Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You

Harvey Mackay's writing voice, his tales of firing, career disaster and career repair for those who are fifty and over, rings with authenticity. If you are tired of career guides and how-to-find-a-job guides written by people who have nothing but academic credentials and are completely clueless about the realities of work--this is an excellent guide. Mackay begins his book with solid advice on how to hang on to a job, good advice on what to ask for when you are fired (get the recommendations IN WRITING) and what to tell the recruiter about how you lost your job. Yes, there are a few too many show biz references (how Hillary Swank came back from a TV series firing) but they are balanced by things like an excellent, very realistic, interview with a retained executive recruiter. MacKay is both realistic and reassuring about the problem of age discrimination. Rather than focusing on resume tricks (leaving the graduation date off the resume) he stresses the importance of working on excellent health, fitness and vitality. Don't act your age, says MacKay, act the age you want to be. While this might sound like pie in the sky to some, it makes sense. The best way to combat age discrimination is to make it abundantly clear that you are the best candidate. While it won't help you get around a determined discriminator--it will help a lot with a person who mistakenly thinks that people in their thirties are superior regardless of experience, education or talent. MacKay has excellent ideas for a career makeover including videotaping yourself and getting feedback, keeping up with industry literature and talking about it, deciding on whether to get an MBA, using career change columns and industry discussion groups, remaining visible and becoming a resource. He warns people off waste-of-time money making sites and other internet time wasters that can suck the life out of an entire day. I'm an executive recruiter with a lot of experience working with senior people. I am constantly looking for resources that I can recommend to people (usually people I contacted when they were employed) who write to me, asking for advice. These days there are a lot of those people and I will be very happy to recommend this book.

Harvey is a master at networking and sales. That's key because getting a job is all about being a master at building and sustaining relationships and selling yourself to decision makers. "Get Your Foot in the Door" provides easy-to-follow and implement ideas that work. Getting a job in any environment can be very hard. If you get one or two tips that improve your search efforts, your preparation, and your presentation, this book is well worth your investment. However, my guess is you'll pick up many more than one or two new ideas.

Harvey Mackay's USE YOUR HEAD TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR offers job seekers some expert strategies that include those who have been unemployed for a long time as well as newcomers to the job market. Learn the concept of making a personal pitch to merchandise and market skills effectively in hard times using a guide that shares all his tips from his lifetime as a CEO.

I could not put this book down, it was full of such great information and is such an easy read. Everything is explained so clearly. If you know anyone that needs help getting a job, especially in this economy, this book will give them the help they need. I was unemployeed out of college and had trouble just landing interviews. Since I read this book I was able to get multiple interviews and even a job offer. His adivise is just priceless! Thank you Harvey.

This book is so long overdue and fills such as huge need. I have processed thousands of job applications; interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people and hired of course a lot less. The degree of differentiation candidates create for themselves is pathetic. All the resumes look the same and most candidates show about as much creativity and personality as a mud puddle. Harvey knocks it out of the park with this book as only he can. Study this book even a little and you will probably be the ONLY applicant your next interviewer even remembers.