JESUS, Career Counselor: How to Find (and Keep) Your Perfect Work [Hardcover]

Laurie Beth Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2010

Written to help readers get, find, and keep the work they love, JESUS, Career Counselor weaves

together practical self-help concepts, intriguing stories, relevant statistics, and Bible scriptures.

Divided into four sections centered on the four natural giftings or personalities of people, this book

explores twelve dreams that God has for each individual--including rise, risk, roar, renew, regenerate,

rejoice, relate, and more. It then instructs readers in how to realize each one of these dreams, no

matter their natural inclination.

As individual personalities of Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind are explored, the book explains how

the Fire of excitement translates to Leadership Skills, how the Earth of grounding translates into

Good Habits and Character Development, how the Water of life-giving becomes Relationship Skills,

and how the Wind of release becomes the Creativity and Innovation, which are in high demand in

every industry in the world today.

Readers will learn how to discover their four greatest talents and create their personal Talent Shield,

which will help them choose a meaningful career based on their Life’s Mission Statement.

Each chapter serves as a free-standing career guidepost, and includes Career Exercises, pertinent

Word Definitions, Career Choices for individual gifting, Self-Quizzes, and Reader Study Guides.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

She taught readers how to be Christians in business. Now Jones, business consultant and author of the bestselling Jesus CEO, is helping readers find their ideal careers. Jones encourages readers to cultivate a vocation in which they can naturally and joyfully be fruitful. Each of the book's chapters describes one of 12 dreams the Holy Spirit has for humans: to renew, revive, risk, etc. This framework doesn't offer a step-by-step process for job hunters; instead, it exposes the big questions anyone should face before making career decisions. No beach reading here: readers will work through auxiliary activities and apply ideas through reflection and action. Employing biblical examples and her own experiences, Jones coaches readers, directing them to decipher what bubbles up inside and can be poured into the world from your soul while you're working. Recognizing the complexities of career hunting, she also offers practical advice, résumé-writing techniques, and categorical prayers. For the many who are out of work or for those who just need a change, Jones's wisdom may stir them to view work in a new light. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Laurie Beth Jones is an internationally recognized best-selling author, speaker, inspirational life coach, and trainer—offering small group, online, and one-on-one training. Previous titles have spent more than thirteen months on the Businessweek bestseller list and have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time Magazine, CNN Financial, and more.

A business-development coach and consultant to CEOs and organizations, Laurie Beth has conducted training or provided leadership products for major companies including Tyson Foods, Purina-Nestle, Neiman Marcus, Pfizer, Citi Financial, and American Express.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (May 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439149062
• ISBN-13: 978-1439149065
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laurie Beth Jones - Best Selling Author and Motivational Speaker

Laurie Beth Jones is an internationally recognized best-selling author, speaker, coach, and trainer. Her business books, written from a spiritual perspective, have received global recognition for the sound, time-proven principles contained within. As a speaker and trainer, she has been invited to present to presidents of countries and companies, business teams, government and the judicial system, churches and ministries, service organizations, and educators.

Her first book, Jesus CEO, Using Ancient Wisdom For Visionary Leadership was written when she was struck by the notion that Jesus’ leadership approach with his staff (disciples) ran counter to many of the management styles and techniques being employed and popularized. As the owner of a successful marketing company, Laurie became increasingly dismayed to find invaluable human energy and intelligence untapped or underutilized. She made it her goal to help empower people by encouraging them to review the divine excellence in themselves and in those they serve.

She followed with The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life. This book, along with Path Experience Workshops, has provided inspiration and practical advice to thousands of individuals through every step of defining and fulfilling a mission. . . a mission statement that can be created over a weekend rather than months or years. Her Personal Mission is to recognize, promote, and inspire divine connection in myself and others. She lives her mission by writing, speaking and creating opportunities for you to get clear about who you are, what you were created to do, and how to live your highest good.

