I skipped my Monday morning network meeting to spend a couple of hours with Ellen and Lorie, owners of Elite Business Communications, coaches and authors of the fresh-off-the-press book “The Complete Job Search Handbook“.
I asked them why they decided to write this book and they said that their experiences as executive coaches usually led them into helping with job search stuff, either for their clients or their clients’ kids.
I asked them what makes this book different among the rest and they said that it was easy to read, there is no BS – just good hearty content.
I asked them how they found the other job search books that are already on the market to be and they said they were all across the board (I agree with that!).
I’ve been perusing their book and find it to be helpful. One thing I like in there is that there is a lot of stuff on ettiquite (which this Jason really needs!). I don’t remember reading so much on ettiquite other than the normal “be professional/strong handshake” type thing – but these ladies lay out lots of ettiquite for you – job seeker or not. For me that would probably be the main differentiator, comparing it to other books.
Of course they talk about organizing the job search but they talk about having 3×5 cards… you already know how I feel about that 😉 I also didn’t see anything on there about personal branding, so maybe there will be a Complete Job Search Handbook Part II 😉
I confess that I have not really read many of these (I perused other books earlier this year when I was in my job hunt and hated reading these HUGE things that had too much information, or lists and lists of other resources – neither of which this book has/does). I would love to get a copy of CM Russell’s Ultimate Job Hunting Secrets and weigh in on it. CM (aka Chris) is an online buddy and more in touch with this stuff than most people I know – he owns and operates a number of county based job boards and contributes to a number of blogs. I don’t know what version his book is in but I’m sure it is interseting based on his exposure to the issues.
I just read that NBC is looking at cutting $750 million, which will affect 700 people – make that, 700 familes. Maybe Lorie and Ellen need to go give each of these hard workers one of their new books as they walk out the door.
And this morning I read about the AOL announcement of 1,700 layoffs on the east coast and selling a local office in Utah with about 400 employees who they “hope will be able to land a job with the company that’s buying it.” Isn’t it nice that AOL *hopes* the best for their employees?
Listen, you can get ticked about the employer hoping… but that’s more than they owe you. They paid you a “fair” wage while you were there, and you are now even. If you were looking to them for your career then you don’t understand how things work anymore.
If you have a job now you need to realize what you got … its like holding water in your hand. It can go at any time… what are you doing to prepare? I’m dying for the 6th to come because the carnival entries are getting “gooder and gooder”… you’re going to love what people are coming up with, and it is straight from the heart. Subscribe to this blog (see the box in the upper right?) so you don’t miss out on it… I promise it will be the bomb!
ask and you shall receive. email me your address jason and i’ll get you a copy
Chris – I guess I’m a wierdo-moocher for asking in a blog post and not an e-mail… …. but thanks for the book! Can’t wait to get it and let my readers know more about all the things you are involved with!
I liked Jason’s comment at the end about “your career.” He is right on. I just had an interview yesterday and the employer told me they were looking for someone “long term” that was not just using this job as a “stepping stone” for another job. I almost laughed and wanted to ask if they guaranteed “long term” employment. How can they expect a long term commitment in today’s environment?
Thanks for bringing that out Fred… there definitely is a difference between a job and a career – and the employer is really only going to commit to giving you one (can you guess which?)…
Another interesting book for executives is John Lucht’s Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+: Your Insider’s Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress. (Long name!) I first saw this book when I lived in Connecticut in the early 1990s. The author updates it frequently and I’ve purchased a new version every few years.
Lucht has a related Web site, http://www.RiteSite.com, with information on a select number of recruiters he recommends, along with a bunch of other job searching tools. There is little or no overlap with JibberJobber.com.
The books has a lot of good information on the job search process for executives. The author is a recruiter and includes some excellent information on working with recruiters. One area in which I take issue with him is his advice on resumes. He suggests going on for page after page, providing a narrative for each job and taking as much space as necessary. I don’t know if this has changed recently; my latest edition of the book is 2003.
I’d be interested in others’ comments on this book or site.