Review of What Not to Do When Seeking Employment by Jay B. Crawford 

Job search books generally contain good advice on what to do to get a job. But, are you aware of the things not to do? This is where Jay B. Crawford brings his decades of experience as both a job seeker and a job placement expert to your rescue.

In this age of continual economic restructuring, job change is almost always inevitable and almost never voluntary. Job seekers diligently go about the process of finding a job, then wonder why they are still looking many months after they started. What went wrong? This is where people tend to remain clueless--and, consequently, jobless. Crawford tackles that problem head-on.

In the first chapter, he talks about his own career--one that would make a decent plot for a movie--and provides ample lessons that he summarizes with a listing of "Don'ts" at the end. He continues the pattern through each of the subsequent chapters, always summarizing the lessons learned with a list of "Don'ts" at the end of the chapter.

The next two chapters deal with the mindset you need to have and the pressures you face. The next two chapters discuss how to prepare for your job search and some options to explore while engaged in it. The next four chapters (6, 7, 8, and 9) get into the nitty gritty of conducting the search (cover letter and resume preparation, interviewing overview, telephone interviewing, and in-person interviewing, respectively). The tenth chapter addresses how to overcome a failing job campaign, and the eleventh chapter summarizes the book so you don't forget the most important concepts.

As Crawford relates his own experiences and the lessons learned therein, he frequently uses the experiene he's talking about as the basis for advice on how to keep the job you have. And it's pretty solid advice.

Crawford's style is that of a mentor. As I read this book, I felt like Jay Crawford was sitting across from me talking to me, with my best interests at heart. The text is crisp, entertaining, and energetic--all with a personal touch. Crawford strikes me as a man who doesn't speak unless he has something to say. And when he does say something, it's worth hearing.

If you're a wage-earner, this book should definitely be in your collection. But, I think it has more value than just that. If you are a parent, consider asking your child to read this book and talk with you about it (you could break that effort down into one chapter at a time, for younger children). You will both learn from that, plus have a meaningful exchange. And, your child will learn some valuable life lessons.

This book isn't about what tricks to perform to get an employer to hire you. It's about how to be a more desirable employee while conducting a job search, and how to avoid the common mistakes that could shut you out of the job you want.