The New Job Security [Paperback]

Pam Lassiter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

Fifty years ago, workers strove to move steadily up the ranks of one or two stable companies. Today'¬?s workers jump from company to company, building contacts, expanding skill sets, and increasing salaries at each one. Job security has taken on a new meaning, referring to security within your chosen career, rather than a single company. In THE NEW JOB SECURITY, executive career management consultant Pam Lassiter teaches early- to mid-career professionals how to navigate this new work environment by mastering five key skills: waiting for the right job, taking control, reciprocal marketing, career networking, and broad-based negotiating. If you'¬?re looking for ways to take control of a current job, or struggling to manage the transitional period between jobs, Lassiter'¬?s proven advice shows workers at all stages of their careers how to stay competitive and achieve their professional goals. Emphasizes strategies for lifelong career success, not just job-hunting tactics. Targeted to professionals operating on outdated career management principles, employees who realize they'¬?re at risk in current jobs, and workers in transition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Early on in this snappy self-help career-development guide, Lassiter, a national career management consultant for more than 30 years, tells the cautionary tale of Michael, an ambitious 26-year-old investment banker enrolled in a top-tier MBA program. Michael announces he wants "to be a consultant with a professional services consulting firm... to design strategy for Fortune 500 companies, become a partner, and reap the rewards." Unfortunately, Michael is far less articulate when asked what he has to offer prospective employers. "There were five seconds of dead air," Lassiter reports, wryly adding, "that's a long time for an aspiring consultant." The book's overriding theme: ask not what your company can do for you but what you can do for your company. It favors practice over theory, covering r‚sum‚ preparation, career networking, interview strategies, salary negotiation and when and if it's time to leave a job. Lassiter's tone is relentlessly upbeat, which will encourage some readers while annoying others. For example, in a section addressing interview jitters, Lassiter says, "A meeting at a company is nothing more than a very small cocktail party. If you think of these people you're meeting as potential interesting people or new friends, it puts you in control." Readers with sales careers may be doing this already, but folks in engineering may be unsure how to use this approach. The focus is on corporate careers, but there's good advice here for people in government jobs and nonprofits as well.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

PAM LASSITER is the principal of Lassiter Consulting, a private firm that consults with companies and individuals on career management services nationwide. A consultant and speaker with a master'¬?s degree in psychological counseling from Boston University, Pam has over 20 years of career management experience. She lives in Weston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 1st edition (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580083978
• ISBN-13: 978-1580083973
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

You CAN have work that you love. Or, if you have on your employer's hat at the moment, your company CAN grow people's careers without even changing their job titles, or can terminate employment (when you must) humanely and with minimum repercussions.

How? With over 30 years of experience helping people and companies through transitions, either up, out, or down (retirement) I've developed systems that put you in control. I actually love outplacement because people end up in good places where they can grow afterwards.

For internal career development and retention, companies can save money and grow their competitiveness at the same time. My Master's degree in psychological counseling helps every day whether I'm working with global leaders, giving programs, or teaching job search skills to employees who are newly in transition.

Getting your own tool kit of career management strategies gives YOU the advantage.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New career management classic, December 20, 2002

By 

Bob Gardella (Acton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Job Security (Paperback)

Move over Richard Bolles! Pam Lassiter has written the career book for the new millennium and new economy. Though basically common sense - as are all good self-help books - this one is current and relevant, and the ideas are packaged in a clever yet practical way, one that hopefully will make its suggestions easier to implement.

The book provides a comprehensive, cohesive, and logical approach to career management. Its highlights are: excellent use of humor, and a great attitude and style throughout; two dozen practical, but not overwhelming, "homework" exercises (with extra blank forms provided); particularly strong coverage of networking and negotiating; over a dozen realistic, short tales of people in different career phases; and excellent, up-to-date references to additional print and on-line resources.

I am a career and job search counselor who strongly believes that "it depends" is the answer to almost all job search-related questions. So, my favorite parts of the book are the many "caveats" that have been inserted. Just when you think Pam may have made a point a bit too strongly, she seems to quickly acknowledge the opposite view, or provide an alternate approach. That's nice work!

Realistic, comprehensive, practical, instructive, and fun, the book is a valuable addition to the career management literature.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable for many career changers!, July 8, 2003

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Job Security (Paperback)

If you've been working in the corporate world and you know how to handle yourself in business settings, you absolutely must use this book. Don't wait till you need it! Start reading now.

This book is not for everyone. If you're a certified maverick (like me), or you haven't ever fit in to the corporate world, your efforts to apply Lassiter's strategies can backfire. Corporate managers know how to read between the lines. When you try to follow Lassiter's scripts, you have to know the tone to use and the body language to complement your verbal communication.

With that caveat, Lassiter's book is one of the most comprehensive and realistic I've come across. These days, she says, you can't just look for a job. You must proactively identify needs and demonstrate that you can fill them.

A few highlights:
Come up with some PAR statements: Problem, Action, Resolution.
When negotiating, it's not over till it's over! Keep your options open till you've got a written offer...even while you're new on the job..
Don't show that you're desperate!

Networking is the only way to make career moves -- and Lassiter actually offers tips for would-be networkers. Most books focus on simplistic networking tips that don't work for senior-level managers.
Her discussion of executive recruiters is superb -- and frank.

If you've got a track record in some organization, this book will be the best you can get. Lassiter doesn't say much about changing careers -- just briefly warns of the difficulty and says "not too often." She's really presented in a small book the information you might get from a high-quality outplacement service. I'll even forgive her references to Myers-Briggs -- you might score "introverted" and still be a great salesperson!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Find!, May 27, 2003

By 

Jon Mello (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Job Security (Paperback)

This book presents the reader with a no nonsense, realistic approach to truly managing your career. Lassiter's philosophy drives a significant change in the way you "look" for a job...it's not about a job search any longer, it's about bringing networking into your everyday life and building your career into everything you do. This book is a refreshing honest approach to looking at yourself and improving how you go about making changes that are right for you. It is filled with great examples that we can all relate to. Hats off to Lassiter for a great job! I'll be impatiently waiting for the next one!