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Book Review: I Got My Dream Job and So Can You by Pete Leibman

From the good people at AMACOM books, I am privileged to review a new book release again this month. Pete Leibman’s book, I Got My Dream Job and So Can You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Ideal Career After College is a recommended read (I was NOT compensated for this review. I received one review copy and authorized to give one free copy away).

Not only there are principles, strategies, and ideas for college students, but also for the current employed or unemployed job seeker. If you are passively looking for work, this book will inspire you to become more aggressive, strategic, and dynamic in your approach to finding your dream job.

Leibman states that he found his dream job before he was 23 by using most, if not all strategies mentioned in this book. He pursued and landed his dream job in sales with the NBA Washington Wizard, and eventually became one the youngest managers ever within the organization (and probably the entire NBA). Overall, this book is not written for college students and the job seeker universal to find a job, but to grab THE job!

By the way, I will be giving away a free copy of the book, so look forward to that at the end of the post.

Here are some of his strategies and methods cited in his book:

1. Employers Are Nervous Too. Leibman states that one of your goals is to make sure that you are not dishonest, lazy, difficult, uncommitted, unprofessional, or unqualified. Just as you don’t want to be stuck in an undesirable position, employers are trying to avoid a troublemaker or an unproductive employee.

2. Create your own job description. Not only employers should want you, but also should have qualities that attract you to the job. List your own ideal location, schedule, environment/culture, function, salary/compensation, and employer size.

3. What is a Dream Job? Leibman describes a dream job as, “…a job that combines your talents and passions in a way that is meaningful to you.” Throughout the book, he stresses high expectations to reaching your goals. No safety net is motivation enough to succeed. One quote that stood out: “It is not impossible to get your dream job with little or no industry experience.”

4. Should I have a back up plan? “NO!” A back up plan is actually a plan for failure. When you are willing to do whatever it takes, eventually you will get your dream job. In other words, don’t plan to fail!

5. 10 Innovative Marketing Assets You Need to Get Your Dream Job. This is a good list to put your comprehensive job search strategy in perspective:

Confident Body Language

Polished Physical Appearance

Rock Solid References

Results-Oriented Resume

Compelling Cover Letter

Pristine Internet Presence

Pumped-Up LinkedIn Profile

Strategic Social Media Account

E-mail/Voicemail Marketing Machine

Winner’s Mindset

6. Crash the Party Through LinkedIn. Throughout Leibman’s book, he emphasis the usefulness of Linked In by stating that it is a place to reach out to “Cold Networking Contacts (People you have never met or interacted with before)”

7. Cool Networking and Seven Effective Strategies. He describes “Cool Networking” as the type of networking everyone is generally familiar with when you think of networking:

Have a strategy

Show Up with the Right Mindset and Expectations

Know What to Say (Create a 5-10 ice breaker list)

Talk to Strangers

Behave Professionally

Ask for the Next Step

Follow-Up Correctly (Networking fails without one

8. Be Prepared to Lead the Conversation. Leibman recommends 10 questions to prepare for asking. It is true that many job seekers know they should ask questions but lack the preparation when it’s time to ask. He also teaches that a candidate should have 5-10 success stories.

These are just some of Leibman’s strategies in his new book. Prices range from $10.95 and up through Amazon.com and other places. Or you can participate in the giveaway of Pete Leibman’s book by Retweeting the post on Twitter, or commenting below about how the book can help your job search. The choice will be random, and the winner will be announced Monday, March 26.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Be a Business Card and Social Media Pimp Like Me to a New Job Search

Editor’s Note: Terez Baskin is a fashionista and blogger who I met on Twitter. She has such a unique job seeker story and perspective, I invited her to share her story.

Being a Blogger – everyone and literally their mom is a blogger. Some people blog for years. I used to journal. Seriously, I have journals dating back to my Jr. high school years. I think, wait, I know if I started blogging years ago and stuck with it. I know now my life would be completely different. Now I write for others like this guest post you are reading now. I write for large business community websites. I also have a personal blog, and a website that I manage with several other writers and guest writers about fashion.

I am building a portfolio that is clearly defined for me. Each place has a distinct community. My business blog readers want to read about social media and new technology and brand strategy. My fashion community may not want to read about my social media strategy. They come for style advice, and designer information I share. Each channel has a different community. I am not saying that this is what you should do, but it is what I do because I want to stay on message in each space. And be true to the collective community that I’ve built.

1. Can’t Find an Opportunity Create One. You may think this sounds silly, but an opportunity isn’t always accessible. This is your time to meet the needs of others with the skills you have to build your brand. I started volunteering my skills for local boutiques who wanted the knowledge I possessed for little in exchange.

But the truth is you gain a lot. You gain someone who appreciates the help, but you also get something in the deal too. You get the chance to build a real world resume which can some times kick the ass of what you learned in school any day. I opted to do this while in school, because I couldn’t afford to intern full-time, but I needed the experience to make a career change. With this experience, you can also build a name for yourself and ask your client for referrals. These will lead to paid positions that can put real money in your pocket while you wait to work for your dream company.

2. Build a Community. Only in the movie field of dreams does, “If you build it, they will come” work. Everyone says network. I say don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk. I love being the connector in my community. Especially my Social Media Family. I continue to stay in contact with people I’ve met off-line. I am a business card pimp. I will take it, but I use it. I will follow-up with useful information. Connect with people on LinkedIn, Follow them on Twitter, send them an e-mail with more information we discussed. During the interview recently, I spoke about an article I’d recently wrote about Pinterest. In my thank you e-mail I send the link to that article. Your community wants what you have to offer. They don’t want your spam. So be genuine in the connections you make.

