The Job Searcher's Handbook / Edition 4

by Carolyn Robbins

Overview

This book is designed to provide simple, step by step instructions to help the student through the entire job searching process. Completely up-to-date, the book offers more information on the global workplace environment, electronic resumes, and Internet resources than any other text on the market. Its easy to follow, direct approach makes this book an effective tool for the job search. Hands-on exercises allow students to determine their individual needs, skills, and direction for securing the job that is right for them; sequentially-arranged chapters guide instructors in a logical process to the successful completion of a course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780132356022
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	04/07/2009
Series:	Pearson Custom Student Success and Career Development Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Robbins is a private career counselor, seminar leader, and author who has been involved in the field of Career Development for over 25 years. Acting as a college job placement director, she consistently maintained 85 to 95 percent placement of students and clients in many technical, business and professional fields. Robbins is a member of the University of Colorado at Denver Alumni, has served on the board, authored job search articles, and conducted workshops on resume writing, interviewing, and women re-entering the workforce. Robbins is also the author of an English composition textbook, Beyond the Blank Page: Steps to Writing Well. She is currently designing and teaching Adult Education Classes at the Mid-Plains Community College, North Platte, NE. Robbins's widely used texts are known for their straightforward, succinct explanations and practical orientation.

Table of Contents

1. Taking Inventory.

Personal Values

Values Mountain

Attitude

Interests, Wants, Needs

Success Through Goal Setting

2. Documenting Yourself.
Resume Preparation

Resume Styles

Writing the First Draft

The Final Draft

Functional Skills Inventory

Sample Resumes

Cover Letters

Follow-up Letters

The Application for Employment

3. Organizing and Planning.

Organizing

Planning

4. Interviewing Made Almost Easy.

How Not to Interview

Successful Interview Preparation

Benefits You Can Sell to the Employer

The Bottom Line

How Interviews are Conducted

What Employers are Really Looking For

Conduct in the Interview

Questions You Could be Asked and How to Answer

Your Turn to Question

Legal and Illegal Pre-Employment Questions

5. Closing the Job Search Process

Getting and Keeping the Job

Keeping the Job

Appendixes:

· Postal Service Guidelines

· Figuring Monthly Income and Expenses

· Monthly Income and Expense Form

· Post-Interview Self Evaluation

· Attire/Grooming Tips

· Sample I-9 Form

· Sample Resumes and Cover Letters

· Works consulted

· Index

Preface

The first edition of The Job Searcher's Handbook was written with the intent to provide all persons who are seeking employment with complete, up-to-date, and comprehensive instructions for being successful in all phases of the job search. My goal in writing this second edition is to accomplish that same objective.

To achieve this objective and to keep pace with the latest techniques and concepts, I have revised much of the material that was presented in the first edition. Since that publication, there have been many changes in the workplace, fluctuations in the job market, and revolutionary advancements in technology. Although the basic principles of job searching remain the same and the conventional methods are still valid, recent changes do influence the ways in which people conduct a job search. With the advent of the Internet and e-mail, which have introduced new methods of communication, a person seeking employment now has access to a wider range of exposure than ever before. Therefore, I have added information about new and innovative ways job seekers can use technology to market themselves to prospective employers.

During the past 25 years of teaching courses on job search skills, counseling job seekers in my private practice, and placing people in jobs, I have consistently found that the majority of those I work with have no idea how to search for a job effectively. The information they do have is usually incorrect or obsolete. Consequently, from those experiences and the recognition of a need for guidelines that encompass the total job search process, I created The Job Searcher's Handbook.

Despite what many people believe, the job search does notbegin with a resume—rather it begins with discovering who you really are, what you want, and where you want to go. The first section of the book, "Taking Inventory," leads you step by step through the process of discovering and clarifying your goals and values. It will also help you set your priorities, which must be established before you even think about writing a resume.

The second section of the book, "The Paper Trail," will assist you in putting together the paperwork that is so necessary in today's competitive job market. Your resume, cover letter, follow-up correspondence, and application forms must be impeccable in order to overcome the competition and convince prospective employers that you are someone they want to hire.

Once you have completed this preliminary preparation and analysis, the next phase of any job search should be organizing and planning. This critical stage is covered in Section 3, "Organizing, Searching, and Planning." Devising an organized and well-thought-out plan is absolutely essential to avoid wasting time by moving in all the wrong directions. A plan that arranges each day with job leads, contacts, and interviews will also keep you from procrastinating.

The final section of The Job Searcher's Handbook, "Interviewing Made Almost Easy," has one major objective: to minimize fear and anxiety during interviewing. By knowing how interviews are conducted, what employers look for in applicants, and how you can fit into the current and future faces of the workplace, you can reduce your fear of interviewing. Now, in the twenty-first century, it is imperative that you be able to demonstrate to a prospective employer that you are capable of thinking strategically and contributing to the company's goals. This is possible if you do the proper research before interviewing, and Section 4 shows you how. This section also gives you tips on how to negotiate for the most equitable salary and includes techniques you can use to sell yourself to any employer. To maximize your opportunities and obtain job offers, do your research and use the techniques offered in this section.

To all of my readers, I wish for you the old Latin saying, "Veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered).

— Carolyn R. Robbins