In, The Four Elements of Success, Laurie introduces two new approaches to the age-old challenge of working with people. The Path Elements Profile (PEP) is an intuitive and powerful communication tool that can successfully be employed by individuals of almost any age in any situation. The Elemental Team Challenge Quiz
is a diagnostic tool for businesses based on twenty-eight principles, gleaned from hundreds of proven best practices, that can help transform a team into a powerful and productive entity.

In her most recent release, Jesus, Career Counselor, Laurie Beth defines the difference between a job, a career, and work using a construct she terms as the "Twelve Dreams" for finding and keeping your perfect work. This book is more than a manual to help you identify and find the exact job fit. Laurie's goal goes beyond helping you decide whether you want to go into pediatrics or neurosurgery, or become a part-time eBay seller or get a job at Home Depot. These are details to be determined after you have found your vocare, your calling.

Between plane trips, speaking engagements, and writing opportunities, Laurie provides amazing insights and support to her team and those she coaches. For rest and recreation she cuddles Roo, her Bichon-Frise Yorkie mix, cruises the southwest trails on Texas Range, her Palomino Tennessee Walker, and joins family and friends for opportunities of casual fun, entertainment, and enlightenment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caution: "Advanced Course", May 17, 2010

By 

Elizabeth Jane (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JESUS, Career Counselor: How to Find (and Keep) Your Perfect Work (Hardcover)

On page 12 of this book, the author states, "This book is really an advanced course built upon these previous works..." If you have not read the author's earlier publications, like I had not, you may feel a bit of bait and switch. Not only could I therefore not complete some of the initial exercises to my satisfaction, I never found the free download promised on page 12 that would help me write a mission statement (the author of course devotes an entirely separate book to mission statements that I wish I'd read first). Don't get me wrong: the theology and faith reminders presented here are incredible. The concepts, prayers and truths are life-anchoring. You will be challenged, you will be moved, and you will be motivated. However, after reading this book, you will not necessarily have traveled a straight line from exploration to action that the "How to Find (and Keep) Your Perfect Work" subtitle seemed to promise (despite a brief planning exercise on page 52). The book is smaller - both in page count and in physical dimensions - than I expected. It instead focuses on the inner-work each of us needs to work out before we make important decisions about our careers. With that goal in mind, the author provides compelling descriptions of the four elements. And appropriately challenges you to consider whether there's any value in your current employment (if that applies to your situation). You will be inspired to find truth...but you will not find a direct connection to job titles or classifications that might be a good fit. At the end of each chapter, you will see lists of industries that fit each element - and you'll see several that overlap among the various lists. I was disappointed by this because I didn't see from this book how learning that I might be a strong Water (for example) would help me choose between a health services career or being an artist (though the author mentions considering your dreams and talents). And for more specific search guidance, you'll see only a short a list of websites and book titles that I've seen in many other job search resources. I realized as I finished this book, that I had hoped for a bit more discussion of why the elements match onto different industries or career paths (I was also curious about how the elements might map onto Meyers-Briggs Types or Kiersey Temperaments). When I didn't find that information, I felt I was missing some pieces of the puzzle. So I took the PEP assessment from the author's website: great info (and wonderfully insightful and accurate in my case), but there were no connections between elements and careers on that tool either. Bottom line: one other reviewer mentioned not to expect a fast read. I would add to that not to expect clear cut to-do's. The author offers you the critical opportunity to re-orient your heart and mind; to stop and breathe before you plunge into the next paycheck; and it's worth the time. Just go into it knowing that while this book can help you find true north, it assumes you've already read up on the features of your compass. And that will have to be enough for this stage of the journey.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Strangely Organized and Unhelpful, November 24, 2010

By 

Kelly "kelly" (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: JESUS, Career Counselor: How to Find (and Keep) Your Perfect Work (Hardcover)

I am a Christian considering a mid life career change and I started reading this book with a lot of enthusiasm. Unfortunately I was quickly disappointed.

The author calls herself a "life coach" and "career counselor". I gather from the book that she is some sort of well known speaker and has been successful. So, it is entirely possible that some people might find this book helpful, but I was not one of them.

