Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door (34 page)

And the answer to the title question is, “Yes. If you wear a nose ring every day and you’re not going to give it up, then you need to show your true colors.” Aimed at first-time job seekers, this book answers questions that newbies may not even think to ask.

Reeves says that the first step in setting yourself up for success is to stop looking for a job. Instead, she says, start looking for a person. “The right person will lead you to the right job.” She starts with the absolute basics: “Being professional means being well-dressed and well-groomed; being punctual, proactive, and efficient; presenting your experience and abilities articulately and with confidence; and making sure the documents that support your candidacy are impeccable.” Additionally, she stresses the importance of the job seeker’s online presence. Google yourself, she says, and see what’s out there that will derail your search.

Topics from “What If They Hate Me?” to “Should I Use My Nickname?” to whether to send a digital or hard copy résumé get thorough, useful answers. In fact, the text is peppered with real questions posed to the author over her years as a consultant, and the advice spans the job hunt from résumés, applications, cover letters, references, the interview, clothing, tricky questions, follow-up, weighing the offer, being a good employee, and how to move on when the time comes.

It’s a back-to-basics, fun read that lays the foundation for lifelong skills.

You will realize that this book appeals to a very specific audience as soon as you read the subtitle,
8 Steps to the $250,000+ Executive Job That’s Right for You.
I’ve included it in my list because those are the jobs that are often most difficult to find; there are fewer of them and even fewer qualified candidates.

Lowstuter begins with his own experience of being fired from a job that he thought was secure, given his excellent performance reviews. He hadn’t realized how distant he and his boss had become, and blames his departure on a lack of chemistry with the boss. And he warns others that while the experience is not unique, it can have a positive outcome: “Traumatic situations will always be with you. Tough, unsettling times represent opportunities for profound learning and personal growth.”

His eight steps start with the “Inner View,” which covers how to take charge of your career. “Strategies and Options” focuses on strengths, career options, and entrepreneurship. “Credential Building” reviews résumés, marketing letters, and references. “The Search Process” shows job hunters how to find where the jobs are, networking, search firms, and Internet searches. “Selling Yourself ” takes a hard look at interviewing and handling tough questions. “Managing the Campaign” examines successful career search strategies and formulas. “Negotiations” gets down to the nitty-gritty on what to expect in a reasonable offer. Finally, “The Next Step” tackles the topic of executive onboarding and a survival plan in your new position.

Lowstuter’s exercises, tools, examples, worksheets, and personal experiences comprise a comprehensive guide and a fresh perspective.

“There’s no doubt that networking can help you conduct a better job search and find a better job—if you can find comfortable and effective ways to network,” the author begins. Obviously, I couldn’t agree more. Job search networking comes in four stages: decide to work more effectively, prepare for job hunting, talk to personal and professional contacts, and land a new job.

Job hunting is a big project, requiring you to understand your goals, do some preparation, and have a structured approach. With the ultimate goal of getting a new job, Peterson lays out four networking goals: Get the word out about your search and yourself; gather the information you need; meet insiders at places you’d like to work; and get in touch with decision makers.

Several points in particular caught this networking junkie’s attention. First, no Web site can do your networking for you. Pierson discusses using social and professional networking sites as a research tool, but not as a first direct contact. He explains the steps that will save you time and still allow you access to the greatest number of contacts. And he debunks a number of networking myths, such as that you have to know a lot of people to build a successful network. His book walks the job hunter through the process of moving from networking to interviews to job offers.

The strength of this book, though, is that it shows you how to use your network. Pierson’s best advice: “Talk to as many people as possible about your job search. If you’re smart about who you talk to and what you say, your search will go faster and better.”

The subtitle of this book is
“Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type
.” The authors say their book is different in that it “does not offer generic, one-size-fits-all advice . . . the Personality Type (system) enables us to truly individualize the career discovery process—to give you invaluable insights about yourself, and to enable you to find a career that makes the best use of your natural talents.”

The authors say the secret of career satisfaction lies in doing what you enjoy most, and provide a list of questions to help readers determine whether they are in the right job. It is important to “spend some time figuring out what makes you tick.”

Much of their discussion is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the sixteen different personality types and four personality preference scales that are described in the writings of Isabel Briggs Myers. The authors remind job hunters, “[Personality] Type does not determine intelligence or predict success . . . it does help us discover what best motivates and energizes each of us to seek these elements in the work we choose to do.”

Chapters on “The Four Different Temperaments,” “Identifying Your Innate Strengths,” and “Developing Your Abilities over Time” give the job hunters an overview of how the research applies to them. The bulk of the book, devoted to case studies of the sixteen personality types, provides detailed profiles of career-satisfied people and analysis to show readers how their jobs let them use their natural strengths. The authors then offer advice for “Putting It All Together,” with ten steps to creating a personal career plan.

