Practical, helpful advice, info, and resources in this edition. The updates made for the current job market are helpful – LinkedIn, Social Media, etc.

Though career changers are mentioned, the book mostly feels written towards those just out of school or beginning their search for a job and those who are unemployed for some other reason. More guidance/help for those in current jobs would be helpful since they are facing more time constraints and other similar road blocks when searching for a new job/career.

I haven’t gone through the petals exercise so my review is based solely on the content and not application of the method. I believe the exercise will be beneficial and eye opening, but as a person with a full-time career and a family, fitting in the necessary steps will be difficult and time consuming (hence my mention of those like me in the paragraph above). I decided I had waited long enough and needed to review the books’ content for now.

My true intent for requesting an ARC of this book was for my son who is nearing graduation and has no idea what he wants to do with life and seems to struggle a bit with it. I’m actually hoping the content and exercises in the book will help HIM. That is yet to be seen since getting him to read and apply the content will likely not be anything I can accomplish in the near future!
The book definitely gave me a lot to think about and assess, whether now or later – you never know where the job market will leave you, right!?

As it always has been, I think this book is a mainstay for those newly in the job market or quickly approaching it.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not compensated for any of my reviews.

It’s slowly getting better than the early versions. More up-to-date info on how to apply for jobs in a way that appeals to employers. I still cringe at the advice to show up at an office (as an HR/recruiting leader for 30 years, I have some expertise here) …. Respect for people’s time is critical in the process (on both sides of the equation). Showing up unscheduled is disrespectful and entitled, particularly at small companies (where the book suggests showing up) when people are wearing many hats and working long days. If you showed up at my office you’d be spending the day in the lobby with no results. Of course, maybe I’m just an a’hole.

When I chose this book to read, I went off the title and did not read the description. However, this book was not what I expected from the description. It took a while for me to understand how the title related to career advice. Overall, this a good read for someone who is struggling in their career or job search. It gives you some helpful tips on how to find you next career.

Thanks to Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

I like the IDEA behind the described method for finding a new job, but found the exercises incredibly hard for me to do, personally.

This is a very good resource for people looking nice to change their career. Rather than just giving tips on where to look for jobs, Bolles sets out to get the readers to analyze and examine their past in order to find out what their dream job looks like. Starting from your passions and skills and then finding a job that suits you based on those attributes, instead of the other way around. Highly recommended if you are looking for new ways to think about the job hunt.

This book wasn't as helpful as I thought it'd be, unfortunately. I discovered that my purpose is to one day entertain. To help lighten the load of other people and provide an escape from reality is something I didn't think was a possible career path or even plausible until I skimmed this book. So I'm grateful for that. I learned about the interview process - something that has always stumped me. So I'm also glad I got some information about that. Everything else was a little too... methodological? I was hoping for something like a personality test that tells your true career path instead of a bunch of platitudes about work. Not what I was looking for. Might be helpful to others though.

One of the better self-help books I've read, Bolles has some very good techniques for analyzing your work strengths/weaknesses/preferences and tips for job hunting. While many of the strategies are obvious and not all are applicable to everyone, it is easy to pick and choose which parts are relevant for you and apply them. I took this out of my library and am considering buying my own copy to have on hand as a reference, since it is not one of those books you can skim through but rather should go back to again and again to refine the process to work for you.

If your looking for a job, read this book. Not because this book provides insight about the job hunt that will make you find a job immediately (it does provide insight but none of it is earthshaking) but instead because this book will give you confidence to keep looking. This book will make you feel like your not the only person in the world struggling to find a job, and ultimately you will find a job. This is a struggle everyone faces.