the larger picture. How many hours to put in on a job search ideally, what kinds of job hunting work, for whom and why, etc. You'll pick up a lot reading this even if you're an experienced professional, and there's an entire subsection on forming a support group that's good for all professionals.

The book is not without it's flaws. It's extremely dry writing, reminiscent more of a textbook or a manual, and the few attempts to add some humor don't really work. Despite its organization, there are a few curious asides or re-visiting of past ideas that seem a bit distracting. These are minor flaws, but it's important to realize them tackling the book, especially if you're used to some of the rah-rah go-go job advice books. This is an encouraging book, but it's mostly about getting to work on your job search.

This book is ideal for everyone in the job market except maybe high-level executives. It's smart, intelligent, well-written (if dry), and presents a useful, rational plan that anyone can use in their job search, and that builds good job search habits. It's not the LAST job search book you'll read (especially if you're in a specialized market), but it should be on the shelf of anyone with a job.

In short, I'm giving it my rare "must buy, must read" rating - when you're done with this review, go buy the book.

Also if you're using this book, don't lend it out untill you've got that job you want.- you'll want to refer back to it in the future. If you want, buy extra copies for your friends and family - it's worth the money.