I set a goal to reach 500 connections on LinkedIn before February 1, 2012. I met my goal, but when I started I had nearly 300 connections and felt like my love for social media needed testing. I didn’t follow the rules. LinkedIn will expect you only add connections you know offline. I feel that is silly. No offense, but if the people you know offline aren’t going to get you to your goal then you need to branch out. Connect with like-minded people in your LinkedIn groups, your city, your industry. Whatever it takes to get where you want to go. At a recent conference, someone stated you need to build the community before you need it. Well mine is ripe for the picking when I need them.

3. Make your search your Side Hustle and don’t slack on yourself. If you are working a full-time job, make your part-time job looking for the job of your dreams. During the few times, I was in between jobs. My job search was my full-time job. I set up Google Alerts for myself about a certain career or company. If they just landed a big new client or contract then, I knew they would be open to add new people. I read everything about my industry and make sure that people who are in positions of power know my name and my face. The truth is they are looking for someone who is amazing at what they do. The search shouldn’t be difficult for someone who is clearly visible in the places they are already looking. I look for a new job every day. If that sounds hard-core, then you aren’t serious about making a change. If you do something so specialized that you skills will walk you in the door then great for you, but many people now are over qualified for the very few positions that are out there. My advice is you better get up pretty early to get a jump on the competition. This brings me to my last and final point, be a lifelong learner.

4. Being a Lifelong Learner means an investment in brand YOU. There are plenty of free resources out there. You just need to hunker down and get to learning. I love reading about a new product or service for Social Media, Community Management, and Public Relations in general. I want to know what is new. I attend conferences regularly. I love being around others who share my passion about all things social, and I always walk away learning something new.

Then I love to learn in a hands on approach. How does this work? Let me just use HooteSuite and find out. I will sign up for the Beta test for a new program. But I realize that is brave quirky me. I love to be in on something before its open to the public. I had to get an invite to first use Gmail, back in 2004, and I loved it. It was the same feeling I got when I received an invite for Google+. It is the rush of learning something new and sharing that knowledge with my offline community about online things.

I know this is not an exhaustive list, but it is what has allowed me to stay sane until I reach my goal. I want to be strategic about the process I am using so that I can compare what does and does not work. Let me know if you’ve tried something that you found to be helpful and you believe could be useful to others. We all can learn from each other. Let me know if any of these sound good to you. If you don’t understand something, please free to send me an e-mail. I am always here to help.

Terez Baskin is a Chicago based fashion blogger and freelance public relations/social media consultant. She loves educating others about social media and branding. You can find her online via Twitter @terezbaskin or LinkedIn. You can also contact her for more information at terez(at)dbabetta(dot)com.

(see full image)

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Do Employers Understand You?

Without a well-written résumé, cover letter, and virtual profiles a job seeker will remain a question mark. You may say you’re misunderstood, but employers want to recognize the future in a candidate no matter the position grade. Employers want clarity from potential employees and see their investment flourish in a short period.

The question: Is it clear to employers that you are the one? Let us count the ways.

1. Are employers clear about what job you want?

There are many ways to say “I need a job” without forming the words. One way is to apply to massive amount of positions without any brand statement clarity or targeted functionality on your résumé. Today’s job seeker has to offer appreciating value first.

2. Are you relevant?

Employers want to know, “What skills do you offer that solve the problems we have now?” They want to envision solutions, results, and the impact you’ll have within the company.

3. You don’t speak the lingo

It doesn’t take an interview, or an extended conversation to realize that you don’t fit because you don’t know the language. Saying “lingo” is an anomaly because you are just keyword-ing your way in hopes that the lingo alone establishes your worth. On the contrary, this fails because no one speaks your language.

4. An unclear personal brand

Stating that you are a dynamic, hardworking, and competent individual describes the other 200 candidates applying for the same position. No one hiring cares that you fit in with the other candidates. The hiring manager wants to know what makes you different from everyone else. Without clearly demonstrated strengths, core competencies, or purpose offers a perspective that someone will employ you.

Read: 7 Job Tips From Your Future Self

5. You don’t ask questions to the company

Employers can only see that don’t care about the company when you don’t have questions. It speaks volumes that you didn’t research the company, you won’t personally invest effort, and you lack enthusiasm about working for anyone. Prepare questions to ask such as, “What are the measurable expectations of my job in the first 90 days?” Or, “What career path have others in this position pursued in and outside of the department?”

6. You lack likability

You have a personality and you don’t show it. Why? Don’t know. You have achievements and accolades, but 20 other candidates do too. People hire others they like, and that you stand out in their minds. Lack of personality matters, but so does tone, and eye contact.

Read: Book Review: The 11 Laws of Likability by Michelle Tillis Lederman

7. No quantity, quality, cost or time results

Without measurable performance or visible achievements is similar to watching an empty home depreciate. How will you show value without showing a $ or %?

8. No competitive mojo

Competitiveness in a job search is part desire, but mostly follow-up from the initial application to receiving the job offer by mail. Otherwise, you’re competing for a tie in the career race.

There are other ways to alienate employers. You can offer suggestions below. To launch a career search campaign without clear goals and objectives compares to a politician campaigning for an office that doesn’t exists.

The question: Is that you?