3 out of 4 stars
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Finding A Job in Tough Times is a workbook that aims to assist those who are having problems with their job searching. The book contains reflective exercises that help the reader with his/her career plans. Based on the author’s years of experience in job searching and career development, Dr. Tim Johnson imparts his principles that will hopefully make a difference in people’s lives.
The book starts with helping the reader reflect on his/her current conditions. Then, the book discusses the author’s action plan called “Six Steps to a Paycheck.” The action plan talks about learning how to be presentable, setting out goals, overcoming limitations, making new friends, taking advantage of opportunities, and focusing on a career path. The book contains numerous exercises, all of which help the reader reflect on his/her career development.
The book provides helpful advice not just on career development, but also on life in general. This is because the author treats career development as interrelated with living, which shows in the exercises of reflecting upon oneself. The connection between career development and living also shows in the author’s life story, wherein he takes on different jobs every week until he finds the start of his career at a phone company. His experiences in career development are analogous to one’s experiences in life, which brings out the inspiration from the book.
Unfortunately, the book contains multiple errors, which makes the book confusing to read at times. Examples include “If you can write a computer program in C++ that is ability” and “You should be aware that when the company does a reference check they will make inquires of your previous employer if the dismissal was for cause”; the former has a missing comma after “C++” and the latter misspelled “inquiries” as “inquires.” Based on the number of multiple errors, the book is not professionally edited.
Additionally, the book seems to be outdated because it doesn’t say anything about making connections through the Internet, which is a big deal because a lot of job applications today are being done via e-mail and LinkedIn. But considering that the book was first published in 2002, this is understandable. The advice contained in the book still applies to our digital age.
The book is essentially self-help applied to career development. Overall, Finding A Job in Tough Times is still a relevant book that can help people in their career development. But because the book is not professionally edited, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I can recommend this book to college graduates and workers who are looking for a job.
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Finding A Job in Tough Times
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