Ford Myers : Get The Job You Want Even When No One’s Hiring
This book is one of the better career change and job search books I’ve read in a while. The best sections come at the beginning (as happens with most career books). There’s good advice on introspection and I especially like the Ideal Day Exercise.
The book is divided into bite-size chapters, each just a page or two. With the Table of Contents, it’s easy to find what you want.
Chapters 7 and 8 are especially good. Career advice in the 21st century has been turned upside down. You can’t stop the storm so learn to walk in the rain. Yes!
For implementation, I like the advice on networking. Myers is right: These days, job search doesn’t include networking. It’s ALL networking.
The resume sections look good, but I would check with people in your own industry. I still find it hard to believe people get jobs with functional resumes. There’s a good example of a cover letter on page 124.
Some quibbles:
On page 27, the author suggests substitute teaching as a temporary stopgap career. I’ve never heard of substitute teaching in “colleges and universities.” The closest reality would be taking a position as an adjunct, where you teach one course for $1500-$3000. You get lots of work and little respect. Sometimes those jobs do help you network but you can’t count on it. If you’ve never taught, you’ll be amazed at how much energy you need (even for a 50-minute college class) and how tired you’ll feel afterward.
On page 168, the author provides a good sample acceptance letter – for an entry or lower-level job. For a job paying over $70,000 (the salary mentioned) you won’t be expected to track your hours and you probably won’t get by with 35 hours a week. An executive acceptance letter would have more detail.
Obviously reviewers can’t comment on every single chapter. However, I want to emphasize that Myers wisely warns readers about scams. He doesn’t go far enough. I once got hired by an executive who decided to pay for a resume blasting service, i.e., get his resume sent to thousands of “hiring managers.” They promised to “put him in front of” employers who had the power to hire him.
I explained that only recruiters (also known as headhunters) could do this legitimately. Nevertheless, he was not deterred. He’s not alone. The author would do many job hunters a service by warning against specific scams and recommending steps to take when hiring a career coach or counselor. Sadly, many job hunters go for the scams and then distrust legitimate professionals who warn them. They think we’re being self-serving. By the time they figure things out, they can’t afford the real deal.