I Got My Dream Job and So Can You – a book review

Pete Leibman has written a book that I just had to review for you because he doesn’t just aim to help you into your next job; Pete commits to get you your dream job.

Now be honest….who wouldn’t want that!

And if you’re like me at all and have found yourself settling for second best in the past then maybe it’s time you gave Pete’s book a serious look.

I should say up front that it may be tempting when you start to read this book to think that Pete may not be “talking” to you, as he has clearly set his target audience as university graduates and other generation ‘Y’ers. The book is also fairly USA-centric which is brilliant if you live in North America, but less so for the rest of us. But I would suggest that you’d be wise to see past this minor criticism, as much of what Pete refers to is still highly relevant and relatable to non American “oldies” like me.

And I must say there’s a lot to like about “I Got My Dream Job and So Can You.”

Like many American’s, Pete is infectiously positive and enthusiastic and he has very successfully infused these traits into his writing, making this book an enjoyable read. More importantly though this is a very well structured, thoughtful and informative book which I suspect could inspire many readers.

Firstly Pete has taken on an ambitious task to not only help you into your dream job but also to give you the best chance of having a dream career. Lofty ambitions indeed in which I believe he largely succeeds. This in itself is a powerful example of what can be achieved when we singularly focus our efforts on our primary goal.

I like the way Pete has structured this book. He has divided it into two parts, firstly to get your dream job and then secondly, to manage that into a dream career. There’s a compelling logic to the book’s structure; which starts by asking us to question the career advice we get and to trust our own judgment. Pete gets us to do this so we can gird ourselves against the doubters who will appear when we go public with our lofty ambitions.

Pete then uses a step-by-step, chapter-by-chapter approach to make your dream job a reality. These include giving yourself a serious image makeover, critically analysing what your dream job really means to you, the power of networking and “advice appointments” and how to ace interviews. There’s also invaluable and in-depth advice for technology dinosaurs such as myself on how to really ramp up your online presence to snag that dream job.

Any job search can be a daunting task; and a serious rethink of our career direction confronts us as we question our career choices to date. Pete has managed to structure the book in a way that helps to reassure the reader and progressively build their confidence.

This extends into the chapters covering career management; starting with an examination of the importance of self belief, what “excellence” really means, work performance, the importance of your life outside work and some advice on how (if you wish) you can take an entrepreneurial next step into your own business.

What I also like is how cleverly this book uses a variety of adult learning techniques to engage the reader. These include Q&A sessions with the author, case studies, personal experience and advice and reader focussed questioning and checklists. Pete has packed this book with highly practical information to help the reader to take action now.

This all adds up to a book whose contents can be practically applied here and now to help with what for most of us can be a stressful and challenging time.

Pete challenges us not to settle for second best and for that reason amongst many, it’s well worth a look.

For more information click this link to Pete Leibman’s website.

Tagged as: career change, graduate tips, job hunting tips