Customer Reviews

The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the World’s Leading Career Services Company

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You may be lucky enough, if you have the bad luck to be a downsized executive, that your last employer will see fit to plunk down $10,000 so that the author of this book will coach you to get a new job. If not, your best bet is to plunk down $21.95 and buy this book. You won't get the hand-holding or on-call career consulting, but you'll get just about everything else an insider with the world's biggest executive outplacement firm has learned about the brutal facts of landing the next job. Orville Pierson tells it like it is. He treats the reader like he would a member of his family who comes to him for advice. It's a guide that covers all the basics, sure, but what really sets the book apart is the no-nonsense advice required to score a new job. The Pierson Method, as he terms the collection of his dos and donts, is a proven roadmap for unemployed people. Yes, it can be a lonely and scary journey. What I like the most is that Pierson acknowledges that the biggest obstacles aren't out there in the woods. They are inside us. In our minds. The important thing is not to act like a victim. The case histories he provides give us the confidence to move forward in trying times, and that's all anyone of us can aim for.

So many books on job search are about writing resumes, getting interviews, selling oneself, etc. Pierson's book has sound advice on the basics of job search, but he starts at the beginning, that first step: how to start. For anyone who is at a crossroads, either because of a lost job or a need for a change, The Unwritten Rules will help you take that first step towards getting the job you want. You know, the one you can't even define for yourself? Pierson uses real conversations and a casual style to help the reader succeed at small tasks which bring one closer to one's ultimate goal: employment. Very useful!

You will find that this is the book that has been missing from the top seller's list on how to get ready, get moving and manage your job search. With a great deal of insight and with a whole lot of common sense, along with a sound grasp of what it takes to find a job, Pierson's book is invaluable to job seekers. It is sound advice and helpful tips from the man who can demystify the job search for anyone. For example, he reminds us that to increase your odds in job search, a Target List is crucial. In the Pierson Method, this Target List is a key tool in job search - just as important as your resume - because it focuses on a group of organizations you might want to work for and hire people for the kind of work you want to do. He reminds us that the Target List also helps you see exactly who your resume is designed for before you sit down to write. And, in 10 pages he gives us the strategies for pulling together a Target List that is proven to work!

Don't want to work the Pierson Method alone? Check out the special bonus section on how to Team Up for a Successful Search which outlines how to use a Job Search Work Team to work with others or to set up a program to work with others. Don't conduct your next job search without reading this book first!

I bought this book in May as I was finishing up the coursework towards my MA. I knew I would need to find a new job, but since I was changing career fields, I realized that I might need a different approach than before to find one.

I read the book and the system outlined made intuitive sense to me. I also really identified with the emotional quality of the book. Although the system in this book is not easy, it is very effective. I have found the job I was searching for and it is a perfect match for my skills and education. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for not just their next job, but for the job of their dreams.

As a practicing psychologist I have found this book very useful for helping clients organize a job search. The Pierson Method is well written and pragmatic. There are many books that show how to write a resume, but Pierson tells the inside story of how organizations really do their hiring and shows how job seekers can align their efforts to the reality of what works.

As a career consultant I have worked with hundreds of clients conducting a job search. I can tell you the methodology developed by Orville Pierson works. It provides a framework that helps the job seeker track their progress, achieve results and stay sane in the process! The Pierson Method is now being used in University Career Centers for MBA students who want statistically proven techniques. I highly recommend this book.
Gail DePriest
Corporate Director of University Relations
Lee Hecht Harrison

Orville Pierson has achieved in his book what no other job search book writer has even come close to providing -- a companion for the journey. And the companion is a knowledgeable, compassionate guide for what is one of the most important spiritual quests in life -- the search for one's work. Pierson helps the job seeker, step by step, elicit one's gifts, talents and interests, and teaches how to match them up with the needs of the job market/community. I found "The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search" to be inspiring, thought-provoking and engaging to the point of being a "great read"; that is, you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. Most of all, this guide gets you to where you want to go!"

As I read through the Pierson method I was so happy to see a job search method that combines an excellent description of the realities of a job search with a true understanding of the job seeker. Readers will come to know why they balk at the idea of a cold call and spend many hours surfing the internet. And they will also gain confidence in themselves, along with a system that works.

Pierson knows the job search trail and he knows what it's like to look for a job. Bravo for this wonderful book.

Jess Dods, MBA
Career coach

The hardest part of a job search, at least for me, is treating the search itself like a job. Pierson provides structure and methodology to your search but also, and importantly, accountability to yourself through the use of a progress chart. He offers a common sense, step by step process that helps you create an effective marketing plan for yourself along with the not inconsequential side effect of a boost in self confidence.

I am lucky enough to have had Mr. Pierson in my corner the last two times I was in job search. I swear by the Pierson Method. This book wraps the Method up, all in one easy to grasp, easy to use package. This is great news for anyone looking for work, or wanting to improve their position in the workplace. I urge everyone, without hesitation, to buy this book.