Job Hunting for Dummies

Whether you're a recent high school or college grad or an established workforce veteran, changing jobs can be a scary experience. Let Job Hunting For Dummies, 2nd Edition, be your guide to pushing your career forward. Author Max Messmer, Chairman and CEO of Robert Half International (the world's largest specialized staffing firm), has used his job search expertise to create this cutting-edge guide to job hunting. Messmer offers the kind of friendly advice and insider's tips that can enhance your job search from start to finish.

Get yourself off on the right foot. First, organize your supplies; then, organize your search. Target your search in the job market of your choice; then, give yourself the tools that you need in order to break in to that market. Find out what separates bad resumes from resumes that get results. Discover the secrets of drumming up job leads, from researching online to using your own networks or working with a recruiter. After you're in, you'll be ready to shine with Messmer's complete list of the do's and don'ts of giving great interviews; and you'll be confident when the interview ends, knowing that you possess the keys to successfully closing an interview.

Don't wait another day. Find the job you want with Job Hunting For Dummies, 2nd Edition.

Job Hunting For Dummies is a remarkably versatile book. It holds your hand through the arduous and terrifying process of job-seeking, and offers valuable insights relating to r?sum?s, interviews, and networking, effectively playing the roles of mother, pal, spouse, and guidance counselor, without ever losing its temper or asking when you're finally going to land a job.

Max Messmer is eminently qualified to instruct on all things job-related. He's chairman and CEO of Robert Half International Inc., the world's largest specialized staffing firm, and he's penned numerous articles, columns, and books (such as The Fast Forward MBA in Hiring and Staffing Europe), so Messmer knows a thing or two about how to apply for a job effectively, and he has a few words to say on how not to blow it, too.

He knows, for instance, how overwhelming and intimidating the job hunt can be, and how useful it is to break the monster down into prioritized, bite-sized tasks. There are detailed chapters on organizing, setting targets, and scoping out the field, plus essential chapters on writing a r?sum? and cover letter that present you in the best light, pursuing job leads, and performing well in the interview spotlight.

Messmer's experience in the field makes his advice reliable. You know that when he suggests how to research a company before the interview so you are somewhat knowledgeable about what they do, and when he warns against pink r?sum?s and sarcastic cover letters, he's offering the collective opinion of hundreds of staffing professionals. It's advice worth reading, no matter how qualified you already are to do the job once you get it. The only misleading aspect of Job Hunting for Dummies is the title, because no dummy would do something so smart as to increase his or her application advantage by reading Max Messmer's book. --Stephanie Gold

  more