The Art of Finding the Job You Love: An Unconventional Guide to Work with Meaning

by Cara Heilmann

He wants to do something new, maybe a little bit righteous. She sees herself leading a nonprofit or creating a medical device that saves lives in the remotest parts of the world. However, the search process has changed radically from the last time they looked for a job. Like many job seekers, they’ve done a lot and can do a lot. But, recruiters can’t see past old job titles to recognize how a candidate can contribute to the work force in new ways. And worse, the candidate feels tongue-tied for the first time in their career. In The Art of Finding the Job You Love , Cara Heilmann, CEO of Ready Reset Go®, offers a fresh, safe, and unconventional way to help job seekers speak their talents and passion to make a difference through their work. She connects the worlds of comedy and recruiting with a look behind the curtain to share what hiring managers are really looking for and reveals why the more successful people are, the more they wing interview prep―and how that can work against them. Readers learn how

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Growth

146 pages, Paperback

Published December 11, 2018

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers helpful insights.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book in preparation for the job searching process

I loved this book and the concepts and exercises it introduces. I really appreciate the tools and I look forward to applying them in my career (job) search process. Thank you, Cara, for this gem of a book!

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Researching this for a client and found it informative and valuable for any job seekers, whether new or seasoned in the job hunt. A lot of really good advise and clear tactics for the task at hand.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Art of Finding the Job You Love: An Unconventional Guide to Work with Meaning" is an innovative and imaginative book that should prove useful to select groups of job seekers. The book actually does not does not provide any coverage on several significant topics including resume writing and LinkedIn. Additionally, this book is not going to be very helpful for early career job seekers or those making significant career changes since its focus is primarily on very experienced individuals with in demand skills who are at the top of their field and need to work on how to best position and showcase their talents.

The strongest features of this book are the initial chapters which focus on preparing answers for standard, interview questions and defining individuals' interests and strengths to create narrower and more effective job searches.

Latter chapters which focus on using improv comedy skills to strengthen interview performance and include taste specific "inspirational" material from various American comics are weaker and feel more like a vanity project than actual solid and tested advice.

All in all, this is a pretty good book. It will not benefit all jobseekers but it should prove useful for many and its short length and clear writing makes it fairly accessible.

[Jennifer Serio · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book 3 stars. I thought there were some good insights into the job search and interviewing. You have to take this book with a grain of salt because some of the Improv techniques were far out there/unconventional. Definitely out of my comfort zone and I don't see myself doing them. It's all strategy and finding the job that you will really love, make you happy, and is a good fit. I feel it is important to just put your best feet forward. I really enjoyed the motivational quotes from comedians such as Conan O'Brien, Amy Poehler, and Jon Stewart.

What I did gain from is some of the most frequently asked questions during an interview and how to prepare to answer those/your story. It allowed me to reflect on my career and remember some of the successes I had.

This book did lead me to my aha moment which is that I need to take a turn down a career path where I can give back to my community. I have a desire to do something more meaningful so this could be a pivot in my career.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely fits the unconventional part of its title. It isn't set up like a traditional self-help job search book, where there are outlined lessons and breaks in the narrative for you to complete the steps in stages. Instead, it is a lot more conversational, and the approach needs to be gleaned from the reading. It is written in a very easy to approach manner, but is definitely aimed at over-30, managerial level market. The use of improvisation techniques and advice of going after what you want, what you really, really, want (sorry, Spicegirls), is definitely swimming against the tide of common advice. Who know? It might just work. Will try some of these items, and report back.

[Joyce]

A very interesting and insightful approach to job search. Encourages putting your achievements into a more story-like format as opposed to the traditional crisp, bullet-point delivery.
It also encourages the reader to think about going for a job that they would be passionate about rather than one that just pays the bills and may not lead to the fulfilment that makes going to work each day so much more meaningful.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uplifting book that provides another perspective to the job interview, its preparation, and potential successes in either landing the job or avoiding a bad situation and finding the clarity to try again. Interesting idea, using improv as a tool to "stay in the moment".

[Christine Penza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short read. Two things gleaned from the book are the use of improv to help prep for interviews and specific questions to practice answering.

[Tasneem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected it to be about finding the right job for yourself. Instead it starts right after that, you know what you want, how do you get it ?
Overall its a simple and really good read.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

A vapid incredibly short self help book with no real advice about finding a job. Just encouragement and surface level interview tips.

[Sylvia Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and powerful. Heilmann shares a unique approach to the job search and the interview. If you want to make an impact his book is definitely worth your time.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with some good ideas about how to interview. Not about resume writing or cover letters or any of that stuff. Becoming yourself, being confident in yourself, and letting that shine.