Employment Books

I enjoyed reading this and passed it on to my kids who are visiting the Loire Valley this summer and living with a family there. Proper etiquette is always noticed, and a general knowledge of fine wines can only add to their experience.

Highly recommended! The audio format is a great idea! It makes learning very easy and the information is all relevant. This is one lesson that is interesting and easily finished.

This was my first wine book, and it is still the best beginner's reference. It covers everything you need to get started. The real benefit, however, is the audio format. You actually get to hear the narrator (who is fantastic!) pronounce the names of the various grape varieties, wines and terms. This is a huge benefit and something that cannot be replicated in the written word.

A good etiquette book should sit on every professional's bookshelf alongside "how to win friends" and "7 habits." I purchased this book along with Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 1: Dining Etiquette and The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success to cover all the bases. These books do an excellent job covering the important etiquette skills often overlooked in today's environment. Although often underappreciated, exhibiting proper etiquette signals to others (especially your boss and clients) that you are well educated, care about detail, and have respect for others. I highly recommend these books for anyone new to the business world or for those of us who may need to brush up on the basics.

Although drinking good wine isn't difficult, learning about wine can be. Once on a winery tour a vintner explained that there are 15,000 different choices that can be made from grape to bottle. Sometimes picking out a wine can seem daunting. Food Scholar's Wine Selection & Etiquette does a superior job of teaching those of us who would like to learn more without the information being overkill.

While there are more comprehensive books out there on Wine, I really like this book because it excels at being written for the average person. The book is divided into logical sections. I also like that the effect of climates in a region on the grape are covered. This is an easy way to tell what kind of wine you are getting just by looking at where the grape was grown.

This book will enhance your knowledge as well as your ability to pick out wines that you and your guests may enjoy. I would highly recommend this book to those who want to learn about wine, as this book does an excellent job of giving a basic education about many of the wines of the world.

By Bill Seelig, President, S&C, Harnessing the Power of Families in Business

Ray Brun has written another out-and-out homerun! This booklet is chucked full of practical, real world strategies for hiring the best of the best. Ray is one of the country's premier business consultants; having worked with hundreds of successful owners of small and mid-size companies. He gets to the critical components of hiring and recruiting with clarity and a sense of wisdom; honed by years in the hiring, consulting trenches. A must read for those of us responsible for building winning teams.

An excellent instructional book filled with real world helpful input on how to attract and retain quality employees. A good read and excellent value!!

Ray has put together a must read for all business owners or any leader looking to recruit the top human capital to their organizations. "How small businesses capture talent" is a great starting point for anyone looking to successfully hire winners!
Robert L S Boroff
Managing Director & CEO
Reaction Search International Inc.

This book is the best of Ray, his insightful yet practical approach to people. Each of the strategies will work to advance solutions to that never ending challenge of getting and keeping the best team.

My clients have seen success implementing these techniques and have better organizations as a result. They have seen unexpected success with the use of "branding" which is very unique approach for a small or closely held businesses.

When "times are uncertain", it is the best time to improve the quality of our organizations. Ray's book is the right tool for today's times!!!
Thanks, Ray!

This useful guide is packed with creative tips and novel strategies for recruiting the best candidates. Pages 7 and 8 (which cover the 4 critical steps to avoid hiring mistakes by getting clarity on what you really need) are worth the price of the entire book, but don't stop reading there. Brun doesn't mince words or give flowery explanations - he gets right to the point. (Something any busy executive will appreciate) He also supports every strategy with concise real world examples.

If you are frustrated that you can't seem to get enough qualified applicants for your important positions, stop complaining and put this book to work for your business.

This book is now required reading for my clients that are building (or re-building) their team.

Chip Doyle
Sandler Sales Institute

I saw Cynthia Shapiro on CNN promoting "What Does Somebody Have To Do To Get A Job Around Here?" and really liked her warmth and articulacy. Needed a job, bought the book. What a fast, entertaining, and profoundly helpful read.

All the nagging questions I had about a process I didn't understand--even some issues I didn't know existed--were laid out in a very clear, friendly, and enjoyable format.

I had read some reviews on this site saying that Cynthia Shapiro does free consultations and even calls back on the same day. I found myself in a confusing situation during a job offer (a company I like, but at a much lower rate than they advertised). I left a message for Ms. Shapiro and she called back promptly, gave me a pro's perspective on my situation given my salary history, and some great ideas for negotiating nevertheless.

I am so happy with this product and very much hope to have the chance to work with Ms. Shapiro in the future.

