Once upon a time, in a land where jobs were plentiful and loyalty was rewarded, finding a job was easier. You typed up an attractive resume that listed your skills and responsibilities, you went on an interview or two, obtained a job offer, and happily worked at that company for many years--if not for the rest of your employed life.
As Holland's book indicates, the new job market doesn't resemble this model at all. Employers aren't as concerned with college degrees and former job titles. They want to know what value you can create for them in the future. Today's job seekers don't expect to stay within the same company or in the same position for more than a few years. And employers don't expect they will either. Social media has nearly replaced networking groups.
As I am finding out, the job market is still tougher for women because they often have careers interrupted by caring for their children or elderly parents/in-laws. And while parents used to believe that sending their children to college meant a guaranteed job afterwards, they are now encouraged to help their children learn about value creation early in life.
These are all concepts I learned about in Holland's book. And I don't have to wonder if they are true. I see it all around me. They apply to my own circumstances. They apply to my son's circumstances. He once worked a full-time job and a part-time job. When he was let go from his full-time job, he was at least able to increase his hours at his part-time job. But it was still a significant loss in pay. He and his wife have no health insurance, and they struggle to make ends meet. Yes, I can give him tons of parental advice, but I feel the best thing I can do for him right now is purchase him a copy of Cracking the New Job Market to help him with his job search.
Holland uses his years of experience in human resources to offer sound advice for today's job seekers. His conversational, inspiring style will be much appreciated. While every chapter is a winner in this book, the 7 Rules are complemented by helpful Appendices that discuss how to encourage value creation in your children, how to financially plan for new career realities, how to apply the rules to worldwide employment, and an example of a functional resume.
Job seekers everywhere need to pick up a copy of this book!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I received no compensation of any kind.
This is the 45th book I've read for the following challenge:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment