The Job-Hunter’s Bible

Just as it has done for the past three decades, What Color is Your Parachute? 2007 (10 Speed Press, $17.95), is sure to make the best-sellers list again this year. The annual job-hunter’s and career-changer’s definitive guide has been a steady seller, with 9 million copies sold and no end in sight. Translated into 12 languages in more than 20 countries, it is designated by the Library of Congress as one of 25 books—alongside The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, War and Peace and Walden—that have shaped readers’ lives.

No doubt the biggest reason for the guide’s amazing longevity is that it works. Completely updated, the latest edition of Richard Nelson Bolles’ magnum opus is divided into three main parts: things school never taught us about the job hunt; how to deal with change when the unexpected happens; and resuming the search to find your dream job.

An example of author Bolles’ insightful hints and tips, are these “secrets” of salary negotiation:

• Never discuss salary until the end of the interviewing process when they have definitely said they want you.
• The purpose of salary negotiation is to uncover the most that an employer is
  willing to pay to get you.
• During the salary discussion, try never to be the first one to mention a salary figure.
• Before you go on the interview, do some careful research on typical salaries for your field and/or that organization.
• Define a range that the employer has in mind, then define an interrelated range for yourself.

Before you begin your first, or your next job search, pick up and read a copy of Parachute. It just may be the best investment of time and money you’ll ever make.   

Résumés That Can Get the Job Done

A persuasive résumé is one of the most important tools you’ll need to help you land that “perfect” job. According to career management Ph.D. Jim Bright and registered psychologist Joanne Earl, co-authors of Amazing Résumés: What Employers Want to See—and How to Say It (Jist Works, $12.95), hiring managers and human resource personnel will spend less than two minutes reading your résumé. And though they’ll never admit it publicly, it’s not unheard of for a manager to toss a résumé in the wastebasket after nothing more than a cursory glance.
How do you beat those odds and land your résumé on top of the pile? Whether creating a résumé from scratch or improving an existing one, you can rise above the competition by directly addressing the employer’s selection criteria. Start by becoming “a job detective” the authors write. “Find out as much as you can about a job before applying…and understand what an employer is looking for.”

Divided into four parts, the book gets right down to the business at hand:

• Part 1 introduces the concept of a résumé as a marketing piece and leads you through a series of exercises to create an impressive, thorough document.
• Part 2 builds upon this theme, with tips on how to enhance the basic template you’ve created to make it even stronger.
• Part 3 provides answers to some of those tricky questions about what to include and what to leave out, as well as issues relating to references, cover letters and dealing with prejudice.
• Part 4 provides advice on using the Internet to find the right job, as well as a guide to posting your résumé online.

Through a series of before-and-after résumé examples, exercises, worksheets and samples throughout the book, solid down-to-earth advice and information help the reader identify  what employers are looking for and how the hiring process really works.

Career Moves

Finally comes that long-awaited moment. Diploma in hand, you’re ready to face the world. Now what? “Most people, when planning their careers, think mainly about the job they want and the education or training they need to get it,” Michael Farr and co-author Laurence Shatkin in 40 Best Fields for Your Career write (Jist Works, $16.95). “Unfortunately, they often overlook the enormous importance of the field (or industry) where they’ll work.”

With statistical data abstracted from the U.S. Department of Labor publication Career Guide to Industries, the authors have selected the 40 top fields with the best scores based on a combination of earnings of people working in each field, plus the projected percent of employment growth and the projected increase in the total number of workers in that same field.

Topping the list overall is the field of Computer Systems Design and Related Services. Broken down by category, Software Publishers takes the top spot for the best-paying field, with annual earnings per individual of just over $71,000. Among the fastest-growing industries, Software Publishers again takes first place with a 67.6 percent rate of growth, but drops down to 18th place in projected number of available new jobs. Biggest workforce increases are expected in Health Care, followed by Educational Services; Employment Services; Food Services and Drinking Places; and State and Local Government. 

So, if you’re just entering the work force or looking to change careers, you might want to check to see if your chosen profession is in the Top 40 before taking that next leap of faith.

Up the Ladder of Success

You’ve got your foot firmly planted on the first rung of the career ladder. Now what will it take to climb to the top and fast track your career? One way to make sure you’re headed in the right direction is to follow in the footsteps of those who have made it.

Based on extensive research among hundreds of high-flying young executives at some of the world’s best-known companies, Princeton graduate and Harvard Business School MBA Hugh Karseras has written From New Recruit to High Flyer (Kogan Page $17.95). Some of the no-nonsense advice offered includes chapters devoted to communication skills, building a network, finding mentors, and how to become politically savvy, all important steps toward success.

According to the hundreds of high-flying executives interviewed, the single most important ingredient for success is attitude. But don’t expect to flip to the chapter devoted to attitude and find a magic bullet. “Getting your attitude right is hard and something you should not take lightly,” the author cautions.

 Among the suggestions proffered for creating and assuring the right attitude are these:

• Ensure a relentless work ethic.
• Be enthusiastic and do not complain.
• Adopt a genuinely proactive and can-do approach.
• Develop a deep-seated desire to learn.
• Exhibit a contagious team spirit.

Become a rising star in your organization, and the rewards are many, the author writes. Among them, greater job satisfaction, higher pay and faster promotion.