Outstanding! I read this book from cover to cover on the same day. It is very easy and fun to read. The content of this book is eye-opening and the author has done a great job to share the insider secrets from preparing the resume/cover letter, interviews, offer negotiations, things to pay attention after being hired. I also highly recommend her other book "Corporate Confidential", the author listed the most common mistakes ones ( employees and managers) can make and how to avoid them. Excellent job!

What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired

You are not ready for your interview is you a recent graduate, a 10-year veteran of the job market or a vice president of an organization.

Why because the rule change in the human resource office every year. The rules companies have for filling their employee needs have changed and they do not want you to know these rules.

Be one of the few that understands it's not the best one qualified who gets the job but the "last man/woman standing" that gets the nod.

Create the halo affect early and watch the competition disappear. Make it easy for the HR interviewer to fall in love with you and what you can bring to the company.

For get about your resume but pay attention to the WIIFT...what's in it for them complex of hiring. be the best possible fit for them and you get the job. Fit is not just a resume but the entire employee.

Read the book and get ready to excel in your personal career journey.

Be well and live, as you cannot fail.

Cynthia Shapiro's book is essentially "The Job Hunting" Bible of the highest order. She explains methodically and sequentially how to go about getting the job you want in corporate America in plain, simple to understand language. I immediately started getting calls from recruiters after I adjusted my resume and cover letter based on her suggestions and now getting interviews as a result. Her insights into how HR Recruiters work is extremely valuable and contrary to popular belief, they are not screening you in, they are screening out.
Cynthia walks you thru the process of how not to get "screened out" and get to the next step until you get the job offer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! Ignore at your peril.

What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here?: 44 Insider Secrets That Will Get You Hired This is a brilliant book! It immediately grabs you, pulls you into the middle of the book and from then on it's non-stop reading. This book is extremely valuable for job searchers at all levels. I have read numerous books on interviewing and this is by far the best. Barbara Siegmund

"Why So Slow" is the most useful book I've ever read on gender issues. It is packed with evidence from psychology and sociology of the ways in which gender affects the way we judge and the way we're evaluated. I took an entire course on the sociology of gender, I found Valian's book more thorough and detailed. And while readable, it's meticulously credible, including citations for every fact. There's no soapboxing or ranting -- just reason and data.

I read the book 5 years ago, ended using it heavily for a thesis I wrote, and still end up referring back to the book every 6 months or so to retell some particularly interesting fact or study to others I know.

Valian is a cognitive psychologist. I saw her speak at a local university and was impressed by the breadth of evidence she presented re: how ingrained gender discrimination is in the thinking of both men and women, but also with her logical suggestions for addressing this problem. (She, as a matter of fact, was invited by women students and faculty to help them strategize how to get more women into higher positions.) In her convincing talk, I was struck by the evidence that discrimination is not something "done" by men to keep women down, but is, in fact, "done" equally to women by both men and women. So I got her book and was more impressed when I read it.

Valian presents experiment after experiment showing that women are held back by psychologically ingrained ideas held by both men AND women. She calls these gender schemas, which are a way for the brain to organize complex information. (They are close to stereotypes, but schema is a more neutral term). The evidence is fascinating and convincing. Examples: if a man and a woman of identical height stand in an identical height door frame, viewed separately and then rated, both men and women perceive the man to be taller. Or how a woman can make a suggestion during a meeting and no one hears it, but later a man makes the exact same suggestion and everyone hears it and thinks it's great. (Example after example you will all recognize and be disgusted by!) While the knowledge presented in this book is depressing, Valian ends with suggestions for ways to become aware of these fallacies in thinking and then actively counteract them within organizations.

I LOVE this book and it is a true eye-opener. It has really opened my eyes to what women have to surmount to get ahead when there are so many hidden negative assumptions ingrained in our culture. While it is written in an academic style and perhaps less accessible than a pop-psychology type or journalist-written book, one could read the introduction and conclusions to the chapters and skim parts of the in between text if it gets too heavy. (Like all academic writers she says her main points in the chapter intro, then presents evidence, then summarizes at the end of the chapters.) I highly recommend this book!

Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women, by Virginia Valian, is a book with a mission. It is not Professor Valian's objective in writing this book to discuss the issues of women in leadership positions with the limited number of other academics studying the issue. It is her objective to shake the people responsible for "the accumulation of disadvantage" of women, and to make them, or their supervisors, accountable for the recruitment and retention of women.

I know this is particularly acute, and action needed, at our nation's universities, where women tend to be recruited less often than men, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, and are promoted at a rate slower than equally qualified males. The book reviews relevant research, discusses the psychological issues involved in our development of "gender schemas," and discusses remedies.

