Review: A Great Place to Start Your Job Search
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2013
This book fell into our laps at a time when my husband had been blindsided by a chronic illness that ended his long-term career in commercial driving. It was scary enough contemplating such a change at 45 years old, then, before the ink had dried on his updated resume, he was diagnosed with cancer. The treatment has been long and hard, but it's nearing its end. While my husband can look forward to a full recovery, he now has to face his interrupted job search at a point when his stamina is iffy and his self-confidence bruised. Paul Rega's book offers a clear, user-friendly approach to looking for work in tough economic times and difficult personal circumstances. So much of who we are is wrapped up in what we do for a living. Perhaps the most difficult part of unemployment is how it can strip away our identity. This book doesn't just address the mechanics of a job search. Common sense tells a job hunter to target specific companies, clean up his resume, show up to the interview on time, etc. What is more difficult is generating the gumption to put yourself out there, to take a risk when all you want to do is hide in a corner. Through his professional advice and personal stories, Paul Rega looks at the reader as a whole person with needs, desires and fears that can't help but impact his or her job search. This book offers a way to orient oneself, a way to begin. And beginning is two-thirds of the battle.Note on the reviewer: I obtained Paul Rega's book free as a promotional download on a social networking site. The offer showed up a week or so after my husband had to leave his job, but the cancer diagnosis that followed caused many months to pass before we actually read the book. While I am a writer and an editor, I do not "trade" reviews, and I do not review books that I have not read. My opinions--good or bad--are my own.