Challenger Guide : Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals

by Challenger, James E.

• ISBN13: 9780809298754
• ISBN10: 0809298759
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: MCG (Manual)

Summary

From one of the world's leading outplacement firms comes this guide for baby boomers who want to enhance their professional lives. The Challenger Guide addresses how to move forward in a career using effective job-hunting techniques. It also offers strategies on how to reenter the job market, move up within the current company, or find a new position.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
Part I The Market and the Method	1	(46)
You Are Very Much Needed	3	(8)
Why Demand for Experienced Workers Is at an All-Time High	4	(3)
Who Needs You?	7	(2)
The Picture Is Rosy---but Stumbling Blocks Do Exist	9	(2)
Traveling Your Function: The Secret to Finding New Opportunities	11	(14)
The Challenger Concept: Travel Your Function	13	(1)
Why You Should Remain an Expert in Your Own Field	14	(2)
The Best Places to Look for Work Today	16	(6)
Reading Between the Lines: Using Your Newspaper to Uncover Opportunities	22	(3)
The Challenger Method of Finding a Job	25	(6)
Applying the Challenger Method to Your Job Search	26	(3)
Finding a Job Is Hard Work	29	(2)
If You Have Been Discharged... or Are About to Be	31	(8)
Guidelines for a Smooth Discharge	32	(7)
Your Attitude: The Most Critical Element of the Job Search	39	(8)
You Are a Provider of Services	40	(1)
Keep the Competition in Mind	40	(1)
Watch Out for Mental Stumbling Blocks	41	(3)
The Worst Obstacle: A Defeatist Attitude	44	(3)
Part II Getting the Interview	47	(60)
Who Do You Think You Are?	49	(10)
The Five Steps of Self-Assessment	51	(5)
How to Use Your Self-Appraisal to Launch a Successful Job Search	56	(1)
One Final Question: Where Should You Work?	57	(2)
How to Advertise Your Availability and Not Lose Friends	59	(12)
Developing an Effective Contact Strategy	61	(1)
How to Assemble Your List of Contacts	61	(4)
How to Work Your Contact List	65	(3)
When Contacts Lead to Interviews	68	(1)
Following Up on Job Leads in Newspaper Articles and Classified Ads	69	(2)
Making the Most of Your Experience	71	(8)
How to Turn Liabilities into Assets	72	(7)
The Resume Is Not a Brochure	79	(28)
Three Kinds of Resumes	80	(23)
Make Your Resume Results-Oriented	103	(2)
How to Use Your Resume	105	(2)
Part III Excelling in the Interview	107	(74)
Preparing to Interview	109	(14)
Types of Interviews and Their Goals	110	(2)
Advance Preparation: The Key to Success	112	(7)
How to Handle a Courtesy Interview	119	(2)
How to Work with a Human Resource Manager	121	(2)
How to Sell Yourself With Your Accomplishments	123	(16)
Prepare Alternative Accomplishments	124	(5)
Making the Most of Your Accomplishments in an Interview	129	(5)
How to Answer the Five Most Common Interview Questions	134	(5)
Do's and Don'ts of the First Interview	139	(20)
What You Should Do in a First Interview	140	(13)
What You Should Not Do in a First Interview	153	(6)
Do's and Don'ts of the Second Interview	159	(6)
What You Should Do During the Second (or Third) Interview	160	(5)
After the Interview: Assessment and Follow-Up	165	(8)
Review and Assess Your Interview	166	(1)
The Postinterview Follow-Up	167	(6)
Evaluating Offers and Negotiating Salary	173	(8)
Evaluating an Offer	173	(3)
How to Negotiate Like a Pro	176	(5)
Part IV Managing Your Career	181	(25)
Take Charge of Your Career --- No One Else Will	183	(16)
See Yourself as a Provider of Services	184	(2)
Make Yourself More Valuable	186	(5)
Seek Recognition for Your Accomplishments	191	(3)
Adapt to Corporate Change	194	(2)
When Is It Time to Move On?	196	(3)
Should You Start Your Own Business?	199	(7)
Why Entrepreneurship Is on the Rise	199	(2)
What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur	201	(3)
Consulting: An Attractive Alternative	204	(1)
A New Trend: Retiree-Entrepreneurs	205	(1)
The Rewards of Entrepreneuring	206