I have heard Professor Valian discuss the issues raised in her book, and she speaks (and writes) with authority and conviction. This book, while not light reading, is written for the educated non-specialist. You can't read it and not be disturbed at how qualified and competent people can be considered unqualified or less competent.

This is a book to read, then get to work.

I waited too long to read Prof. Valian's book. Had I been armed with the knowledge offered in it earlier, I might have been spared some of the most unpleasant experiences and obstacles in my professional life. The breadth of the research covered, on everything from how young girls are channeled into certain careers or non-careers to the publishing patterns of men and women in academics, is its most impressive quality. I find myself referring to it often in everyday conversation, and recommending it to female friends and family members of all ages and levels of employment. If I have more confidence and a more positive outlook on my life's work now, it is in large part due to Prof. Valian's superb mega-study and her suggestions for moving forward.

If you're interested in the empirical findings which back-up many often dismissed feminist claims that women have a raw deal...then read this book.

Easy to read with some engrossing anecdotes (included only to illustrate, not prove, her points as pointed out by Valian herself), this book is a convincing tour guide of women's achievement in male-dominated professions.

My advisor in graduate school actually recommended this book with only one warning: don't read it when you're already depressed about the plight of women! By the middle of it, you might be ready to throw your hands up in the air and think the situation is hopeless...but luckily Valian includes a careful analysis of possible solutions. By googling her I also found out that she's making some proactive efforts (as a professor at CUNY) to put theory into practice. Bravo.

After re-writing my resume using the competency format, the interviews started pouring in! Good examples and guidelines. Have organized all my competencies and interviews are much easier.

Also recommend the full book on writing interviews.

All the other books I tried were nothing like the interviews I was actually having. Instead of having to memorize rote answers, this book helps you to understand what the interviewer is looking for and why. It is not only helping me prepare for interviews; it is helping me understand how I can improve my on-the-job skills so that I am even more appealing in the future for jobs or promotions.

I am out on the job market after a 25 year career at GM. While I interviewed and hired employees, there is nothing quite the same as your own job interview. This book is a must for anyone wanting to brush up on their interviewing skills.

This book is a must if you have a targeted selection or competency-based interview in the near future or if you are planning to change jobs in the near future. In fact, even if you don't plan on searching for a new job within a year, I still recommend this book due to the planning advice it gives.

This is by far the best all-in-one book for targeted selection or competency-based interviews. Ms. Kessler is an excellent author and she breaks down the process on how to prepare, how to perform during the interview, and how to follow up after the interview.

As a Columbia MBA student, I found Kessler's book really helpful. I've found interviewing at business school very difficult because I'm surrounded by amazingly well-qualified competition! Interviews are one of my weakest points and I've read a bunch of interview guides in the hopes of finding out what I'm doing wrong. Until this book, I found these guides kind of useless and a waste of money (e.g. the Vault Guide to Finance Interviews). But this book was great. It has changed the way I view interviews and has made interviews considerably less scary. While other books talk about what and what not to say, she focuses more on the approach to your answers. I found this more applicable and practical.

Instead of focusing on you, Kessler focuses on the interviewer. She gives the interviewer's perspective and examples of what the interviewer might have in front of him or her during the interview. This gave me a better idea of what interviewers are looking for and how I should structure my answers. Building answers around competencies has made my answers more strong and concise.

Kessler also has a section of interview examples and her critiques of the candidate's answers. I recognized a bunch of mistakes I made when I was interviewing for jobs after college. I wish I had this book back then! I'm sure it would have opened a lot more windows of opportunity (or at least ended the job search sooner).

These kinds of books tend to stress me out. Kessler's writing is clear and the pacing was just right for someone like me. It was easy to absorb the main points and see how I could apply them to myself. I still got a panic-y feel in my stomach, but much less than I usually get. The summary tables at the end of each chapter were great because they helped me make sure I got what I was supposed to get out of each chapter.

I highly recommend this book. It's helped me get a better idea of why I haven't received offers for jobs I know I was well qualified for. Now instead of just being frustrated about it, I have a way to deal with it!

This is an easy read. The descriptions are concise. The author explains the reason for his suggestions. There are numerous examples for form and format. The one thing I found missing was how to set up a resume for those who have worked for one company for over 30 years but have had several jobs and titles within that time frame.

I have recommended this book to people of all ages and disciplines. It has more pertinent information then any other resume book I've ever seen. It actually was entertaining to read, and provided realistic, hopeful solutions to people in recovery who struggle with how to handle gaps in employment.
I hope that it is used in schools because it is a great tool!

This is the one to get. Trust me, I write resumes for a living.

