Barrier-Breaking Resumes and Interviews [Paperback]

Anita Doreen Diggs (Author), Anita Dorreen Diggs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 1999

Is job hunting a new game to you?

Have you been sidelined while on welfare or in prison?

If any of this sounds familiar to you, then Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you how to score. Job hunting is one of the most important games of the rest of your life. Are you ready to play it? Do you have all the equipment you'll need to win? Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you the rules of this new game and make you a champion.

This hassle-free, step-by-step guide to getting a job will show you:

   What a résumé is and how to write one. Samples of résumés are included for your reference.
  How to write a cover letter and why you need one.
  How to apply for a job.
  How to "talk the talk" on the telephone when job hunting.
  How to dress for interviews.
  How to answer hard questions like "Where have you been for the past ten years?"

Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you the game: how to be in it, win it, and get the gold.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Not for the experienced employee, Diggs' third book--following Success at Work (1993) and The African-American Resource Guide (1994)concentrates on the basics of job-hunting for ex-offenders, welfare-to-work individuals, and others with little or no workplace know-how. Nothing is left to the reader's imagination, starting with descriptions of potential jobs and ending with thank-you letters. In fact, all details are spelled out, to avoid any confusion: she explains the role of gatekeepers, telephone ethics, and the importance of good grooming. The narrative is straightforward, filled with examples, and imbued with an upbeat attitude. The only less-than-thorough section is the one on resources, which lists just a handful of forward-thinking (and -hiring) companies and a few nonprofit job-assistance organizations. Barbara Jacobs

From the Inside Flap

Is job hunting a new game to you?

Have you been sidelined while on welfare or in prison?

If any of this sounds familiar to you, then Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you how to score. Job hunting is one of the most important games of the rest of your life. Are you ready to play it? Do you have all the equipment you'll need to win? Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you the rules of this new game and make you a champion.

This hassle-free, step-by-step guide to getting a job will show you:

   What a résumé is and how to write one. Samples of résumés are included for your reference.
  How to write a cover letter and why you need one.
  How to apply for a job.
  How to "talk the talk" on the telephone when job hunting.
  How to dress for interviews.
  How to answer hard questions like "Where have you been for the past ten years?"

Barrier-Breaking Résumés and Interviews will teach you the game: how to be in it, win it, and get the gold.

Product Details

• Paperback: 113 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (July 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812931300
• ISBN-13: 978-0812931303
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,208,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Does What It Says It Will, July 17, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Barrier-Breaking Resumes and Interviews (Paperback)

This book gives very basic and practical examples of how to write a resume if you have challenges or "barriers" such as no formal job experience, substance abuse or a criminal record in your past. I highly recommend it for welfare-to-work populations and prison-to-work populations, if these persons have little or no knowledge of how to market themselves on paper to get a job. The reading level and "white space" on the pages also makes it relevant for those with lower literacy skills. I found if very useful for the target audience the authors intended ("those who have little or no work experience, have just been released from prison, or were formerly on public assistance"). The book will not be useful to anyone who does not fit the target audience; it is much too basic and targeted to novice job seekers. But it is a breath of fresh air for those who need it and for the human service providers/educators who may be trying to help them get a resume ready for a job interview.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Barrier-Breaking Resumes And Interviews, November 3, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barrier-Breaking Resumes and Interviews (Paperback)

Here is the first paragraph of the Introduction verbatim: "Barrier-Breaking Resumes And Interviews is not an ordinary how-to-find-a-job book. This book is for those who have little or no work experience, have just been released from jail, or were formerly on public assistance." With 20 years of work experience, I found this book useless to me, but it may be good for you if you have very little or no work experience.

1.0 out of 5 stars Minimal info, August 24, 2005

By 

chicoer2003 "chicoer2003" (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barrier-Breaking Resumes and Interviews (Paperback)

There's minimal info in this book, and I found it totally pointless. It's written broadly and looks like a kid's book with its large print.