Another sign went up nearby yesterday: “Now Hiring!”
That’s great, because you’re looking for a job. You want to work where you’re appreciated and want to be paid accordingly. Something interesting would be great, maybe a job with a title. But how do you find that kind of position in today’s job market? In “Next Job, Best Job” by Rob Barnett, you’ll learn how to search.
Three summers ago, Barnett was out of work. He’d done all the conventional things that job seekers are told to do but he’d dead-ended more often than not, and that was discouraging. Then someone suggested a job title to him and he had a eureka moment.
That, he indicates, is the first thing you want in your job search, that “Aha!” when “your heart and head are firmly fixed on exactly what you’re supposed to do next...” Once you have that target, whether you have a job you want to leave or you were fired a year ago, your search gets easier.
First things first: make sure you have secure health care. Then, “find your North Star” and consult a “job doctor” to help sort your thoughts and re-build your resume. Follow Barnett’s “Top 11 Self-Care Rituals,” get that chip off your shoulder and release any anger you might still have from past workplaces.
Learn how to best communicate with an immediate supervisor and the people you work with. Eliminate gossiping and complaining from your life. Neither will help you in the end.
Remember that focus you needed? Maintain it with Barnett’s “Star Points.” Keep in mind that if you’ve never done “the job of your heart,” the chances are you won’t get it now. Learn to use every corner of LinkedIn and other social medias to market yourself because “people can’t hire you if they don’t see you.” Build your contact list and use it. Ask for job leads. Find your tribe and don’t try this alone; doing so “leaves you at a disadvantage.”
And remember: “one typo equals death...”
Remember those Pick-a-Duck games at the carnival when you were a kid? Plastic ducks floated in a circular pool and when you picked one, you received a cheap tchotchke. That’s kinda what you get when you read “Next Job, Best Job.” You’ll get a prize every time, but it might well be random.
That’s OK, if you’re looking for overall, big-picture help in your job search. Barnett is a headhunter, and there’s page after page after page of useful advice in this book, including things you won’t want to see but you must. This truthfulness works nicely as a mind reset – no more operating under old-school job search information – and it’s updated to reflect today’s Covid-affected work world.
It’s unfortunate, therefore, that “Next Job, Best Job” lacks an index because it can feel scattered sometimes, like floating ducks. Still, it’s not a bad book, so check it out. There’s help to be had here, and that’s a good sign.
Terri Schlichenmeyer’s reviews of business books are read in more than 260 publications in the U.S. and Canada.