If you know someone who needs to brush up on the tools of the job search, yet dreads the process of slogging through all those steps, here’s a suggestion: pick up a copy of Courting your Career by Shawn Graham. This paperback book draws parallels between courtship and the job search in a way that should be appealing to job seekers, especially the young ones.
- What to include/leave out in your resume?
- Why should you write a cover letter?
- Why fill out these tedious forms?
Well, let’s think about it. When you are going out on a date, or arranging to meet someone,
- does it matter what you wear?
- why take a shower?
- why did you choose that shirt?
I find this analogy not only fun to think about, but persuasive . According to Graham, the first characteristic in effective resumes is to be attractive. Easy to read, lots of white space, not too much detail. And no typos, no spelling errors, no misplaced apostrophes (my personal campaign). Easily related to no ketchup stains on the shirt or spinach stuck in the teeth. We get it!
If you have a recalcitrant job seeker in your life, this just might help. Congratulations to Shawn Graham, who has combined very basic career information with an easy-to-digest, funny metaphor about the quest for romance.
