Review:

There is no getting around the fact that the Internet is everywhere these days. Many of us cannot get through an entire day, let alone an entire hour, without using it in some way. It has allowed us to do many things much faster and more efficient than we thought possible. This is just as true with job hunting as it is with anything. That is of course assuming that one can sort through the countless pages of nonsense to find the truly valuable material and resources available to us. There are over 40,000 job related sites on the web. How can one expect to be at all efficient with so much to sort through? The answer is that you cannot unless of course you have a guide to show you the way.

Here is where Mark Bolles’ book comes in very handy. This book goes hand in hand with Richard Bolles’ Parachute books, but it was his son Mark who masterminded most of this one. I had the pleasure of having dinner with this bright man on one occasion and I was absolutely taken back by the depth to which he knew this material.

The truth is that this is much more of a resource and reference tool than it is a book to be read. My only qualm with the book is that its title does not describe the great breadth of its contents. Yes this is an incredible resource for job hunting on the Internet, but it is also a fantastic guide to using the best tools on the web to your greatest advantage. I think the book would be better named something like “The Ultimate Internet Reference Tool,” but I can certainly see Bolles’ thoughts of keeping it very career oriented to keep it part of the Parachute Library.

Throughout the book Bolles does a extraordinary job of sorting through all the extra noise and poor sites on the web today to focus it into an effective and efficient resource. This is the type of book that should be on the shelf of any computer desk. It is a bible of sorts for the web’s tools. There are so many hundreds and thousands of tools on the web for all of us to use to increase our effectiveness. The problem is that great majority of web surfers use nothing but a simple Google or Yahoo search to try to find what it is for which they are looking. Bolles covers hundreds of sites, tools and resources to be sure the reader and job hunter have the best available. Bolles includes pages upon pages of relevant sites, articles, tests, career networking sites, and many other tools to assist in making your job search as effective as possible.

In order for you to get what you need to out of this book, you cannot just read it through. You must read it, visit the sites, read the articles and take the tests that he recommends. You are best advised to use this in conjunction with Bolles’ other books listed under Career Development. It is the act of using all these books as one complete resource that makes them all so valuable. If you are serious about your job search then try your best to spend and hour or so each day investigating any and all sites and pages of interest that you come across in this book.

Remember, if you read any of the Parachute books, using the Internet alone for job hunting is the least productive method. This should give you all the more reason to get serious about using the Internet as an effective and efficient tool to help with your search. Do not think that you can be effective at a job search by doing nothing but sitting in front of a computer. Too many of us have this terrible misconception. Use the Internet wisely (and sparingly) in your future job search. It is too easy to waste your days away “thinking” that you are searching hard on the Internet.

I have learned that the successfulness of a job search is directly proportional to the value, depth and breadth of your personal and professional network. If is very difficult to go wrong if you are constantly building onto and maintaining your network. The Internet can be a wonderful way to assist in that. It is up to you to learn how to use it to its fullest capacity. Mark Bolles is here to help. Happy hunting.

Related Web Sites:

www.jobhuntersbible.com

-Reading for Your Success