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Title: Don't Send a Resume: And Other Contrarian Rules to Help Land a Great Job by Jeffrey J. Fox ISBN: 0-7868-6596-2 Publisher: Hyperion Pub. Date: 23 May, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (28 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Great approach and techniques for job hunting.
Comment: To Jeffrey Fox, nothing is more important in business than marketing and making the sale (ref his other books such as "How to become a Rainmaker").His guide to job hunting basically adopts a sales model to the task of landing a job. At the risk of sounding a little depersonalised, you are the "product" and in your job seeking the task is to sell the "product" to the customer (ie the prospective employer). If you think about it, it makes perfect sense and explains why many conventional job hunting approaches have such a poor success rate. The book contains a wealth of strategies and tactics but to me the real value is the approach and the mindset he sets out. I am currently employed but I work in an industry where takeovers and mergers are an occupational hazard, so I bought the book to "be prepared". Although not actively looking for a job, I was aware of an attractive opportunity and decided to try out some of the ideas in the book. An "impact" letter got an almost immediate response and led to an interview. At this stage, the company is looking for someone with a different skill set to me but they are likely to expand and there could well be an opportunity in a few months time. Maybe not a decisive demonstration of the book's efficacy but certainly enough to convince me that Jeffrey Fox's approach has merit and is worth exploring further.
Rating: 5
Summary: RIGHT ON THE MARK!
Comment: Jeffrey J. Fox is accurate, full of wisdom and absolutely correct when he advises not to send resumes and other unauthorized material in searching for employment. Some people send them unsolicited and "willy-nilly" everywhere and anywhere, and then wonder why they do not receive a response. Save money on the fancy paper, printing and binding costs and spend your time reading this book. Some companies literally receive hundreds of resumes each week, and a good majority eventually work their way into file #13, better known as the trash can.
From years of management experience and having written extensive training material on the topic, I can tell you that no employer is going to be impressed by a resume that tells the reader why YOU need a job, and to be very blunt and honest, most employers do not care why. An employer wants to know what you can do for the company, not what the company can do for you. What exceptional knowledge, experience, training, marketing skills, sales ability, customer service skills, client base, ideas, productivity, etc. can you bring to the company that is more impressive than the other thousand and one applications sitting on the desk? The employer wants to know how the company is going to benefit if they hire you over everyone else, and what specific strategic plan you have in mind that will help the company grow to its full potential and increase productivity, motivation and profits. Are you a team player and can you also work well independently? Can you take direction and constructive criticism? As for a job interview, it is an opportunity to listen, learn and sell - to convince the employer why you are the best person for the job. You also want to pay close attention to your manners and social skills. It is a known fact that when it comes to hiring management personnel, many decisions are made in a social setting, i.e., over dinner, on a golf course, etc. If etiquette is not one of your foremost subjects, it is time to hone up on social graces and conversational skills.
Employers already know you need the job or you would not be applying; they know you need to put food on the table, a place to live and that you have debts to pay - we all do! An employer well trained in business management will hire those they feel can best do the job, and that does not necessarily mean those most in need. Employers are not in business to be social assistance providers, they are in business to make a profit or their company will not survive.
For those who constantly find themselves sending resumes with little or not response, I strongly suggest you read this book. It is true, factual, accurate and right on the mark! Believe me, this author is a top-notch pro! After reading, "Don't Send a Resume", you may change your entire approach on how you search and apply for employment and conduct yourself during interviews. This book is a great opportunity to learn from past mistakes, and it could open new doors to your future.
Rating: 4
Summary: A real world test. Good book here are the pros and cons...
Comment: Okay I'll start out with the pros first:
I bought this book after I lost my job from a downsizing of the organization I was working for. Needless to say, I was in need of a quick way for me to get noticed in the job marketplace.
I used many of the ideas outlined in this book and they did work. I researched organizations, sent impact letters, spoke to the hiring manager and got interviews. I beat out hundreds of people responding with resumes via email and postal mail.
I got my current job pretty much the same way as my previous successes. However, I wasn't able to find out the hiring managers name, so I sent an impact letter and my resume to the Vice President of the department I would be working in. I assume my resume was forwarded to the top of the pile of the hiring manager's resume stack because within a few days I got a call from the personnel department. I had interviews with many people. I sent follow-up letters to everyone I said hello to and eventually I got the job.
All of this took allot of time an effort. I spent every day for 8 months from 9-am to 5-pm researching, writing, calling, following-up, networking, and more. It's exhausting. It's a tough market and the rate of return is still very low. But these ideas give you an edge. I averaged about 1 interview out of every 30 impact letters I wrote. It's a full-time job looking for a job and the competition is tough. That's why it's important to have at least 6-8 months of living expenses saved in case you loose your job. In this day and age, If you can afford to have a year of living expenses saved, that would be ideal. Being unemployed usually catches you off-guard. If you do loose your job, you're probably going to have to work part-time while you are looking. This will take away from your job hunting time and extend the average when you might secure permanent employment again.
Okay here are the Cons:
If you hate your current job, It's very difficult if not impossible to do use the methods and approaches outlined in this book while you are already working. There is no way you can be on the phone and do research while you are working. So it's almost a book for someone who is already unemployed. I would like to see Mr. Fox come up with marketing tactics utilizing these techniques for someone who is employed full-time and seeking to change employment. How do you do research and talk to decision-makers with your boss breathing down your neck? How do you conduct interviews while still employed full-time?
Also, I would like to see Mr. Fox devote a chapter to the importance of saving money for when you are unemployed. I like to call it my "just-in-case-I'm unemployed" account. Not enough emphasis is given in this area in any job hunting book and I think it very important. As I said before, It's a full-time job looking for a job.
The other issue I had is Mr. Fox tells us not to use "big" words and industry jargon in our letters and resume. I agree. However, speckled throughout this book, Mr. Fox uses words that could have been simplified. For example on page 10 he uses the word "pedantically". Instead, he could have used a more common word or just left the word out and the sentence would have been fine. There are a few other inflated words used perhaps out of habit or to purposely validate and exhibit his education. If you're writing only to Harvard colleagues it's probably acceptable. However books written with uncommon vocabulary for a general audience often sounds aloof.
In conclusion, this is a good book with plenty of good advise and I recommend it.
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