Suggestions from Orville Pierson
JOB SEARCH RESOURCES
There are three kinds of resources commonly used by job hunters: books, resume writers and career coaches. I'm here to give you some suggestions on using them, including a book list down below what you're now reading.
The first thing I have to say is: Start with books. A career coach or resume writer will cost you something between $50 and $200 an hour. That money will buy a lot of books, so why not start by reading several? The other advantage of reading several books is that you'll get some different points of view and you will have much smarter questions to ask if you later use a career coach.
Here are some thoughts on each of the three resources.
Choosing Job Hunting Books
With any "how-to" book, it's smart to check out the author's credentials. Writing a book or appearing on a TV show doesn't make someone an expert. Read their bios. Google them. Where did they learn what they're now teaching?
Someone with a background as a recruiter, for example, is likely to be skilled at interviewing and know something about what makes resumes work. But that experience doesn't teach them other aspects of job hunting such as networking or how to manage the search.
Personally, I favor authors with long experience as a career coach, whether that's in a college career center, in the outplacement industry or in a public job search assistance program -- people who have seen lots of job hunters go through the entire job search process, beginning to end.
While attention-getting stunts do sometimes work for some people (especially in the sales or publicity fields), I favor authors who teach the fundamentals, the best ways of doing the day-to-day work of job hunting. I've suggested some authors like that in the book list below.
Resume Writers
As a general rule, I prefer resume writers who are also career coaches, because I think that the best resumes can be written only when the writer understands the larger picture of your career and your job search. They need to know who the readers will be, and have some clarity on the kind of work you're looking for.
You could write several different resumes for yourself -- all honest. Which is the best? That depends entirely on which Decision Makers you want to influence, and what particular jobs and employers you're talking about.
Some resume writers want to use a lot of adjectives, words like 'dynamic,' ' talented,' or 'visionary.' While you might feel flattered to have someone describe you that way, the reader won't be impressed unless you back those claims up with facts - something you probably can't do in a resume. Also, fancy language can be a tipoff that the resume was written by a resume writer. The reader might then be more cautious about accepting its claims.
A focus on keywords is more useful. When an employer or recruiter is looking for someone like you, what keywords will they use to search the resume database? Use those.
A good resume writer will help you be more objective, tell the story better and be more concise. They will interview you and possibly ask you to complete a written questionnaire first.
If you decide to use a resume writer, ask to see some samples and be sure you understand exactly what you'll get and for what fee. Check their credentials. And don't be afraid to edit their work if there's any doubt about the accuracy or anything at all that you're uncomfortable with.
Career Coaches
If you're thinking of using a career coach, please do not sign up with anyone who sells large expensive career assistance packages. Buy the service by the hour, so you can get what you want when you want it without paying for extras you don't need. Buying by the hour also lets you change coaches.
The best way to find one is to ask around and get a recommendation from a friend who has used one, just as you would with a doctor or lawyer. If you're unable to find one that way, you might try the Five O'Clock Club. I have known Kate Wendleton, the Club's founder and President for many years. While I don't agree with everything she says and does, her work is generally quite good. She can refer you to one of her coaches.
She has a lot of products and services, so please buy only what you need and can afford. And if you can't afford anything but books, that's okay too. I'm suggesting some of her books below. Thousands of people have found great jobs without hiring a coach, and you can too.
( p. s. I have no connection with Kate's organization and get no fee for sending people over there. I mention her Club because It's the only reputable large national career coaching organization I'm aware of.)
Books
This list of books is intentionally small, mentioning only a few of the thousands (yes, thousands) of job hunting books out there.
This list concentrates on a few career authors who I know have been in the field long enough to really understand it -- and have the right experience to give good advice. You may not agree with all of it, and I don't agree with everything in all of the books below either. But this little collection is reasonably consistent in its advice, and certainly a good place to start.
Once again, I suggest reading several books, not just one or two. For the $100 to $200 that you might spend on a resume writer or career coach, you can buy a small reference library on all aspects of job hunting. And that might be a good idea, since job hunting is an essential part of career management these days, and you'll probably do it repeatedly over the course of your career.
Two books to increase your effectiveness as a job hunter
The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective
Job Search: The Proven Program Used by
the World's Leading Career Services Company
by Orville Pierson
See
it on Amazon
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Highly Effective Networking: Meet
the
Right People and Get a Great Job
by Orville Pierson
See
it on Amazon
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I wrote these books to fill what looked to me like two gaps in existing job hunting books. The Job Search book covers all aspects of planning a systematic Search Project and measuring your progress as you do it, something I could not find any other books on. Reading it before you write a resume will help you write a better, more focused resume, as well as making you more effective overall.
The Job Networking book is specifically about networking in job hunting, the one technique that virtually all experts agree is essential. Most other networking books focus on using networking in sales, in general business applications or in life.
Both of these books focus on the methods that have proven most effective over the years with hundreds of thousands of job hunters.
Resume Writing
Packaging Yourself: The Targeted Resume
by Kate Wendleton
See
it on Amazon
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The Resume.com Guide to
Writing Unbeatable Resumes
by Rose Curtis and Warren Simons
See
it on Amazon
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Both of these are generally good resume writing advice. I like that Kate sees the resume in the context of the whole job search, and she provides examples of dealing with some common resume issues. This is NOT a recommendation of a website called Resume.com, just of the book. If that website still exists, it's not run by the same group that ran it when the book was published
Executive recruiters (and employment agencies)
Kennedy’s Pocket Guide to Working
With Executive Recruiters
Kennedyinfo.com
See
it on Amazon
This is a must if you are in the executive category, earning $100,000 or more. It’s also useful for people below that salary level, especially if their careers are in business and their resumes show strong, recent experience in the kind of work they’re looking for. In addition to this book, Kennedy offers directories and databases of recruiters, online and in print, searchable by specialty. If you are an executive, these listings are very useful and you should get your resume to a large number of recruiters who specialize in what you do.
General job search advice
: two classics
Through the Brick Wall: How to
Job Hunt in a Tight Market
By Kate Wendleton
See
it on Amazon
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The Complete Job Search Handbook (third
edition): Everything You Need to Know to Get the Job You Really
Want
By Howard Figler
See
it on Amazon
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These are both older books, but both are classics in the field of job hunting. Each of them covers pretty much all aspects of job search in a single book. Both are pre-Internet books, but since job hunting at its core is still a person-to-person activity, the content is still very useful.
While I don’t agree with everything in these books, I do agree with most of it. You’ll find some excellent tips in both on a wide range of job search techniques and maintaining the right attitude in using them. Kate Wendleton has a number of newer books out as well, but none are as comprehensive as this older volume.
Career change or selecting a career
If you're contemplating a major career change or just starting a career and not yet clear on what you want to do, these are useful books to help you make decisions on career direction.
Bolles' book also includes general job search advice that is useful, but a bit rambling and not always logical or systematic. He's a popular author, and it looks to me like people react very strongly to him, some positively, some negatively. You don't need to have his latest edition since the annual changes are usually minor.
The Tieger-Barron book is based on the same personality theories as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a widely used psychological instrument. It is a guide for looking at the natural strengths of your personality and career directions those strengths might suggest.
