Want to find a job? Try this

Clark Finnical did what you're supposed to do as a self-publishing author: He looked up reviewers who had reviewed books similar to his book and asked for a review. I had reviewed a book similar to Job Hunting Secrets (from someone who's be there) . . . and many more tough questions answered! and, because I have hunted for a job and I have hired job hunters, I asked him to send me a copy.

Finnical says he has been in the job market five times, managed to find a job each time, and that experience gave him a basis for his book. He was downsized (found redundant, terminated, laid off, sacked) twice during the Great Recession. "At its core," he writes,"the principles behind landing a job, that is, how you win over the hiring manager, are relatively simple. The complexity lies in how you make that happen."

The principle, I believe, is to find an organization that has a problem your experience/knowledge/labor can solve and convince the decision-maker that you can do so. The challenges are: (1) identify the organization with a problem you can solve; (2) get in front of the decision-maker; and (3) convince him/her that you're the solution.

Finnical write that there are three implied questions a hiring manager asks to determine whether you are a viable candidate: Can you do the job? Will you like the job well enough to stay? Can we stand to work with you?

You can differentiate yourself from other candidates by answering one (or all) of these questions: Have you made money for your employers? Have you saved money for your employers? Have you increased the productivity of your employers? Have you made a positive difference at your employers?

From that it follows there are a bunch of things you should never say, like: "I'm not sure if I'm a good fit for this job, but . . ." or "I need  . . ." As Finnical says, "The interview is not a time to talk about your needs. It is your time to explain how you can address the hiring manager's needs."

When I was hiring, I put an ad in the newspaper and the resumes poured into the office. I took the stack and made three piles: the candidates, the possibles, the hopeless. These days, the process has been automated; big companies use an Applicant Tracking System that evaluates online applications. Reportedly, it does a good job of weeding out the hopeless candidates, not such a good job of identifying viable candidates. (Indeed, "a Vice-President of Human Resources decided to test his company's ATS system. He applied for a job at his own company and received an automated rejection letter from the ATS.")

Job Hunting Secrets offers suggestions on how to tailor your resume to improve the odds that it will make it through the ATS, but in a number of places Finnical points out that networking or having an introduction to the decision-maker is much more effective. Indeed, a solid contact within the company will get you past an ATS rejection. You still need a professional resume, but spraying an industry with 60 resumes is a waste of perfectly good bandwidth.

The book is filled with useful tips and information, plus references to other books and sources. Unfortunately, it is also written for someone like Finnical who has been downsized through no fault of his/her own and who can cite  to a background, can cite clear accomplishments, examples of making or saving money, increasing productivity, or making a positive different. It is less useful for someone who is seeking an entry-level position or who wants to move out of a dead-end job into one in which he/she can make a positive difference.

I also have a problem with the book's design. Because it is self-published, I believe Finnical did himself (and the book's sales) no favor by not hiring a graphic designer. The cover looks amateurish,  the pages cluttered, and there is an enormous amount of white space. I am afraid that someone simply leafing through the book will discount it because it doesn't appear to be a professional product. If the design is amateur, how good can the advice be?

Nevertheless, as I said, the book is filled with answers to a job hunter's questions. If you are looking for a job, looking for a better job, or know someone who's looking, check out Job Hunting Secrets.