For the past several months I've been looking for a job. I tell ya, it hasn't been easy. Oh, I've had several phone and face-to-face interviews, but apparently, no one has clicked with me so far. When I heard about this book, I jumped at the chance to review it.
Surely I've missed something in my job hunt. Have I been looking in the wrong places for a job? Is it my resume? Or perhaps the manner in which I respond to interview questions? Can this book shed some light?
According to author Laura George, the answer seems that because I want a job for the wrong reasons, I've been exuding negative energy through my resume, and human resource managers pick up on that.
Come again???
Excuse Me, Your Job is Waiting: Attract the Work You Want is based on author Lynn Grabhorn's book, Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting. I haven't read Grabhorn's book, so my summary is based on George's descriptions in her book. The basic premise stems from two concepts: energy, and the so-called Law of Attraction. According to this Law of Attraction, if we want something bad enough in life, we can get it. The reason that most of us don't get what we want is because we've been trained to not want something, which translates into negative energy and subsequently pushes those desired things away.
George applies these ideas to job searching. First of all, a person needs to have positive energy and send positive vibrations while looking for a job. The Law of Attraction dictates that like attracts like; therefore positive energy and vibrations will attract the job of your dreams.
Is this for real???
As a graduate student trained in science and research, I find this metaphysical stuff very, very hard to swallow - especially when applied to the very real, concrete idea of looking for a job. Energy? Vibrations? Feelings? I question how these help a person find a job.
Yes, it's advisable to approach job seeking with a positive attitude since you're likely to put more effort in the process, but I cannot accept this notion of energy affecting whether or not you get a job. George might as well have said in her book, "If you use the Force, you'll get the job you want." I cringed when she mentions that, as an HR manager, she would go over resumes and pick the ones that "vibrate with positive energy". Holy cow. If this is one of her bases for choosing applicants, hope that your resume never makes it to her desk!
Article comments
1 - Marilyn J. Tellez, M.A;
I haven't read the book, just the review. Here are some "real" law of attraction ideas, though.
Volunteer at something you love to do. Good for resume building, getting noticed and doing good.
Send thank you notes to those who have helped you. That makes you feel "swell" and get you noticed. Networking for giving & getting works wonders for job leads. Thanks. mjt
2 - Kaonashi
Marilyn- Thank you for your comment and for concrete examples of the Law of Attraction. Your examples made more sense that the ones offered in the book.