Mr. Bennett leaves no stone unturned here...he takes readers through each step of writing a resume so diligently that I feel as if he has practically re-written my resume himself! Throughout the book he reinforces the importance of being honest about work histories and teaches readers how to position job hopping and gaps in employment. (Now I can feel confident in selling myself despite the many detours I've taken in my career!) He puts readers in the point of view of the employer and goes into great detail about how to use language and visual layout of the resume to make the most impact. He supplies tons of descriptive words and shows how to turn terms like, "strong interpersonal skills" and "great team-player" into actionable statements with evidence that actually mean something to employers. (This was very enlightening to me!) He also explains best practices with cover letters, inquiry letters and replying to salary history requests...you NAME it and this book's got it. Mr. Bennett clearly has a lot to teach on the subject and I feeled armed with a powerful weapon in being able to re-position myself on paper and get myself hired. This book is a must buy!

I enjoyed the author's common sense approach to the resume miracles often promised by other books and resume services. Functional resumes do hide a lack of experience but employers already know that. Tricks with format and fonts might look neat but most resume reviewers are going to look past the presentation at some point. This book focuses on the basics, words that work, emphasizing accomplishments over position, keeping things simple, clear, concise and easy to read. But once you get past the large list of action words, there really isn't much more to this book. Personally, I like the formatting ideas in books like Resume Magic and the emphasis on using keywords which are often how resumes are filtered in the Internet age. While the author of The Elements of Resume Style seems to belittle these stupid resume tricks, they do seem to work.

Still,in spite of this quibble I'm giving this book a good recommendation because I found the information on grammer, fonts, style and basic format very helpful, as well as the grain of skeptism that comes with it. But comparing the sample resumes presented in this books and the ones found in other like Resume Magic, and putting oneself in the place of an employer, I think the visual formatting and style does make a difference. This book is a good start or even a complement but not the last word on resumes.

The Hip Girl's Handbook For The Working World is a guide for women who are new to the workforce, just got laid off, or who are looking to jump-start their career. Chapters offer practical tips for putting one's best foot forward when interviewing for a job, negotiating a fair deal, dealing with real-world situations of etiquette or relationships in the workplace, and how to make a graceful exit should one have to leave a job by choice or force. Though carefully researched, The Hip Girl's Handbook for the Working World focuses on practical advice rather than drowning the reader in statistics, and humorous anecdotes add an extra bit of mirth to the beginning of each chapter. Highly recommended.

The Hip Girl's Handbook For The Working World is a guide for women who are new to the workforce, just got laid off, or who are looking to jump-start their career. Chapters offer practical tips for putting one's best foot forward when interviewing for a job, negotiating a fair deal, dealing with real-world situations of etiquette or relationships in the workplace, and how to make a graceful exit should one have to leave a job by choice or force. Though carefully researched, The Hip Girl's Handbook for the Working World focuses on practical advice rather than drowning the reader in statistics, and humorous anecdotes add an extra bit of mirth to the beginning of each chapter. Highly recommended.

This book is a must read for the working woman. It is easy and fun to read, offering great and useful advice on how to navigate the working world. I love the real stories woven throughout the book since they are so relatable. I bought a copy for my cousin who is a recent college graduate and getting ready to step into the workplace -- and she can't put it down!

This book has great tips written in a very accessible and witty way--- great for those starting out or already making their way in the working world. There's something for everyone here and it would make a great gift for new grads! Three cheers!

This Hip Girls guide is a must for any working person. Not only is it fun reading, informative and easy to understand, but as a resource it is a MUST. Ever find yourself stressed about a work related issue and tried to use the internet to search out a topic? I have, and if I did find the topic, the answer wasn't very clear. This book gives you the straight facts, and if the topic requires further details, it provides you with a quick and easy source to get more information. I am going to buy more copies because I think it is the perfect gift.

Got the book to facilitate hiring a Nanny. The book is quite detailed and lays out the legal and other considerations in course of hiring household help. Found the suggested contractual language and clauses to be particularly helpful.
Book also serves as a plug for services provided by the author and associated organizations! I found the prices for services offered higher than what you could find by doing some due dilligence on the internet and shopping around without loosing on reliability.
Contractual clauses are by no means exhaustive; would recommend supplementing by looking at some similar model contracts available on the net on sites that are a source for hiring household help.
There are many options to outsource support services like payroll management that are probably just as reliable and cheaper than those in the book. Asking your accountant or lawyer or any other small business service provider e.g. A dentist would be a good way to shop for such services.

Bernie Kerik. Kimba Wood. You should have read this book. Lays out ALL the information you need to know about hiring a nanny, or even a home health care aide, legally. Keep yourself out of trouble. Buy a copy for your favorite aspiring politician so they stay out of trouble. Everything anyone needs to know about employing household help is covered by Guy Maddalone. Wow.