With solid advice, clear examples, and a proven track record, this book is high on my recommended list.

“Not until middle age do many of us gain the perspective and wisdom needed to recognize, amid all that noise, the signals to which we are truly attuned,” the author says. “The professional path we ‘selected’ (or were shunted into) at age 25, we realize, now differs radically from the one we would choose from scratch at age 50. At this stage of life, however, with the clock inexorably ticking, achieving life goals and leaving a legacy assume a new sense of urgency. Fortunately, it’s also at this point that we’re finally able to dream like children—while putting a lifetime of knowledge and experience to work.”

That’s good news in this job market, especially with older workers facing layoffs, involuntary retirement, and a tough job market at a time when many will need to work longer than they originally planned. Greengard defines re-careering as “a deliberate transition to a new position with entirely different responsibilities,” and says it only knows the bounds we impose on ourselves.

His career-change checklist presents guidelines to keep a career moving forward, and he offers strategies for finding happiness and comfort beyond your comfort zone. He devotes chapters to a practical discussion of career and personality tests, career-counseling options, online resources, and career options ideal for baby boomers and older workers.

Other considerations that Greengard covers are money matters, volunteerism, alternative work options, social networking sites, polishing your résumé, and interviewing. He encourages older job seekers: “Especially for those in midlife and beyond, changing careers can transform an existence . . . it may deliver us to a place where reality finally dovetails with imagination.”

Since it was first published in 1985,
Knock ’em Dead
has sold over five million copies, which should reassure any job hunter that there’s some good advice within. Yate divides the book into five sections, starting with “The Well-Stocked Briefcase,” an examination of ways to package your professional skills and job search techniques. As Yate says, “There is no magic bullet when it comes to successful job search techniques, no single best approach . . . The best technique—and there are a dozen different choices when it comes to job searching—is the one that unearths that perfect opportunity.”

Part II, “Getting the Word Out,” spans contacts, dress, body language, and interview preparation, which leads to Part III, “Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions,” a study of what the questions mean and how to handle strange settings and even table etiquette. Also included are dos and don’ts for leaving a favorable impression. Part IV discusses finishing touches, such as interview follow-up, negotiations, multiple offers, and psychological tests. Part V looks at specific crises, like job hunting while still employed, clouds on the horizon, and financial considerations.

While appendixes are a nice touch, this book has a novel approach. The first appendix is six pages long, listing questions that job hunters have and references to the page on which they are answered. It’s a great tool. The second appendix concentrates on age discrimination in a youth-oriented culture. There’s valuable info here, too.

“A company rarely hires the first competent person it sees,” Yate writes. “You must develop a strategy to keep your name and skills constantly in the forefront of the interviewer’s mind.”

“While career planning and job seeking can be complicated topics, only two things are truly important in planning a career and in looking for a job: 1. If you are going to work, you might as well do something you enjoy, are good at, and want to do. 2. If you want to find or change your job, you might as well do it in less time,” according to the author.

He begins the book with a series of exercises designed to get the job hunter to think about the kind of life he or she really wants. From there, he looks at skills and says, “Because we take our many skills for granted, most people are not good at explaining the skills they have.” One study of employers found that three out of four people who interviewed for a job did not present the skills they had to do the job.

The chapter on identifying job objectives lists more than one thousand job titles to help job seekers find interests that they may not have considered. The next likely step is to look beyond what you are qualified for and consider what other fields you may have an interest in and look for other possibilities.

The chapters on applications, résumés, e-mail, and cover letters are very helpful, but Farr takes it a step further with JIST cards, business card-sized mini-résumés. The cards contain what an employer needs and wants to know, with no extra information that might be used to screen you out. Plenty of examples and a worksheet to help the job hunter design one are especially helpful.

Trust yourself, Farr says. “No one can know you better than you. So make the best decisions you can, and keep moving ahead in a positive way.”

 

Thank you, Dean Ellis, for that kind introduction.

Graduates, parents, and families, members of the administration and faculty . . . Thank you for inviting me to share this wonderful occasion with you.

I remember another very special graduation here, when my son David graduated from the USC Film School. David is now a film director in L.A., and our family borrowed an expression from his industry: “It’s in the can,” which means it’s done and no one can take it away from you.

We use this expression in our family after we have just had a terrific holiday or a wonderful vacation. So, congratulations to all of you. Tonight, it’s in the can. And no one can take this evening away from you.

Let me start by asking all of you in the audience this question:

How many people talk to themselves?

Please raise your hands.

I count approximately 50 percent.