Customer Reviews

Break The Rules And Get A Great Job

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The employment market has changed considerably over the past few years. More and more, workers are taking career design into their own hands. No longer will they leave their lives in the hands of impersonal employers who are bound by rules and tradition.

Workers want to drive their own careers, but they'll still have to apply for jobs the same way that applicants have for years. There are certain procedures and steps that are necessary to get a job. You submit resumes. You work through the human resources department that manages the hiring process, being careful to give the employment interviewers all the information they request. And don't attempt to interview by telephone. References must be provided. This is the way things are done and, if you want to get a decent job, you have to follow these rules.

Wrong!

William Cohen, a former headhunter and corporate executive who is now a professor at California State University, Los Angeles. Let's go a little further. He's a professor of marketing and leadership. There's an odd combination. And he's chairman of the marketing department. Interesting combination coming together here. But his bachelor's degree is from West Point, where Rules are honored religiously. MBA from the University of Chicago, plus an MA and PhD from the Peter Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate School. 40 business and professional books published. This is an author to take seriously.

But, breaking the rules? In employment that could cause some serious damage! Not so says Cohen as he punches through tradition in chapter after chapter. Sixteen rules are presented, challenged, and ignored as Cohen dumps a huge amount of advice on the reader. Three appendices on sample advertisement and analysis of responses, how to find prospective employers, and sample interview-getting letters add to the value of this book.

I got goose bumps as I read some of the tactics Cohen suggests! Why, he tells his readers to violate some of the precepts that are practically holy in the employment world. He emphasizes calling the decision-maker, rather than human resources. He advises readers to bypass human resources, ignore them! Blasphemy! (Giggle, giggle.) It's enough to make you shake your head!

HR people: read this book in self-defense. It's the enemy's manual. Or are job seekers really the enemy if they don't follow the rules? Not a problem, if you're a job seeker: whatever it takes! Let's go for it! Job-seekers: read this book to get the lay of the land and a stimulating blueprint of what you can do. Tight on time, no problem! There's a quick main point summary at the end of each chapter. Want proof? Examples and illustrations throughout the book.

Break the Rules is a book for the times. GenXers will love it! And older workers will buy it to learn the secrets, then tentatively try a whole different approach that's exciting and scary at the same time. Daring. Think you're ready for this book? Don't wait till you leave your current job to get this book-Cohen advises that there are some things that you should do now to prepare yourself for that magic time when it's time to play musical jobs again.

Extra note: if you're self-employed, you'll find some interesting approaches in this book to landing new clients. Much of the marketing strategy (remember who the author is!) is transferable.

You can ask for a job, or you can take something good that comes along, or... you can determine exactly what work you want, use the ten-week (or less) campaign in this book, and go for it. Looking at your work history in terms of accomplishments instead of duties or experience makes all the difference. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Not only is it specific, but the act of putting the campaign together is confidence-building. Get _How to Turn an Interview Into a Job_ and you may easily have all the tools you need to really get a great job in any economy.

There is two useful ideas in the book: not giving out references until there is an actual job offer and how to handle salary negotiations. Other than that, the Personal Sales Letter is just a cover letter (Read "The Overnight Job Change Letter" for a better way to write cover letters) and targeting the decision maker comes straight out of "What Color is Your Parachute?". His chapter on telephoning for a job suggests some sneaky ways to get to the hiring authority that in reality, would turn most bosses off. Basically, there is nothing really new in this book that hasn't been covered in other job hunting books and, in my experience, refusing to send in a resume until after the interview is just not viable in most cases.

The reason for the five stars is because of the amount of work that the author has put forth in this book. The reason for the comments is because of career hunting in this day and age.

There were a few pondering doubts about the 'sales letter' approach; how would this differentiate between a pure commodity, marketing or sales oriented advertisement via fax, email or mail.

I've also fortunately(unfortunately)seen and studied a few publicly available human resources websites. This is why hr/personnel excel at what they do. They are psychologists, sociologists, humanitarians and delegators. They also have very thorough methods of communications with employees and potential employees. Not only with discrepancies, but also in maximizing a company's bottom line within all business functions.

All in all, I applaud the author's endeavor writing this book, as I am using several of the techniques with incremental successes.

These days, finding a job is more challenging than ever. This book will give you a ton of outside the box suggestions to land the job of your dreams. Many people make the mistake of only applying for jobs by sending out resumes to online job advertisements. This book will tell you to ditch your resume (at least at first), and instead, write sales letters about your strengths and accomplishments. The idea is that employers will notice your efforts, over other people who do things just like everyone else does. Don't read this book , unless you are willing to think outside the box, and are also willing to step out on a ledge and get out of your comfort zone.

I am currently looking for a new job, and I keep referencing this book. I first learned of it a couple of years ago when I knew I was going to be laid off. This book helped to build the foundation of my job search, and still acts as my job guide. Great way to get started looking for the job you've always wanted!!!

There are several "rules" that job hunters are called upon to follow when searching for their dream job; traditions handed down to them by parents, guidance counselors, and human resource departments. The job market is a highly competitive field, and Cohen rightly asks, "If you want to leap out of the pack of job hunters lining up to take your dream job, why are you
doing what everyone else is doing?" Cohen the proceeds to list sixteen rules and the reasons to break each one of them. Along with that he provides the `why' and `how to' and ends each chapter with a brief listing of the main points. Such concise writing makes the book an easy read and removes a bit of the intimidation factor that goes with finding a job.

