Job Search The Total System

by Kenneth M. Dawson

The first book to give job searchers the linkage skills they need to connect and manage each aspect of the job search. Linkage is the ability to tie together each aspect of the job search--a good... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471500666
• ISBN13: 9780471500667
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Job Search Gets the Job Done

Most books on "job hunting," "resume building," and the like are poorly put together texts that tell you to do what everyone else is doing...how to not stand out in the crowd. And there IS a crowd. Job Search by the Dawson's really does accomplish what it sets out to do. It shows you how to do...and more importantly WHAT to do. Beginning with search online and moving right along to the basics, they then go where few dare. They tell the truth and show you how to get the job! They call it moving beyond Resume Platitudes. I call it getting past the BS. This chapter is worth the price of the book (and maybe your new career). The Dawson's do another favor by showing people how to network. This is something most people fail at and yet it is HOW jobs are found and offered. Is the book perfect and really worth 5 stars? I read a lot of business books, I *write* a lot of business books. It's rare that books fulfill on the title but Job Search is extremely well organized, well thought out, easy to understand and cuts through the overwhelming amount of misinformation out there. Yes. 5 stars. Kevin Hogan Author of The Science of Influence

A "must have" tool for those in job transition

This book is a must for those anticipating a job transition. Don't wait for the "lay-off" notice or until you finally decide to quit that useless job. This book will prepare you for the transition before you ever leave. I found this book invaluable both for the supportive narrative and for the practical "how-to" advice. Follow what this book lays out for you in simple steps and you too will find a better job for better pay.

Quite simply the best book and system for job search

Feeling anxious about your career? In between jobs? Graduated from college and now what? Ken and Sheryl Dawson's book, Job Search: The Total System is the best book I have seen on this topic. Just reading it will calm you down and focus you, following it will greatly increase your chance for success in your job search. Run don't walk to buy this book and get started right away. Mark Goulston "Solve Anything with Dr. Mark" - Tribune syndicated career column "The Leading Edge" columnist and blogger at Fast Company author: Get Out of Your Own Way at WorkGet Out Of Your Own Way At Work, And Help Others Do the Same: Conquer Self-Defeating Behavior on the Job author: Get Out of Your Own Way Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior

A Comprehensive and Effective Job Search Guide for Anyone!

When I graduated from college and began my job search I was overwhelmed. I attended a great university and had visited my career center many times throughout my senior year in search of advice and resources. I received some valuable tips and pointers, but I still felt like what I had learned about trying to find a job was not cohesive, and I remained stymied in the face of my looming job search. Then three weeks after I graduated I had the opportunity to attend a job search seminar for recent graduates, hosted by the Dawsons. I can say without hesitation that the Total System approach saved my job search before it even started. I received Job Search: The Total System (Second Edition) at the seminar, and I now have access to the advice and inspiration of the Total System every day. After finishing the third edition, I can say that the Dawsons have delved even deeper into the intricacies of the modern job market to provide readers with even more sophisticated, in-depth knowledge, advice, and details to ensure their job search success. The third edition expands upon the proven ideas and practices that are the foundation of the Total System, updating them for the modern job seeker. The two maxims that resonated with me as I read Job Search: The Total System: 1) a job search must be planned, well thought out, and methodical and 2) confidence, energy, and enthusiasm give life to your job search plan. The Total System lucidly presents a comprehensive job search philosophy in about 250 pages by breaking it down into chapters that focus on topics like building resumes, preparing references, and acing interviews. Each chapter explains how to, for example, construct an "A+" resume or network effectively, and also describes why these particular methods are effective. The synergistic effect of the "how" and "why" together is that it gives readers a comprehensive understanding of everything that goes into a job search and so makes them more adept at conducting successful job searches. The book's balanced, no-nonsense style and presentation allow readers to easily grasp its advice and wisdom, and the Dawsons' confidence-inspiring affirmations along the way help readers build confidence and enthusiasm even before they begin their searches. All in all an enjoyable, immensely helpful read that provides vital job search advice as it instills an invaluable way of thinking about your career. Whether you are looking for your first job or seeking to advance your career, this is an essential resource that belongs in the library of every job seeker.

This system works!

I worked for the Dawsons in their Houston office many years ago, and I saw first-hand how their system works. They have helped literally tens of thousands of people find better jobs, at better companies, for better pay. The advice in this book is the distilled essence of the philosophy and advice they deliver in seminars for which they charge company HR departments thousands of dollars. Most of what they tell you is common sense, but it's laid out in a very organized way, with lots of checklists, examples, and case studies. The system is designed not just to help the reader find a job, but to find the RIGHT job at the RIGHT company. It's not a mere paint-by-numbers guide, but a framework for a new, positive way of thinking leading to a cycle of success. Rather than pad their book with a lot of nebulous feel-good prose, however, the Dawsons give you excellent, practical advice on how to decide what you really want for your future, prepare your resume, research companies, conduct your interviews, and negotiate your pay and benefits once you get the offer. Their plan features concepts called linkage and psychological leverage, and I have seen it work countless times. Their advice on how to format your resume and create accomplishment statements will set you apart from the crowd and let your work experience shine. In the Foreword to this recent 3rd Edition, one executive and retired military general who went through the program put it this way: The Total System "challenges you to envision the future that is right for you, enables you to communicate your value to a potential employer, and then propels you to achieve your dreams." Job Search: The Total System is easy to understand, easy to use, and it works! I recommend this book to new college grads, executives, and everyone in between. It will pay for itself many times over.