On job
hunting depression:
... Do these
despondent comments sound familiar? The feelings of Rose, Julie, and Doug are
not uncommon. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 410,000
people in 1995 who wanted a job stopped looking due to discouragement. Those
job seekers gave up because, among other things, they couldn’t find work or
they believed there was no work available. Maybe you're one of those 410,000
people. If so, please read this book carefully and try its suggestions. It
will help resurrect your ego! (page 17)
On resumes:
The cold, hard fact
is you have just one chance to sell yourself with your resume. And according
to the experts, you have LESS THAN 20 SECONDS to do it. That's about how much
time a prospective employer will invest in reading it ... so you need to snag
his attention right away. And by the way, it took you about 20 seconds to read
this paragraph. Your entire resume will be scanned this quickly as a snap
judgment is made, so time is of the essence! (page 24)
On
unadvertised jobs:
Interestingly,
experts estimate that less than 20% of job openings are advertised. That means
about eight out of every ten job openings are available to only the
enterprising, self-motivated people who will show some initiative and go out
looking for them. Isn't that you? Wouldn't those qualities make a lasting
impression on a prospective employer? (page 52)
On the
Internet:
Perhaps the strongest
reason for becoming proficient at using the Internet is revealed in the
results of a survey conducted by the employment firm Robert Half International
... the Gainesville Sun reported that of the 150 executives contacted at large
U.S. firms, 61% said strong knowledge of how to use the Internet would make
job candidates more marketable in their fields. 76% said Internet abilities
would help employees advance in five years. (page 78)
On the length of the job
search campaign:
Though the length of
the job hunt is so unpredictable, current studies conducted by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics reveal that the average job hunting campaign lasts 16 1/2
weeks, with 17% of job seekers still searching after 27 weeks. These figures
should help you realize that in order to prevent frustration and
disappointment, you must prepare yourself for the long haul. And if you beat
the odds and find a job in above-average time, think of how great you will
feel! (page 17)
On
strategy:
The truth of the
matter is this: the average job seeker, whose job hunting campaign lasts an
average of 16 1/2 weeks, uses less than two methods to find a job. Logic dictates
that if you use more than the average number of methods, you should be able to
reduce the average number of weeks it takes to find work. So if you want to
increase your odds, you will need to use as many avenues as possible. By way
of review, those ten avenues are ... (page 91)
On making
a lasting impression:
(a quote from a
counselor for a local Jobs & Benefits Center who has interviewed over
30,000 people) "85% of the decision of whether or not to hire you is made
in those first FIVE TO SEVEN SECONDS of the job interview"! So then,
faster than it takes you to recite the alphabet, the employer has sized you up
and formed an opinion of your hirability. (page 94)
On job interviews:
Can you tell me a
little about yourself? Why should I hire you? What is your greatest weakness?
Aren’t you a bit overqualified for this position? What salary do you expect?
This is a small sampling of the barrage of questions in the average job
interviewer’s bag of tricks. If he is met with a blank stare, the silence
broken only by the chirping of a few crickets in the background, then your
chances of making a lasting impression will shrink faster than a swimsuit in
the clothes dryer. You need a plan. You need intelligent responses. (page 113)
On negotiation:
The finesse of
knowing how to effectively negotiate your salaries and raises can easily be
worth anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 PER YEAR, which translates into hundreds
of thousands of dollars over the course of your career! (page 124)
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