Bob W
Principal Consultant at Best Hire Consulting Services "Make Your Next Hire Your Best Hire!"
Who else reading "Job Search Debugged" by Rita Ashley?
I just started reading my copy today, and I must say that as a senior staffing and recruiting professional, so far the book has been not only confirmation of what I believe a good job search should entail, but has been an eye opener to some of the things I could be doing more effectively in my own search. Is anyone else reading this book and getting the same reaction of "holy cow, I need to do that!"? Does anyone who has finished the book have any comments on how it changed their approach to their search? Did you see an increase in interviews, second interviews, and offer quality that you feel were a result of implementing tactics you read about in the book? I'm curious....
Bob
Clarification added 7 months ago:
OK, I finished the book, and have emailed Rita with a review of the book that I have given my permission to use at her discretion. I will be recommending this book to anyone seeking career development advice, regardless of their level of activity on the job market. Here is the review:
"I just finished reading “Job Search Debugged” by Rita Ashley, and frankly, my head is still spinning from the quantity and quality of the information contained in this book. To put it in perspective, I am a senior level recruitment and staffing professional, and not only did I often find myself smiling and nodding furiously in agreement with regard to the books’ content, but I also found myself just as often wide–eyed, with mouth agape at some of the issues Rita addresses that I had never even considered when giving job search advice, or implementing in my own job search.
This book is extremely thorough in content, yet presented in a way that flows very nicely, is easily understandable, and keeps the reader interested in reading further. From the standpoint of it being an excellent reference guide, Rita makes Job Search Debugged that much more valuable to the reader by bulleting the most important points at the end of each section.
As a staffing professional who for years has been called upon to give others job search advice, and even more acutely as someone who is actively pursuing a new career opportunity, I can sum things up succinctly by saying that Job Search Debugged has become my career planning Bible."
Bob Waldo
Recruitment and Staffing Professional
Answers (7)
I have read it and will re-read it. This book is excellent as it is very effective in the real world and is full of advice from some strong hiring authorities. I found the sections on resumes and using social sites especially effective.
Joe
Disclosure: I know Rita and have been serving as an editor for the second edition of her book. Before getting to know her well, however, I read the book while someone close to me had engaged her job search coaching services (and employed the techniques described in the book with great success), and I was mightily impressed. It contains industry-savvy advice I had never seen elsewhere and couldn't have imagined on my own -- *and* it also offers concrete ways to stay sane and in control during volatile times. I've encouraged my many friends and colleagues embarking on searches to get a copy and use it, and I've already employed some of the "sanity techniques" myself.
I think you will all find the book to be a valuable asset in many areas. I found it extremely useful by providing practical step-by-step information on using social networking tools, how to uncover "hidden" job opportunities, how to properly network and follow-up, how to create your own job where none currently exists, etc. etc. I
'm changing certain aspects of my career. Rita's advice, as well as the advice in her book, has convinced me to become a really strong consumer of social media tools, to develop a personal branding blog, and more importantly to develop the confidence to just get out there and start talking to people about the changes I want to make.
Even if you don't read the whole book, if you skim the entire book and just the most chapters which are most important for you that's worth the price alone.
Thomas C
Boosting engagement and brand loyalty by transforming employee and customer stories into "must-see-and-hear" media.
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (4), Professional Networking (3), Job Search (2), Public Relations (1), Wireless (1)
I'm half-way through the book and I'll say this...it's on the best $20 I've spent in a long time!
This book is an unbelievable source and resource for anybody; not just those seeking new career opportunities. As a matter of fact, it should be required reading by anyone wishing to harness the "insider secrets" of how to speed up their job search and learn how to get connected to the right people- quickly.
It gets my highest recommendation.
As a matter of fact, this book was so awesome I'll be buying Rita's "Networking Debugged: Insider's guide to building your network and getting what you need" very soon. Can't wait to read this one, too!
Links:
Clarification added 7 months ago:
PS. You can buy Rita's e-books using the hyperlink below:
Where can I find this book by Rita Ashley that you're all talking about??? I checked Amazon and all local bookstores, nobody has even heard of the book. Thank you
Monique
After debating for a few days on whether or not I should invest in yet another career guide claiming to provide "job search advice that works", I finally made up my mind and bought a copy of Rita's book yesterday. I started reading right away and am about 2/3ds through the book. The book addresses in plain English virtually every possible topic that someone who has been recently laid off or is thinking to switch careers in this difficult time may need assistance with and is full of real life examples. The topics range from how to recover after the loss of a job and design ones career search in the most productive way to how to prepare your brand and market yourself on the web to how to be smart in dealing with recruiting agencies to how to prepare an outstanding resume and answer tough interview questions. The book is structured in a form of the guide with the most important points being highlighted at the end of each chapter, so one can read this book either from start to finish or just focus on the chapter he/she is currently interested in. Filled with the real life examples, this book will make a lot of us relate to the individuals illustrated in this examples and give us hope for success. After all, if they could do that, why can't I? As I kept reading, I realized that some of the things that Rita is talking about may seem common sense and intuitive to a new job seeker while others are the facts that may not be known to a person who does not have background in HR or recruiting. Thus, Rita does a great job bringing together these intuitive things and provides excellent tips on how to make yourself a distinguished and marketable candidate as can be seen from a perspective of a hiring person as well as how to avoid falling victim of job hunting scams which are, sadly, quite abundant in these times. The book is positioned as a career guide for executives making $100+K; however, I believe that anybody from entry level professional to mid-level managers to executives would benefit from it because of the wide variety of universal topics addressed in the book.
Overall, this book, in my opinion, is a definite must-have for anybody who needs either a refresher course on job-hunting strategies or for people who are trying to re-enter the market after some period of unemployment or decided to change careers or need help with establishing their personal brand and make themselves stand out from the crowd. The $20 you will spend on the book will undoubtedly be well spent, especially given that the recommendations in the book will most likely apply for years to come.
Ana Quan
Accounting Professional
Darrell Z. D
High Performance Resume Writer at RighteousResumes.com
Best Answers in: Resume Writing (16), Job Search (9), Using LinkedIn (9), Staffing and Recruiting (7), Career Management (5), Business Development (3), Personal Investing (3), Education and Schools (2), Equity Markets (2), Professional Books and Resources (2), Small Business (2), Starting Up (2), Purchasing (1), Certification and Licenses (1), Employment and Labor Law (1), Property Law (1), Search Marketing (1), Writing and Editing (1), Quality Management and Standards (1), Personal Debt Management (1), Communication and Public Speaking (1), Professional Organizations (1), Blogging (1)
She is also giving away a free guide to using Linkedin.com for job hunters that is a fine piece of work too. But, I haven't finished reading it yet. It is amazing how one smart person with a keyboard can powerfully impact so many lives. Hurray Rita! 8) (Go to JobSearchDebugged.com link below)
I recently mentioned her with a link in my info article for job hunters titled:
"Get Hired - Top Ten Actions the Winners Take" which was recently published. Clearly, she earned the praise. See the links below.
Links:
- http://Jobsearchdebugged.com
- http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Darrell_DiZoglio
- http://knol.google.com/k/darrell-z-dizoglio/-/2j3azmnrylm56/0#knols
