Employment Books

Because of the long lead times in book publishing, by the time this book went to press, the dot-com bust was happening, however much of the information in this book is still very relevant and applicable.

When I was asked to contribute, I was already predicting that there would be sweeping changes within the high-tech industry and choose my contributions accordingly, focusing on ERP, cross-platform databases and Internet security samples as areas that would continue to be relevant beyond the dot-com boom.

The advice given by Jay and Michael as well as all of my colleagues' samples in this book are highly polished and continue to be relevant models for any individual pursuing a career in high-tech, in my opinion.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/06)


"101 Common Sense Tips for Building a Great Career" is compact, but comprehensive, simple, yet powerful. This small book is filled with outstanding advice for building a sound career. The form and format of this book make it easy to carry in your jacket pocket or purse for easy access for those wasted minutes, in line, at the doctor's office, or while waiting for a late appointment.

The book is designed topically under major headings entitled "Ten Keys to Building a Great Career." The 101 common sense tips that follow are organized in short, numbered paragraphs. These common sense tips come to life as you incorporate, and assimilate them in career strategy.

The book is timely and contemporary. Cell phone courtesy, appropriate dress codes, business etiquette, and simple manners have a place in Bud Bilanich's common sense tips.

Two tips I found helpful were: numbers 65, and 67, in the personal organization section. "Eliminate clutter. When in doubt, throw it out. Don't hang on to a lot of stuff you'll never use or read." And "Begin work on large projects at the end of the day. When you return in the morning you will have momentum."

This little book is filled with common sense wisdom and should be incorporated in every business school curriculum. The book highlights the best principles of leadership. It is a reminder of the force energized within when the basics are done well.

"101 Common Sense Tips for Building a Great Career" is an important resource for anyone looking for a fuller life, through a more successful career.

Most people don't like writing cover letters. Authors Michael Farr and Louise M. Kursmark recognize this fact. They also tell us why we must write cover letters. And they give us a wealth of cover letter examples for all situations:
No Interview is Scheduled
Pre-interview For a Specific Job Opening
Interview is Scheduled, No Specific Job Opening

The authors point out the finer points of each resume. They also include chapters on thank you notes and resumes.

Part of JIST's "Best Jobs" series, 150 Best Jobs Through Military Training is a no-nonsense listing of 150 and 75 military job descriptions. Sorting the "best jobs" into best pay, fastest growth, and most openings, and grounding its recommendations firmly in the latest government data, 150 Best Jobs Through Military Training devotes roughly a page or more to each job entry, with a wealth of additional, more general information concerning possible career paths. Figures tell the reader at a glance the average annual earnings, growth rate, annual job openings, percent of self-employed workers, and percent of part-time workers for each job. An easy-to-use guide enthusiastically recommended for anyone serving in the military.

I first saw Mr. Viorst on PBS an an expert on Middle East affairs and was impressed by his keen insights. Considering that he is a Jewish writer living in the United States, he has established a highly independent and well-founded perspective on the state of Israel and its relationships with both the Arab world and the United States. After reading all of Henry Kissinger's writings on the Arab-Israel struggle, I found this book a wonderful counterpoint to the cold war outlook on Mideast politics taken by so many American administrations. I would compare it to David Shipler's perspective in his book on Arab and Jew; Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land. Perhaps with the end of the cold war, Mr. Viorst's perspective on the Arab-Israeli struggle will begin to find more resonance in the capitols of the western world. I would highly recommend this book to any serious student of Mid-East politics and history. In a time when we are fighting a battle against Osama bin Laden, Mr. Viorst illuminates the reasons why American policy in the Middle East may have, purposefully or inadvertently, helped to inflame so many Arabs while bringing no lasting peace to the region.

He also does an excellent job, through the political history of Israel since its inception, sorting out the movements, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, Zionist and Revisionist, etc. that have pushed and pulled Israel in conflicting directions over the past 50 years. For that alone, this book should be compulsory reading for any student of Israeli political history. While it was written in the late 1980's, it still shines a light on the events which have since transpired.

I am departing tomorrow for my first cruise job, this book was a great deal of help, it has contact information, and great job descriptions...

This book is the Retirement Distribution Bible! I use this for many clients. Combined with their software makes it an invaluable tool.

It's all here. If you are looking for a job in the cruise ship industry, especially if you're doing this for the first time, this concise manual appears to give you all the details. If you haven't written a resume before, this tells you how, but if you've done it in other fields, this tells you what cruise employers want to see. All cruise jobs are listed with detailed duties, licensing requirements and typical salaries. All cruise lines, as of mid 2002, with their ships, addresses, internal departments, and some points of contact are provided. US and foreign concessionaires (companies that act as middlemen in providing crews to some lines) are listed with their job specialties, addresses, phone numbers, etc.

The book isn't perfect. It could have used another round of editing for missing information (almost none), duplicate fields (a few), and some typos that were visible to someone not trying to use the information. I'd bet that there are a few bad phone numbers and street addresses as well (although I didn't actually find any). But these are real nits--overall the manual is well formatted, readable, easy to use, and apparently overwhelmingly complete.

Other books might give you the flavor of working on a cruise ship, or try to seduce you with tempting descriptions of cruise jobs. This manual appears dedicated to getting the reader first and foremost the facts and the data--the stuff needed to get a foot in the door of the cruise business.

The 2002 Multistate Guide to Benefits Law is an informative, well-written, and highly useful tool for human resources and legal professionals. As an attorney who works in the Human Resources field full-time, I appreciate the accuracy and timeliness of this and Mr. Buckley's other works. John Buckley actually has an entire library of publications relating to various aspects of employment law, many of which are designed to assist HR professionals, while others are created for attorneys practicing in specialized areas. Clearly, an enormous amount of expert research coupled with attention to detail have enabled the author to produce voluminous works of unparalleled accuracy. I give the Multistate Benefits Guide and all of John Buckley's publications my heartiest recommendation.

Whether you are a recruiter or an individual looking for your next career opportunity this book is an outstanding resource.

Updated annually, and listing thousands of niche internet job boards by professional discipline, as well as the big players known to all, it's a veritable treasure trove of information.

But it's in the listing of the niche sites this book really scores. As a HR professional who has done a lot of recruiting the book has led me to a number of excellent sources of candidate resumes I might otherwise have overlooked. Which means of course, it repays an individual to select two or three niche sites to post their resume.

Highly recommended!

See also:

2007/8 Guide to Employment Sites on the Internet: For Corporate and Third Party Recruiters, Job Seekers, and Career Activists (Weddle's Recruiter's Guide to Employment Web Sites)
2007/8 Guide to Association Web Sites: For Recruiters and Job Seekers (Weddle's Guide to Association Web Sites)