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Monster Careers: How to Land the Job of Your Life
Monster founder Jeff Taylor, with former editor-in-chief Doug Hardy, has written an upbeat, inspirational, and indispensable guide to getting the job you want in the new world of work. Rich with real-world advice from recruiters, career counselors, human resource professionals, and successful Monster members who share their job- hunting expertise, Monster Careers provides a step-by-step plan for carrying out a super- charged job search�from exploring new career options to writing job-winning resumes and cover letters, to mastering the interview and negotiating a job offer. A practical and passionate guide for any stage of your career, whether you�re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, Monster Careers is poised to become the uncontested job search authority.
- GenresBusiness
402 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2016
Subtitled, “How to land the job of your life.” Taylor is the founder of monster.com. Hardy is a career and transition coach, now the General Manager of Monster Careers. This book is full of information and insights from recruiters, outplacement counselors, etc., based around the F.A.M.E acronym – Think like a Free agent, train like an Athlete, prepare like a Marketer and work like an Entrepreneur.
Full of useful information, the book is set up on a 10-week program: prepare for 2 weeks, get up to speed for 3 weeks and go after opportunities for 5 weeks. After introducing what the authors call the “new job search basics,” they focus on preparing your search, going into the marketplace and landing the job. Monster Careers includes many summaries and examples, as well as references “book to web” links to monstercareers.com. Excellent, practical advice is presented on almost the entire career process, from targeting and research to preparation (they mention a “pitch sheet” to quickly highlight your qualifications during networking), resumes and cover letters (I thought the examples were a bit long) to interviewing and salary negotiation. The book ends with solid guidance on starting a new job, as well as listing a significant collection of reference sites for a wide range of information, online and otherwise.
Full of useful information, the book is set up on a 10-week program: prepare for 2 weeks, get up to speed for 3 weeks and go after opportunities for 5 weeks. After introducing what the authors call the “new job search basics,” they focus on preparing your search, going into the marketplace and landing the job. Monster Careers includes many summaries and examples, as well as references “book to web” links to monstercareers.com. Excellent, practical advice is presented on almost the entire career process, from targeting and research to preparation (they mention a “pitch sheet” to quickly highlight your qualifications during networking), resumes and cover letters (I thought the examples were a bit long) to interviewing and salary negotiation. The book ends with solid guidance on starting a new job, as well as listing a significant collection of reference sites for a wide range of information, online and otherwise.
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December 24, 2015Learn to communicate what your best qualities are.
Go global. Expand your search overseas.
Strong work ethic, encouraging initiative, fast pace.
Modern career path is like jumping from one rock face to another.
Who will help you? Most job seekers take an aoplogetic attitude. Instead, pester your friends and professional contacts with questions. Get in front of people. It is as simple as asking [a friend] at [a game] if they know anyone at ABC Company.
Types of recruiters - Inside recruiters work for the company (on salary), contract recruiters lease their services, and third-party recruiters: staffing firms vs temp agencies.
Tell your references in advance that you're working with a recruiter. Withhold references until a recruiter delivers a job interview (to prevent reference poaching among other schemes).
Transferable vs burnout skills p 77
Work values per category:
Achievement - grant coordinator
Independence - coach*
Recognition - airplane dispatcher
Relationships - language teacher, athletic trainer*
Support - underwriter
Working conditions - budget analyst
As you search for a job, keeping it all orgainized is critical. That way you know who's calling from where.
Manage time
What do I want to accomplish by the end of today?
What actions must be done to do this?
How long will each take?
Then, at the end, briefly assess each; am I balancing the job search with the rest of my life?
How to write achievement stories:
Problem, action, results: time, money, amounts.
Why did you leave your last job:
I'm looking for a bigger challenge.
Then, top that off with an upbeat message:
Your company is known for rewarding great performance. Or I'm not looking for any job. After doing a lot of research, I've singled out your company for the following reasons... Or my current position doesn't offer room for growth; I've been there for three years.
Marketing yourself means being able to drop your key messages effectively. Your pitch (elivator speech) will change and grow. As you practice memorizing, a sort of creativity spurts out. Try repeating the first sentence a few times, then add the second sentence, and so on.
Recent graduate action phrases - facilitated discussion, directed project team, design and implemented
'Power' verbs p 173-176
p 181 Don't bury your individual life. You want to be interesting...If you run marathons, say so. Employers may realize your persistence and discipline.
Only consider a two-page resume if you have 10+ years of exerience or you need space to list specific technical skills. Somehow make the objective part about the employer. Have the most recent job first (reverse cronological order). Lastly, have someone else proofread.
How to reasearch companies:
> leading products/services
> rough size
> culture
> competitors
> customers--even ask them directly--talk to them!
In informational interviews, some will have taken the traditional career path, but others have their jobs through unusual routes.
Go global. Expand your search overseas.
Strong work ethic, encouraging initiative, fast pace.
Modern career path is like jumping from one rock face to another.
Who will help you? Most job seekers take an aoplogetic attitude. Instead, pester your friends and professional contacts with questions. Get in front of people. It is as simple as asking [a friend] at [a game] if they know anyone at ABC Company.
Types of recruiters - Inside recruiters work for the company (on salary), contract recruiters lease their services, and third-party recruiters: staffing firms vs temp agencies.
Tell your references in advance that you're working with a recruiter. Withhold references until a recruiter delivers a job interview (to prevent reference poaching among other schemes).
Transferable vs burnout skills p 77
Work values per category:
Achievement - grant coordinator
Independence - coach*
Recognition - airplane dispatcher
Relationships - language teacher, athletic trainer*
Support - underwriter
Working conditions - budget analyst
As you search for a job, keeping it all orgainized is critical. That way you know who's calling from where.
Manage time
What do I want to accomplish by the end of today?
What actions must be done to do this?
How long will each take?
Then, at the end, briefly assess each; am I balancing the job search with the rest of my life?
How to write achievement stories:
Problem, action, results: time, money, amounts.
Why did you leave your last job:
I'm looking for a bigger challenge.
Then, top that off with an upbeat message:
Your company is known for rewarding great performance. Or I'm not looking for any job. After doing a lot of research, I've singled out your company for the following reasons... Or my current position doesn't offer room for growth; I've been there for three years.
Marketing yourself means being able to drop your key messages effectively. Your pitch (elivator speech) will change and grow. As you practice memorizing, a sort of creativity spurts out. Try repeating the first sentence a few times, then add the second sentence, and so on.
Recent graduate action phrases - facilitated discussion, directed project team, design and implemented
'Power' verbs p 173-176
p 181 Don't bury your individual life. You want to be interesting...If you run marathons, say so. Employers may realize your persistence and discipline.
Only consider a two-page resume if you have 10+ years of exerience or you need space to list specific technical skills. Somehow make the objective part about the employer. Have the most recent job first (reverse cronological order). Lastly, have someone else proofread.
How to reasearch companies:
> leading products/services
> rough size
> culture
> competitors
> customers--even ask them directly--talk to them!
In informational interviews, some will have taken the traditional career path, but others have their jobs through unusual routes.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews