|
Talk to anyone looking for work, and chances are you’ll hear something like:
“It’s hard to find a good job.” “The economy stinks.” “No one is hiring.” “I’m over 40 – who would hire me?” “Looking for work is a full-time job, and no one ever said it was easy.”
It’s attitudes like these, combined with widely-used but ineffective and inherently self-defeating job hunting techniques, that are keeping highly trained, qualified and educated people unemployed or underemployed, says Janet White, author of “Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams“. www.jobmarketsecrets.com
The book is geared for experienced white-collar professionals, managers, technical people and executives who are now having trouble getting hired and don't know why, and for new professionals without much experience seeking those first few starter jobs.
Unlike other job hunting books, "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market" goes beyond the "how-to's;" its premise is that a job seeker’s feelings, beliefs and assumptions – about themselves, the job hunting process and the people they will contact – will determine how easy or difficult it will be for them to land their dream job, even before they take the first step.
"If you believe you're in competition with lots of other people for a limited number of jobs, then that's the experience you will have," Ms. White says.
"But if you stop trying to ‘sell yourself’ and instead allow your future boss to ‘buy you,’ you’ll have a totally different experience – new doors will open, great opportunities will come your way out of the blue, and you’ll effortlessly connect with the right people who will be eager to know you.
“Getting hired doesn’t have to be difficult, complicated or arduous, but many job seekers believe it does, and so it is for them.”
The book challenges assumptions and beliefs inherent in the “Traditional System” of job hunting, and shows how the techniques that are supposed to work actually backfire. In their place, Ms. White provides the “Contrarian System,” which combines common sense, sound business judgment and an understanding of basic human psychology.
Every component of the job hunting sequence is explored from this dynamic new paradigm – from the initial stages of research, to preparing written materials, making contact with potential employers to secure a meeting, the meeting itself and follow-up.
The book is peppered with numerous “Reality Checks” that counter commonly-held Traditional System beliefs, assumptions or accepted techniques.
There are also several first-person narratives from Ms. White’s experiences in using the Contrarian System to get her own dream jobs in three different industries at different times in her life – one in her mid-20’s, one in her early 30’s and one in her late 40’s; a fourth story describes a sales call in which her new client talked himself into giving her two assignments.
“The secret of the hidden job market is when you change your thinking, you change your life," Ms. White says. “Once you read ‘Secrets of the Hidden Job Market,’ you’ll never look for a job the same way again.”
A self-described career hopper who is now happily self-employed, Janet White has gotten every job she really wanted for more than 30 years. She is president of Plano, Texas-based Bariatrics Unlimited, LLC, a provider of medical equipment for the obese to hospitals and nursing homes nationwide.
A former commercial real estate writer and publicist in New York and Dallas, Ms. White has been teaching the Contrarian System since 1996. This is her first book.
|
