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Get a Job!: How I Found a Job when Jobs are Hard to Find – And So Can You
Unique job hunting advice for the new economy, told with personal anecdotes and real more like chicken soup for the job-seeker than a dry reference manual!
Get a Job! shows people at any point in their career how to find a job, and how to keep that job once they have it. The new economy of real 16% unemployment requires job hunters to think like a hiring manager.
Quillen's book alone teaches readers how to do that, by providing insights into the thought process of hiring managers and HR Directors -- because he has been one most of his career! Using stories and anecdotes throughout, all from his 20+ years of personal experience and as a very recent job seeker himself, his credentials are better than anyone else writing on this subject. Ten or fifteen years ago, a well-crafted resume got you interviews and a job.
But now, in the horrific "New Normal" economy where real unemployment is more than 16%, you absolutely have to tailor your resume specifically to each job for which you are applying. If you don't, less-qualified candidates will get the interviews, and you'll be left out in the cold.
This is just one part of the new job-seeking world that author Dan Quillen reveals from personal experience. Laid off in 2011, Dan was part of two networking groups...their average interviews per resume submitted was something like 5% -- one in twenty. Dan's was 24% -- nearly one in four. Dan got a job in record time, and now he shows readers how to do the same in Get a Job!
Rather than a cold impersonal litany of things to do, Get a Job! is more like sitting down with an old friend who has taken a personal interest in the job seeker’s dilemma. Quillen takes his readers by the hand and guides them through all the critical steps necessary for finding a job today -- not twenty years ago. Along the way, Quillen shares his own personal experiences in finding work in today's difficult economy, seen through the lens of his decades of HR experience as a hiring manager and HR director. The use of the Internet and social media is an important component of this book, which is filled with examples from Dan's own job hunt. Featured are copies of his resume (reviewed and discussed section-by-section), the job boards he used in his search and how best to use them, first steps to take after being laid off, the importance of resumes and cover letters, overcoming gatekeepers, preparing for the interview and how to excel at one, temp agencies, age-related questions, and much more.
Dan also provides great strategies on how to keep a job once you've landed it, how to prepare to leave if the job appears to be ending, and how to stay positive in a very negative time. Real examples from Dan's search are the hallmark of every chapter, every strategy offered to readers.
Get a Job! shows people at any point in their career how to find a job, and how to keep that job once they have it. The new economy of real 16% unemployment requires job hunters to think like a hiring manager.
Quillen's book alone teaches readers how to do that, by providing insights into the thought process of hiring managers and HR Directors -- because he has been one most of his career! Using stories and anecdotes throughout, all from his 20+ years of personal experience and as a very recent job seeker himself, his credentials are better than anyone else writing on this subject. Ten or fifteen years ago, a well-crafted resume got you interviews and a job.
But now, in the horrific "New Normal" economy where real unemployment is more than 16%, you absolutely have to tailor your resume specifically to each job for which you are applying. If you don't, less-qualified candidates will get the interviews, and you'll be left out in the cold.
This is just one part of the new job-seeking world that author Dan Quillen reveals from personal experience. Laid off in 2011, Dan was part of two networking groups...their average interviews per resume submitted was something like 5% -- one in twenty. Dan's was 24% -- nearly one in four. Dan got a job in record time, and now he shows readers how to do the same in Get a Job!
Rather than a cold impersonal litany of things to do, Get a Job! is more like sitting down with an old friend who has taken a personal interest in the job seeker’s dilemma. Quillen takes his readers by the hand and guides them through all the critical steps necessary for finding a job today -- not twenty years ago. Along the way, Quillen shares his own personal experiences in finding work in today's difficult economy, seen through the lens of his decades of HR experience as a hiring manager and HR director. The use of the Internet and social media is an important component of this book, which is filled with examples from Dan's own job hunt. Featured are copies of his resume (reviewed and discussed section-by-section), the job boards he used in his search and how best to use them, first steps to take after being laid off, the importance of resumes and cover letters, overcoming gatekeepers, preparing for the interview and how to excel at one, temp agencies, age-related questions, and much more.
Dan also provides great strategies on how to keep a job once you've landed it, how to prepare to leave if the job appears to be ending, and how to stay positive in a very negative time. Real examples from Dan's search are the hallmark of every chapter, every strategy offered to readers.
192 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 8, 2015
Author Dan Quillen was enjoying his career as an executive recruiter for a law firm when, like so many of us, he was laid off. Drawing on his experience as a recruiter, "Get a Job" details how he was able to secure an astounding 34 invitations to interview before landing a new position to continue his career.
In addition to detailed advice about resumes, cover letters, interview prep and the interview itself, Quillen includes chapters on:
Plan to Stay (make yourself important to your company), Prepare to Leave (continual professional development - finish school!)
First Steps After a Layoff (make a plan, work your plan)
Staying Positive (take care of yourself, ask for and accept help, realize you are not alone)
After You Land Your Job (an often neglected but vitally important aspect of career management - don't get fired for silly mistakes!)
My only quibble, but not Quillen's fault because it is not his experience and not his focus, is that Get a Job focuses on mid-level and above career transitions; there are no comments on the barriers that many of my clients face (challenges that come with job searching while experiencing homelessness, returning to work after long absences, or criminal background issues).
That aside, I recommend "Get a Job" because Quillen's advice is spot-on, advice I coach my clients to consider. And you can't really quibble with 34 invitations to interview.
In addition to detailed advice about resumes, cover letters, interview prep and the interview itself, Quillen includes chapters on:
Plan to Stay (make yourself important to your company), Prepare to Leave (continual professional development - finish school!)
First Steps After a Layoff (make a plan, work your plan)
Staying Positive (take care of yourself, ask for and accept help, realize you are not alone)
After You Land Your Job (an often neglected but vitally important aspect of career management - don't get fired for silly mistakes!)
My only quibble, but not Quillen's fault because it is not his experience and not his focus, is that Get a Job focuses on mid-level and above career transitions; there are no comments on the barriers that many of my clients face (challenges that come with job searching while experiencing homelessness, returning to work after long absences, or criminal background issues).
That aside, I recommend "Get a Job" because Quillen's advice is spot-on, advice I coach my clients to consider. And you can't really quibble with 34 invitations to interview.
Displaying 1 of 1 review