The book is full of "life coach" jargon - psycho-babble speak. The author uses phrases like "soul care time" and "roaring through body language" - things that I did not find helpful or really anything I could relate to. The book is full of advice such as this: "Waters and Winds will need more structure and companionship in career searching, not being interested in doing things alone." Um, OK.

For some reason [and I'm still not clear on why this seemed like a good idea], her "career advice" is broken up into "Fire", "Water", "Earth" and "Wind". I felt the whole book had a "New Agey" feel to it, which is fine if that is what you are looking for, but I wasn't expecting it from a book that was supposed to be about Jesus as Career Counselor. Each of the four elemental sections are further divided into chapters named "Rise" "Risk" "Roar" "Reflect" "Renew" "Restore" "Remain" "Return" "Regenerate" "Revive" "Release" and "Rejoice". Which was not intuitive or helpful to me.

I found the whole layout annoying and difficult to follow. In addition to the strange way she decided to title and sub-divide her book, even the anecdotes and stories were often annoying. And sometimes inappropriate in a Christian book. For instance, in one story she tells of a woman gathering a huge crowd of people to pull down their pants publicly to "moon" some KKK marchers. While I admire the sentiment, I can't see Jesus encouraging that "manner" of protest. It seemed really odd in a nominally Christian book.

The book is strong on the idea that you should hire a "career coach" or a "lifestyle coach" [or a "lifestyle architect" as she says in one place....]. That felt like obnoxious self promotion to me and just served to make me further annoyed at the whole book.

I don't think this book is very helpful to Christians seeking to truly be led by Christ in their choice of career. There was actually shockingly little about Christ and serving God in the book, IMO.

My advice is to skip this one and save your money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Advice and Teaching that Many Aren't Aware of or Think About, November 6, 2010

By 

Gregory E. Foster "operabruin" (Portland, ME, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: JESUS, Career Counselor: How to Find (and Keep) Your Perfect Work (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I came to this book unfamiliar with Laurie Beth Jones' previous work, but was drawn to it by its title.

Here one is given some of the best advice ever spoken by anyone either in the past, present, and of course, by Jones herself.

We do, I believe, tend to get ourselves "lost" or "caught up" (at least once, and for some others numerous times) in our surroundings and what is happening around us and we fail to look at or to see clearly what it is that we "should" be doing vs what we do "do".

A great many folks work, and by that I mean "just that". They hold a job and work, laborously in some cases, and thoughtlessly in others, but in either case, they labor at something in many instances that they are not suited for and are not fulfilled by. That is what this book is all about--the searching within yourself to find what it is that you truly are set out for; Your Calling in life.

So, addressed here are suggestions and help(ers) for those unhappy in their jobs or perhaps now unemployed and seeking work in today's brutal job market. Jones, I believe, has some of the best advice and just the right "take" on what it is that one needs to do, and SHOULD do, before going back out into the "battlefield" of the job market world. It is both true and also heartening when one hears the words "If one does what he/she loves, or is called to do, they truly will not 'work' a day in their life". When you do what you love and what fulfills you, work becomes totally positive. Your efforts then touch upon pleasure and fun so often and frequently, and they enrich you so completely that the labors of the day truly are not like "work" as most traditionally know it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. There is much here to "help" you on your way to finding what it is that you truly are created to do, what you should be doing, and how to go about getting yourself into a position where you can do it, thus bringing pleasure to yourself, and also fulfilling what your calling in life truly is. There is never a day lost or invaluable when it is spent doing what one's vocation or "calling" is vs just going out and getting hired to do a "job" and doing "work".

I have been retired now for some time, but after reading this book I am seriously considering "going back out again" and doing some sort of either teaching (my skills), sharing with others, or volunteering. The rewards both to myself, and to those I interact with, are just too precious to let time fritter away from both myself and those I address.

Do yourself a really great turn and read this rewarding and enriching book by Laurie Beth Jones. The results just may set you on a new and rewarding path.

~operabruin