Introduction

There are literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of books about writing resumes and job application letters. Why should Brierty's be any different? Well, Brierty came from a copywriting background - sales and marketing. His focus is on selling your services, not applying for a job.

There is a difference. Applying for a job is a process ... write a resume, write a cover letter, post it to an address in the advertisement. Most 'how to write a job application' books I have read (and there have been many), focus on the nuts and bolts of using clean copy, getting the spelling correct, including your contact details and so on.

Not "Job Secrets Revealed" (JSR). JSR is refreshingly different. Oh, sure, there are many similarities with other job books, after all, there are only so many different things you can do when it comes to job searching. But there are also many differences ... novel and innovative differences that will put you ahead of the pack. Let's take a closer look.

The Ebook

As would be expected, JSR is available online as an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file downloadable within minutes of purchase by credit card. It costs $US29.95 which is probably not a bad price considering it has 130 odd pages and a wealth of very useful information.

It's professionally presented without any gratuitous graphics or other trimmings. And, unlike many other ebooks I have read is refreshingly written with good grammar and correct spelling; it has only one or two typos. Where I prefer to use plural eg, when discussing clients, instead of singular, he uses singular. I can live with that. It's a personal choice.

The flow of the book is logical and it's not only easy to read, but it's pleasant to read as the author reveals a little of his personality and humour.

There Are No Rules

From the outset, Brierty reminds readers that there are 'No Rules' in the job application game. This means that we don't have to be stereotypical in preparing and submitting our job applications. We can be novel, innovative, different.

Applications that look like everyone else's application, he says, are simply part of the herd and often are partially read, overlooked, or worse, discarded before being read because nobody wants to read all 150 applications. (As an HR specialist with a recruiting background, I can attest to that).

Brierty says job seekers should look at the employers' perspective when it comes to job seeking and not just theirs. This makes good sense as a communication strategy because it helps applicants understand how their applications are handled. He discusses assumptions that people incorrectly make about jobs and employers eg, that 'I'm too old', or 'I don't have the skills'. He also explains why job seekers should not see themselves trapped within a particular salary range, but should also apply for jobs with much larger salaries.

If you took his advice and increased your income by $20,000 per year, you'd have to say the price of the ebook was well and truly worth it, wouldn't you?

Main Themes

Much of Brierty's work is confidence building, helping you become aware that you are much more talented than you probably feel; that you are a valuable, marketable asset that can make a great difference to anyone willing to employ you.

In fact, you can provide benefits to an organisation that often exceed the requirements stated in job advertisements. Additionally, you can remove some of the risk employers take when they hire so that you become the best candidate, the one who helps their bottom line and makes their investment in you an asset rather than a liability.

There are numerous examples of phrases, letters and suggestions about how you can advertise your services rather than just apply for a job. I must admit to finding some of the wording and approaches a little 'over the top', but I agree with Brierty that you need to market your skills and the benefits you can provide your prospective employer if you really want the job.

If you're going to make an effort to apply, you really do need to draw attention to your application and, as he says, focus on the interview, not the application.

One of the most interesting parts for me related to the methods the author recommends for making your skills and experience sound irresistable. This is essential stuff. Employers are interested in what's in it for them ... you need to tell them, tell them again, and then remind them that you've told them. YOU are the best candidate.

Conclusion

Anyone can knock up a resume and a covering letter. Every day of the week millions of people do. Out of the millions of job applications that arrive on the desks of weary recruitment personnel, only a few stand out. If you are looking for a job, you need your application to be one of those that stands out.

Job Secrets Revealed really does 'reveal' the strategies you can use to be special and different and it's chock full of excellent examples and case studies. In fact, it's refreshingly different from the run of the mill "How to Get a Job" book.

I recommend it to you if you are serious about getting a new job on a better salary.

Copyright Robin Henry 2005.