| Reviewer: Mark Lamendola, author
of over 4500 articles in print or online. During
the 1980s and 1990s, I read just about every job book published. Of
all those books, What Color is Your Parachute? and Don't
Send A Resume stand out in my memory. And now I can add a third.
When I first came across this book, I recognized
Chandra Prasad's name because I had read her in the Wall Street
Journal countless times.
This book was well-researched, and it helps the
reader connect the dots. I've read books where the author admonishes
the reader, "Make sure you research the company! Look them up
in Value Line!" I've been on dozens of interviews and have found
this advice completely worthless. You probably have, also. This made
me think maybe I could write such drivel and sell a book.
Quite frankly, you won't impress an interviewer
just because you can rattle off the names of the members of the Board
of Directors or quote from the company's last annual report. If anything,
you will just irritate this person--especially if you don't know other
things that you should know.
Ms. Prasad took a different approach, telling
us what kind of information to look for when researching a company.
As I read this, I thought, "Yes! This is exactly what a job seeker
needs to know!" And so it went throughout the book.
Ms. Prasad's practical advice takes you through
the entire job search process, starting with a personal inventory--a
step most people shortchange because they don't understand how to
do it. And they pay for that shortcut with longer job searches and
shorter stretches of employment. That consequence is true of each
step in the job search process, actually. Which is why the approach
of this book is so valuable to anybody who is in the job market. Most
people let the job market beat them, but this book shows you how to
beat the job market--just as its title implies. If you want to win
this particular battle of wits, you need to be well-armed
--and this book is a regular Howitzer.
If you hold a job, you are likely to be looking
for one soon. If you are looking for a job, you will likely be looking
again. If you are spending your time massaging your resume, you will
be looking for a while. If you take the time to read and apply this
book, you will shorten your job search and lengthen your subsequent
employment. |