Of course, breaking rules carries with it some intimidations of its own. Cohen calls on the reader to ignore or out right defy what even one's potential employer (a term Cohen uses often) might ask of him, some of which seems as though it should have been instinctual all along. For example, Cohen says that the job hunter must prepare for his next job hunt all the time, not just when he needs a job. One will wish to present to his potential employer evidence of his knowledge and contacts, his reputation and accomplishments. "To acquire all this takes time. Therefore, begin to prepare for your next job campaign on the day you go to work in your new job."

Another excellent piece of advice is refraining from presenting a résumé until after the interview has taken place. Doing so allows one to tailor the résumé to the job he is applying for, being sure to extrapolate on what seems relevant and leave out the rest. In its place, Cohen
recommends the sending of a "personal sales letter" directly to the potential employer. "Done right, these will consistently get interviews that lead to job offers....you will be invited in for interviews regardless of the present state of the economy and regardless of your past lack of success in generating interviews." Cohen goes on to describe how such a letter should be arranged, included attention getters, listing accomplishments and avoiding "knock-out factors."

Cohen receives some criticism for setting forth the idea of a personal sales letter, some argue that this is nothing more than a cover letter for a résumé. So what? If it is just another term for a cover letter than Cohen explains an excellent way to write a cover letter, and the main
point is still to send this ahead of the résumé directly to the potential employer.

The author presents several other good ideas as well, such as waiting to present references until one actually knows his potential employer is interested (keeps the references enthusiastic) and waiting until the end of the process to talk about salary (a better position to bargain from). His advice to prepare and prepare some more for the interview, including the preparation of a positive outlook is especially valuable. Also, it would be wise to pay attention to what the Cohen says about after-interview thank you letters; they do indeed seem a little silly
now after having read that section.

Cohen's job campaign plan, which he outlines well, would prove extremely time consuming-perhaps too much so if one still attends to be a good parent and/or spouse, not to mention a decent employee at the current job. Also, applying directly to the potential employer, that is, the one who will do the actual hiring, and bypassing HR altogether is easier said than
done. While Cohen admits that it can be a challenge and presents several capers for achieving this goal, he more or less assumes that one will be able to do this in the end, but what if this is not the case? Cohen does not dedicate many words to this, nor to what to do if you are successful and all it does is annoy the future boss.

There are certain elements of the book that might lead some readers to conclude that the author has an unethical, or at least a sneaky side to him. For example, Cohen guides the reader to approach any psychological tests "as if you were an average, middle-class person. Respond the way you think this average person would answer, not you.....If you are going to lie on a test, make certain you do so consistently." Cohen also suggests some rather deceptive ways of gaining the full name the potential employer, possibly setting up the receptionist or secretary for an unpleasant encounter with the boss later on. Further, the author suggests and presents sample dialog surrounding a made-up offer with another company in order to gain a higher salary. With the exception of his suggestions of how to beat a psychological test (it's harder than he thinks)these suggestions might get the results desired, but it hardly serves to set up a positive relationship between employer and employee; the fact is most of the book assumes an adversarial relationship between the reader and his potential employer.

Break the Rules appears to be written primarily to those seeking to enter the world of sales and marketing and the various offshoots thereof. For those seeking to enter other fields, such as the helping professions, the book will offer some good insights but such a reader will still feel left out a good part of the time. This is likewise true for someone entering the job force for the first time, such as a recent college graduate; while Cohen addresses these readers and much of the work is applicable to them, they will still discover that they are not the primary audience for this book.

Overall, this is a worthwhile book. While the reader may find that some of the ideas are unappealing or that the campaign Cohen outlines will not work for him, there are still elements which, even if utilized away from the whole, will be of benefit. Cohen has substantial credentials to back up his claims and they are worth exploring.

Cohen, a former recruiter and corporate executive has written a clear and concise book that is a must read for job seekers. He outlines steps to take whether you are out of work or currently employed but looking, emphasizing the importance of both internal and external preparation. He believes that your attitude is as important as your skills and addresses the emotional issues related to losing a job with clarity and without getting too "touchy feely".

Break the Rules is aptly titled. Each chapter addresses a rule: "Emphasize your Experience", and a rule buster: "Emphasize your Accomplishments". Other chapters such as "How to Shamelessly Advertise and Promote Yourself", and "How
to Organize your Accomplishments for Maximum Impact in Compelling Sales Letters" are among the other gems packed into this very empowering book.

Cohen includes a 10-week plan, sample interview getting letters, analysis of employer responses, and numerous examples and illustrations.

We recommend it to all our candidates.

I must say I was disappointed in purchasing this book what a waste of money.

The main premise of this book is to create a customized sales letter (a fancy word for Cover Letter)and mail it to executives and hiring managers. But this book like many others I have read on job hunting leaves out a glaring ommission. "How on earth do you get the hiring manager's phone number in the first place?"

The book starts off with some mental exercises such as using NLP and some other gimmiky positive attitude building exercises and then it talks about sending off sales letters to hiring managers. Cohen also discusses using AIDA, a[bad]marketing tool to build a persuasive sales letter. The book is peppered with highly questionable anecdotes and very little practical job hunting strategy at all.

"Break the Rules", is a highly subjective book written from the experiences of the author. He claims to be a PhD but I did'nt see a single footnote or reference in that book.

The only thing that even gave this book any stars were some parts of this book: such as prepping for interviews, how to promote yourself while your employed and salary negotation. But me believe that is no reason to run out and buy this book.