Chapter One:

Where have you been?
Sometimes, knowing the difference between two words such as these makes a huge difference in life.
A career is a succession of jobs. When one job leads to the next, logically, financially and professionally and serves as a stepping stone for a higher goal, then you have a great career going. So a career is like a job stream. It flows smoothly in a controlled, predetermined direction.

Chapter Three:
Assessing your position
It’s better to be old than be old AND unhappy with your job. Therefore, age is not a barrier – Unless you are the Rolling Stones and you keep touring. However, unlike Mick Jagger, if you find yourself asking the question “am I too old for this?” here are some things you need to keep in mind before you take the big step to flexing those hips.

Chapter Five:
Do you have career amnesia?
Most of us suffer from a type of ‘career amnesia’. We don’t remember who we are or who we wanted to be. What did we want to do with our lives? What were our passions?
The more jobs we take up before finding the answers to these questions, the deeper we slip into this amnesia.

Chapter Eight:
Matching your career with your personality
Finding a job that suits your attitudes, your value system and your personality is the most important and the most difficult part of this exercise.
Have fun devising your own little psychometric test and analyze your own personality. Because, no matter what others say, you are the best judge.

Chapter Eleven:
Up-selling your skills
Just because you are changing your career, you don’t have to throw your old resume out the window.
You can carry over some of the skills and expertise you have gained so far to your new career. (You’ll be surprised to know that a lot of your skills are relevant to your new career.)

Chapter Twelve:
Resumes that get noticed
Days go by. Weeks go by. Soon you realize that it’s been more than a month. You still haven’t heard from any of these companies. What happened? What went wrong? Just one thing… Your RESUME.
It would break your little heart to know that while you were sitting at home waiting to be called for an interview by one of your prospective employers, your resume died a silent death, a long, long time ago.
Here are some heart-wrenching reports about the resume in question:

• Resume never made it to any desk in any office.
• Nobody read resume.
• Worse, nobody saw resume.
• Cat saw resume.
• Cat ate resume.

Resume formats
Some people hold the opinion that there are basically three types of resume formats. Others prefer to categorize them in two ways. Truth is, there is no one size that fits all. There are as many resume formats as there are job seekers in this world!
But before you embark on your ‘format your own resume’ adventure, it helps to know which formats are available to you.

Cover letters
As you would have gathered from the previous section, your resume already has too much work to do! (it’s any wonder it gets tired and needs to rest occasionally!) It has to list out your educational background, your work history, your skill sets, your contact details and so much more.

Chapter Thirteen:
Nailing the Interview
Maybe it’s been a while since you attended a job interview. This is a key reason why you should make sure your interview skills are finely tuned and in line with contemporary interview practices. Here is what you should and should not do:

Opening lines and ice breakers
What ever you do you need to have more in your repertoire than “So, do you come here often – wink, wink, nudge, nudge!” You need to make sure you have some opening lines in reserve, that won’t embarrass you or the recipient.

Second and group interviews
Often, your ordeal does not end with one interview. Some employers take great pleasure in grilling you like a cheeseburger for a second and third time. Somehow, this makes them believe that in the end they will find the right candidate for the job.

Chapter Fourteen:
Sealing the Deal
So, your employer loves your resume, your job interview has been going great so far, you have been answering all the questions with wit, intelligence and good sense. You also like your new boss. Congratulations! Looks like you are getting closer to your dream job.
Of course, you still can screw up. So how do you make sure that you don’t make any career-threatening blunders? And how do you tighten your hold on this job?

Employment rejection
There could be any number of reasons why you get rejected for a particular job. If the rejection happens at the initial pre-interview stages, it is easier to handle. But facing rejection after you put in all the effort could be devastating.

Chapter Seventeen:
Motivation and success
You have found your dream job. Congratulations! You have achieved an important goal. But do remember that this is not the final goal in your career. There will be more milestones and goals in your path to success. So, you have to constantly remind yourself of your higher goals and keep in mind all the reasons why you chose this particular job and career.

“If finding a job wasn’t stressful enough fine tuning your skills and finding what you do best will put you out of your mind. Damn, I need a Job. Again! Is a humorous approach to finding a job in the modern age. It covers all the must do activities for present day job seekers” – Jeremy Langhans – Senior Sourcing Consultant, Yahoo! Inc., Yahoo! Search Marketing Engineering

“Damn I need a job again! Is full of straightforward, logical advice for any and all looking to change jobs. It is written with humor, a vital resource for such a difficult milestone that changing careers can be” – Katheryn Hill – HR Recruiter for UTemp Program, University of Washington

“Damn, I Need To Get a Job Again” is a realistic guide for job seekers. Since searching for a job is in itself a full-time job, people need to start focusing more on their job search and the details that are involved. This also leads job seekers in the direction/industry that suits them the most. I highly recommend “Damn, I Need to Get a Job” to everyone…..even if you are not looking for another job at the time being.” Jennifer Abramski – Assistant Director of Career Services, The Art Institute of Seattle

“Practical and humorous, this step by step guide shares tips to help you go after the job of your dreams.” Lisa Ingle – Recruiter, Russell Investment Group