Job Hunting Book Recommendation

Dear the Import/Export Compliance Manager,

I am on the hunt for an import/export compliance job.  Is there a particular book that you would recommend I read?

On The Outside in Toronto

Dear On The Outside,

There aren’t any specific import/export compliance- or compliance-related job-hunting books that the Import/Export Compliance Manager is aware of, but there is an excellent one that is good for any and all job hunters.  Perhaps you have heard of it: What Color Is Your Parachute?  First published in 1970 and revised just about every year since, there’s a reason this book labels itself as the ‘Bestselling Job-Hunting Book in the World’.  Go and buy a copy today, even if it’s a used copy of one of the ones from the past five years or so. 

What Color Is Your Parachute? is a truly eye-opening book not only because it teaches you how to properly search for a job, but also gives you the perspective of the potential employer.  It’s a book that can help those who have never held a job as well as those who have been out in the work world for a long, long time.  Plus, it is written by someone who doesn’t mind flouting the standard rules of English grammar, an author after the Import/Export Compliance Manager’s own heart.

One of the biggest lessons, something that was very eye-opening for the younger Import/Export Compliance Manager, was how the job search of the candidate differs from the search of the hiring manager.  The candidate wants to put as little work into the process as possible, simply posting a resume on a job search board, being hunted down by a recruiter or headhunter or applying for a job on a website.  The hiring manager, on the other hand, hates this because it gives her very little information about you.  She is SCARED of making a poor hire as this would be expensive for the company and bad news for everyone involved.  So who does she want to hire?  Someone she already knows and can personally verify would be a fit.  Second: someone who is recommended by someone the hiring manager trusts. 

For the candidate, it is quite difficult to get into the situation of being known by hiring managers.  This is where that dreaded buzzword, ‘networking’, comes into play.  The Import/Export Compliance Manager always recommends that job seekers attend their local import/export compliance group, if one exists.  Why?  Among other reasons, it puts them front-and-center in front of potential hiring managers or colleagues.  Thus, if their name appears on the list of applicants for a position, they are not just some name, but rather ‘Jamal, the guy who attends the roundtable and seems nice and worth investigating.’

The ultimate form of job seeking is actually obtaining a job before it is even posted.  Remember, the hiring manager is scared of hiring a poor candidate and also might be dreading the whole hiring process.  If you are a known quantity and make it known you are interested, qualified and available, your message to them is ‘Hey, I’m right here and can save you the trouble of even conducting a full job search.’  Ever had a reaction along the lines of ‘How did So-and-So get that job?  I didn’t even know it was posted.’?  Like as not, the successful candidate was right there before the hiring manager even started looking.

Interviewing is another great part of What Color Is Your Parachute?  Once again, the author puts you inside the head of the Interviewer, letting you know what his goals are and how to make sure that your responses (truthful, of course) help achieve that interviewer’s goals and assuage all his doubts.  The Import/Export Compliance Manager went through multiple practice interviews in college, yet was never taught these things.  It is truly excellent material.

Anyway, What Color Is Your Parachute? is the book the Import/Export Compliance Manager recommends to all job seekers and anyone out to better themselves in their career, even ones who don’t want to leave their current positions.  Not all of the sections are relevant for everyone; don’t let that distract you from the parts that can really help.  Seriously, just go buy it now, even a used copy.  It may just change your life.  Good luck in the job search!