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Best Job Search Books

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JobMonkey.com
Volume VIII, Issue #28
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Welcome to the JobMonkey Newsletter. Whether you are actively seeking a new job, just beginning to plan your career, or contemplating a change from the relative comforts of your current office, strategizing about your career -- and your life -- is complicated business. Fortunately, there is no shortage of literature out there to help you sort through all the variables. This month's newsletter takes a look at the top three career books (all of which, by the way, are available through the JobMonkey bookstore!)

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:

1) Career Advisor: What is Your Weakness?
2) Spotlight: Literature for Life
3) Around the Monkey: What Color Is Your Parachute, Anyway?
4) JobMonkey Job Center: International Opportunity

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CAREER ADVISOR: What is Your Weakness?
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by Amy Lindgren

When you're trying to convince someone that you can step into a new job, you don't really welcome a conversation about how you can't do that job after all. Right?

Of course not. Who wants to talk about what they can't do when they're at a job interview? Sadly, that's exactly the invitation being offered by the question, "What is your weakness?" Even more sadly, that's too often the information the candidate gives right back - a checklist of the things they can't do for the employer.

If you want off of this goofy merry-go-round (and you should), try turning the question around. Next time an interviewer asks for your weakness, try answering "One thing I'm looking forward to learning..." or "One thing I've been working to improve..."

You'd be surprised how quickly this change can impact the tone of the interview. Here's why. First, your new answer does not include the word "weakness." Instead, it uses words like "improve" or "strengthen."

Next, notice that the first version would be answered with a noun phrase, as in "My weakness is time management." That sounds like a personality flaw that can't be fixed, as opposed to a situation that is on the upswing.

Compare that answer to this more dynamic, verb-based version: "One thing I've been improving on is my ability to manage deadlines. I've learned some processes that really strengthen my time management skills and I'm looking forward to bringing them to the next level in this job."

Holy cow. Who would you rather hire? The person with the permanent time-management issues, or the one who is excited to continue learning this skill in your setting?

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SPOTLIGHT: Literature for Life
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Trying to figure out what to do with your life? Thinking about a career outdoors? Want to work abroad? How about a music career or film industry job? Whatever you want to do -- and especially if you have no idea what that is -- a book is a great place to start your journey. Reading about career planning and the ins and outs of jobs fields will not only expand your knowledge, it will expose you to new ways of thinking about your future.

While there are hundreds of great books out there about finding professional fulfillment, no one has time to read a million pages before they start their job search. If you need to narrow your focus, start with these three books. (And don't forget, you can buy any one of them -- or the hundreds of others -- from JobMonkey's bookstore.)

1. What Color Is Your Parachute 2009

What Color Is Your Parachute is the quintessential career-planning book. It is the most comprehensive guide for job seekers and careers changers. The book has been a mainstay on the best-seller list for more than three decades and is translated into 20 languages. As Fortune Magazine puts it, What Color Is Your Parachute is the "gold standard of career guides." If you read nothing else, read this book!

And don't worry: While the book may be decades old, the advice it contains is not! In fact, the 2009 edition has been updated with tons of new content, including inspiring, current examples and a step-by-step plan for taking charge of your life. No wonder more than 10 million copies have been sold and the Library of Congress named What Color Is Your Parachute "one of the 25 books that have shaped readers' lives."

2. Resumes for Dummies

When you want to cut through the academic pontificating and get straight down to business, there is no better resource than the "Dummies" series. Are you a struggling resume-writer? Then this book is the best place to start.

With 85% new content, the most recent edition will show you how to maximize your #1 marketing tool: your resume. Tips range from customizing your resume for each job opportunity to following up with companies once you've sent out your resume. The book will also teach you how to take advantage of Internet-based recruiting, including advice on utilizing meta-search engines and creating digital versions of your resume.

Resumes for Dummies also has a trove of sample resumes, from every imaginable industry, experience level and specialized circumstances. If you're looking for a resume to model yours after, you will find it in this book!

3. Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions

You've figured out the color of your parachute, you've polished up your resume and now you're finally landing some coveted interviews. Worried that you're going to bungle it? Grab a copy of Smart Answers to prepare for those tough questions with some savvy answers. Written by a seasoned marketing specialist, Smart Answers is the ultimate prep guide for this critical leg in your job search process.

Don't you hate the "What's your greatest weakness?" question? Smart Answers will teach how to answer it with honesty and integrity, without torpedoing your chances of being hired. What do you say to that totally obscure questions? Do you tell the truth about why you got fired from your last job? No matter what awkward job interview situation you find yourself in, Smart Answers can help you anticipate it.

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You can find any of these best-selling career planning books at the JobMonkey Resume Book Guide. You can also search our online bookstore by career category, to learn more about everything from animal jobs to video game jobs.

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AROUND THE MONKEY: What Color is Your Parachute, Anyway?
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The JobMonkey blog recently shared an interview with What Color Is Your Parachute author, Richard Bolles. Learn what Bolles thinks about job searching in the current economy, how he recommends that job seekers combat despair, and why he thinks there is still reason for optimism -- despite all the financial doom and gloom.

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JOB CENTER REPORT: New Opportunities Daily
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Do you know about the JobMonkey Job Center? If you've been getting this newsletter for a while, you probably do! If not, however, you should check out the JobMonkey Job Center today! It's a great place to start your search (in fact, we like to think it's the best place.) Our comprehensive database of job opportunities is updated daily and completely free to job seekers. And it features opportunities from around the country -- and the world.

 

 

 

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