Monica Chopra

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Job Seeker & The Coach". Lisa is so relatable and seeing her growth was not only inspiring and encouraging but refreshing and reassuring at the same time. She thought she had it all figured out but you soon see how much she still has to learn (who knew!). There are quite a few job-searching books out there that are written like a “textbook” and what I liked about this book is that it's told in a narrative, story-telling format. Job-searching can be stressful as it is but add on a pandemic and uncertainty of the future and it is even more difficult. Oh, like Lisa, I could come up with so many external excuses as to why it is so difficult to find a job and have that same “victim” mindset of “why not me” that she started off having. As I kept reading the book, I found myself sympathizing with Lisa more and more as I know that I've locked the door several times in the past when others have helped me and maybe I wasn't ready to hear what they had to say or face the truth. I was the one who had to make the first steps and really listen to what “wise words” someone else would tell me if I was going to change my thinking and approach to the whole job-search process. When Lisa was finally ready, it was cool to see her working through and improving her mindset as she went through the three circle job search formula process with her coach and on her own. First, you actually see how she revamps her resume and how she step-by-step fixes it, not only seeing the before and after, but even of how she came up with the responsibilities and achievements for each of her past jobs. Then we see how she changes her approach to applying to and searching for jobs as well as continuing to follow up. We are then walked through how she prepares for interviews, how to get better (or start) networking and be open to informational interviewing, and finally how to negotiate salary in an interview. This three-pronged approach or circles (Marketing, Sales, and Customer Service) are carried out through the book so that it really drives the message home that everything Lisa needed to do always comes back to how to be attractive in the job market, how to sell herself, and finally how she can best serve the Employer. The book definitely gave me tools to put in my career search (toolbox) as I think I was taking as many notes as Lisa was. I highly recommend this book whether you are looking for a job or not as it can really change your outlook or approach to how you do things.