Review by Nendu87 -- Finding A Job in Tough Times

[Herbstlicht]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Finding A Job in Tough Times" by Dr. Tim Johnson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Finding A Job in Tough Times by Dr. Tim Johnson

"This book is not a novel. There are no characters but yours" is the first sentence of the book, certainly a phrase to catch the reader's attention. I was immediately drawn to this short, enjoyable guidebook dedicated to people looking for employment or fresh graduates wanting to set foot on the job market. The layout of the book goes beyond the usual tips and tricks about landing a job though. Moreover, it lays a big focus on establishing a career and finding a personal calling, instead of landing "just any job".

The book is organized as a workbook, with over forty fill-in exercises meant to outline the education, previous job experience, skills, abilities, and preferences of the job applicant. It contains some nice life wisdom but also practical tips on how to polish up a CV, re-define your career goals, find opportunities for practical training and even re-build an entire life philosophy in accordance with the envisioned career principles. There are quite a few life coaching elements included.

Finding A Job in Tough Times is well written. I believe it will appeal to not only people currently searching for employment and college graduates but also to those who consider a career change or envision a promotion. The formatting of the e-book could be somewhat improved, but the overall editing is perfect. I couldn't find any errors.

There were two things I didn't like about this book. For one, I think that the book title is somewhat deluding, as it implies that it is a guide book on finding employment, whereas it's clearly stated on more than one occasion that the book is not designed for finding "a job" but rather constructing a perfect career for oneself. Dr. Johnson's starting point also seems to be the somewhat romanticized idea of many open doors for people on a job search, which I think is rarely the case in reality. I dare say most of the people who are looking for jobs, even high-end ones, rarely have the luxury to dive in the sea of opportunities due to the financial strains of unemployment. Following the grand scheme of the book would also be incredibly time-consuming. This argument also goes for the "tough times" in the book title - I'm still unsure whether Dr. Johnson had the tough corporation times in mind as opposed to a tough personal phase when faced with unemployment.

Finally, in the chapter about personal values and how to present them in front of an employer, Dr. Johnson presumes that the reader is a Christian and a churchgoer/active member and suggests that this is of importance to employers.

I chose this book because I am currently looking into a career change and found very valuable advice, like searching for job ads into specialized trade magazines in the industry of interest. Completing the exercises was a lot of fun (especially the self-assessment part) and it gave me some ideas about re-writing my CV. Like most good self-help books, this book leaves the reader with a warm feeling of hope and motivation to make the best out of the cards dealt. I'm happy to grant this book 4 out of 4 stars. It's for sure I'll be rereading it.

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Finding A Job in Tough Times
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[djr6090]

I recently reviewed this book and found it to be one of the more sensitive self-building exercises that I gave ever seen. I liked your review.

[Herbstlicht]

I recently reviewed this book and found it to be one of the more sensitive self-building exercises that I gave ever seen. I liked your review.

Thank you. It's incredible how little it takes to encourage people become the best version of themselves.

[djr6090]

I recently reviewed this book and found it to be one of the more sensitive self-building exercises that I gave ever seen. I liked your review.

Thank you. It's incredible how little it takes to encourage people become the best version of themselves.

So true. Is it just me, or does it seem that the world is getting harsher? More competition with less concern expressed for our fellow man? This book is so gentle on the ego, it is great encouragement.

[Herbstlicht]

That might be true.

By the way, judging by your last written review, we seem to have a similar taste in books