My wife and I are just entering the nanny market for our two children 11 and 5. I was looking for first hand insights and got Guys book through a friend who has utilized household help for many years. My friend raved about the information in the book. I'm so glad my friend passed it along to us. We had no idea of the complexities and regulations governing household help! "How to Hire & Retain Your Household Help" has really equipped us for a great initial experience as we hire our first nanny!

Raising our four children is a lot of work as anyone with even one child knows. Having a nanny and also someone to help do the cleaning is what keeps us sane. Guy Maddalone's book is an invaluable resource in finding, hiring and then managing household help. It put a lot of structure to the situation and what we needed to do to make sure that the relationship was organized in a professional manner. This is a must read for anyone considering or already have household help.

What I liked most about this book is that it not only covers the full range of domestic help issues, but it also breaks the subject down into easy-to-understand language.

I have employed both domestic help and nannies for years and have searched for information - a handbook really - that would make the hiring and employment process smoother and more professional. This is that handbook. At last!

Guy Maddalone really IS the nation's household help expert and he's done us all a favor by writing this book.

Once I started reading this book, I found it difficult to put down. I'm now reading it a second time. Since applying the practical steps outlined, I've found it easier to rise above the obstacles in my life and find I'm making better decisions. I feel energized with an enlarged vision for my future and look forward to the second half of my life. I highly recommend this book to everyone wishing to enhance the quality of their lives. Cathy Lannes

I was amazed by how many of my own life experiences, thoughts, and feelings were similar to Tim's. I thank Tim for his suggestions on how to deal with them and move on to a happier and more productive way of living.

Midlife Tune-Up offers construction suggestions on important skills to build a better life. As in the author's examples, life throws us curves and this book gives us helpful strategies to take control of our future. It gives intellectual insights and a encouraging step-by-step plan on how to live and behave productively. We are reminded we do have a choice in our perception of life. This is a good thought provoking book with lots of information to absorb.

Being a mother is a job in itself but being a mother that works, owning a business, taking care of a house, raising two children and being a wife it can be overwhelming at times, but after reading this book it has some really good self help tips. I have known Tim Burns for several years now and he truly is a great person and he has such a warming spirit, that quite frankly is a rare find these days, so if you are looking for a great book with some great self help tips and just a great read, pick up Mid Life Tune Up you will love it as I did.

"Midlife tune-Up" is an honest, straight forward outlook on coping with difficulties on aging and change. As Tim pulls from his own personal life, he is able to target main concerns of both men and women. This is an informative and insightful take on how to manage with what inevitably happens to all of us... age, change and challenge.

I've looked at, bought, and borrowed several other books like this one, but none offered anywhere near the detail on income and self-employment tax that this book does. There are actually several chapters (5) dedicated just to taxation, including rates, audit trends, pros and cons of doing things one way over another, even information on paying estimated taxes that was written in a way that I finally understood it. I went through it all extensively with a highlighter, and came out understanding much more than when I'd asked my retired CPA uncle. As a newcomer to the self-employed workforce, I was grateful for the information I found here.

Oh, and the rest of the book is great too! The suggestions for record-keeping, documenting expenses, samples of contracts and legal forms, copyright and trademark advice -- it's all exactly what I needed. I wish I had found this book first, it would have saved me a lot of time and money. Highly recommended as the all-in-one resource it claims to be.

I recently a started an S corp for my software contracting. The book is helpful and worth the price. It won't answer EVERY question you will have, but you probably should talk to a CPA for those anyway.

I purchased the book since my employer explained that I will become an independent contractor for 2007. The book explained everything about being a contractor and how to stay in line with paying the taxes, how to protect my self employed status, what deductions I can take, and what forms and agreements I should use. I found it very informative and would recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the world of self employment.

My husband is an independent photographer, so the Nolo Press books are great for him, geared as they are to all those wishing to handle all the paperwork for themselves, instead of the usual array of lawyers, accountants, etc. He keeps it as a reference book and can easily turn to whatever subject he needs more information on. Well-written and easy to understand, as are all Nolo books, these books are wonderful to review periodically.

Plenty of books impart the basics of how to work independently - but too few include all the legal tips, tricks and traps involved. WORKING FOR YOURSELF: LAW & TAXES FOR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTS covers everything from setting appropriate fees and understanding how and when taxes are paid to limiting liability and getting paid. Record-keeping processes are simplified with sample logs and entry advice, chapters on how the IRS defines an independent contractor versus a paid employee are essential keys to keeping independent status, and advice on pricing and insurance offer key strategy-oriented tips and approaches. A 'must' for any who would work independently.