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Monster Careers

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Monster Careers

How to Land the Job of Your Life

Penguin,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Finding a new job can be a "monstrous" proposition – but it should really have its place in your long-term career plan.

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Few people know more about finding the right job than Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster, the world’s leading career Web site. Taylor leaves no contact unused in this comprehensive guide, discussing every step of finding a new job, from writing a winning resume to avoiding mistakes during salary negotiations to building a productive network. In addition to his experience, he presents advice from recruiters, human resource professionals and Monster employees. So if he directs you to Monster’s Web site a little too insistently, you can forgive him, because his book is so well written, easy to read and full of good advice. It includes a good resource list of books, Web sites and services, as well as useful exercises. getAbstract recommends this 400-page monster especially to first-time job seekers, although experienced employees seeking more money, prestige or career satisfaction may also find its tips helpful.

Summary

The Work World is Changing

Long ago, in a simpler time, if you landed a job with a major corporation, you spent your entire working life there and rode off into the retirement sunset with a gold watch, a hefty pension and few worries. As long as you performed your duties, job security was rarely an issue. But the old rules no longer apply. Today, companies downsize, export jobs overseas, and consolidate departments and services to save money. Competition is fiercer than ever and more businesses are closing their doors.

Loyalty, which used to be the foundation of the relationship between employee and employer, has been replaced by layoffs and high turnover. Aware of the precariousness of their situation, workers in all fields change jobs frequently. Many people who recognize this paradigm shift and are unwilling to be victimized have left traditional employment and work from home as freelancers or consultants. By the end of their careers, today’s college graduates will easily have held between 10 and 20 jobs. That notion was incomprehensible 50 years ago.

Some companies, to their credit, have begun to put more effort into employee retention. They realize that ...

About the Authors

Jeff Taylor is the founder of Monster and speaks frequently at colleges and universities. Doug Hardy is a certified job and career transition coach, and the former editor-in-chief of Monster.

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