Introduction
Welcome to Job Hunting for Rookies. Congratulate yourself as you hold in your hands a tried-and-tested method for getting a job – a job that will both pay you well and allow you to be happy.
If you want practical advice that will help you to find the right job for you, then you’re in the right place. Perhaps you are just starting out in your career and looking for your first job, or have been working for quite a few years but want to move on. You could be working full- or part-time at the moment, or maybe you have been out of work for a while. You could be hunting for a job that is exactly the same as what you have always done or looking to make a complete career change. Whatever your situation, I promise to act as your guide and take you step-by-step through the job hunting process.
A book with a difference
Now, I have to admit that there are other books on job hunting. But Job Hunting for Rookies is different. Because I’m different. I interview for a living. I train interviewers in how to interview candidates. I help employers to decide what questions they should be asking and the answers they should be listening out for. I’ve sifted through endless piles of CVs and decided which ones to keep or throw in the bin. I’ve winced countless times when candidates fall into job hunting traps, but I’ve also congratulated many candidates when they have aced the interview and gained the job offer of their dreams.
I’m well known for being a careers expert. My advice on careers and job hunting has been featured in top newspapers including the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and the Sunday Times. And when the BBC decided to broadcast a television series aimed at helping people to find jobs called How to Get Your Dream Job, who did they ask to present it? Me, of course.
So trust me when I say that I know how to find the right job for you. Whatever your situation, I can take you from rookie to seasoned professional in ten straightforward steps.
Complete career programme or quick fix
Perhaps you are getting ready to look for a new job and intend to use this book to help in your planning and preparation. If that’s the case, then the ten chapters of this book take you through a complete programme that will help you to identify the right job for you, write a compelling CV and covering letter, get invitations to interviews, succeed at interviews, and negotiate a great pay package.
Or, if you’ve already started looking for a job but have hit a snag, you can skip to the right chapter for you straight away:
• If you’re sending out CVs but not getting invited to interviews, go to Chapters 3 and 4. Once you’ve read those two chapters, work through Chapter 5 as well.
• If you are going to interviews but not receiving offers, head to Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9.
• If you want to deal with interview nerves and feel more confident, go to Chapter 6.
• If you struggle to come up with good questions to ask during an interview, jump to Chapter 9.
• If you are thinking of changing career, read up on the advice within Chapter 1.
• If your references are letting you down, have a look at Chapter 10.
• If you need help negotiating a good deal before you sign on the dotted line, head for Chapter 10 too.
If any of those situations is affecting you, then look no further. This book can help. It’s up to you how you use this book – just make sure you do use it! It can’t help you to get a job if it merely sits on the side of your desk or on a shelf!
Get ready to succeed
You can get the job you want. A lot of candidates fail because they don’t understand the rules of getting a new job. They make basic mistakes in pulling together their applications or foul up during the interview process. However, you will not fall into the traps that befall other candidates.
So long as you apply the advice in this book, you will gain yourself an enormous advantage over other candidates. With diligence and effort on your part, you will succeed. Ready to get started? Let’s go!
