Book recommendation

For those of us in the job hunt, it's often helpful to have one book that's the one you turn to time and again for motivation and diligence. I've been using Ford R. Myer's 2009 text, Get The Job You Want Even When No One's Hiring, to keep me going.

Most of these job-hunt titles have the same emphasis: Network instead of job seek, and this book is no different. Myers has a field day stressing having a "laser focus" on the exact type of job you want, and he makes no bones emphasizing that if you take a job just for the necessary paycheck, you may regret it later. Still, the 2009 publication acknowledges the depth of the recession, and Myers understands what the desparate job seeker will resort to.

One of the best features is the inclusion of sample letters and positioning statements. Nicely formatted, these resume-with-blurbs pages show you how creating a few Microsoft Word templates can result in an eye-catching promotional piece that's no ordinary resume.

So keep your ladder-climbing aspirations high, and don't necessarily jump at the Starbuck's help wanted signs down the street. Admittedly, I've applied for a shift manager position at Starbuck's and for two jobs at Barnes & Noble. Maybe it's for the best that they haven't gotten back to me. Onward and upward, even while filling out the storefronts' applications just to meet Ohio's unemployment requirements.