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By
the Book - Reviews of careers books that just might help...
“What
now?” I hear you ask yourself as you hide in the depths
of despair unwilling and unable to tackle mission: impossible.
Whether it is G.C.S.E options or facing the job market find
comfort in the reality that everyone
has to go through this roller coaster of an event at one point
or another.
Pop down to your local library or careers office and you'll
find a wealth of material just waiting for you. Go on, it
won’t hurt to try!
The
Which? Guide to Choosing a Career
Barbara Buffton
Which? LTD (1998)
ISBN 0-85202-713-3
This is
the first book I’ve come across which helps 14 year olds
make bright G.C.S.E subject choices as well advising students
considering A-level, G.N.V.Q courses and school leavers.
Pros
Part 1 appropriately titled “Background nd preparation”
includes a rundown of the education system in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It provides information
on government initiatives behind certain qualifications such
as the AS level as well explaining what each course entails
and the length of the course. The guide also includes a glossary
of different qualifications, which is indispensable for parents
and students alike who never could quite work out the
difference between their HND’s and NVQ’s. There’s
hope yet!
“Preparing
yourself for a career” focuses on what employers look
for and provides constructive advice on how to gain key skills.
You'll get info on the importance of qualifications in tackling
the job market and the growing demand for transferable skills,
such as computer literacy, good communication skills and problem
solving.
Part 2
of the guide is when it gets really interesting. There are
chapters dedicated to every occupation imaginable from Administration
to Beauty therapy and Funeral directing to Voluntary work.
So you’ll definitely find something that interests you.
Each chapter provides a general description of what each occupation
entails and recommendations on which subjects to study
in order to meet the entry requirements. If you’re not
quite sure about what occupation you want to embark upon just
yet, guidance is provided on which
subjects to study in order to keep your options open. In addition
there are some useful addresses and points of contact provided
in each individual section as well as a list of other sources
of information and addresses at
the end of the guide. Definitely a great stepping-stone onto
better things!
Cons
More guidance on how to get into each profession and recommendations
of constructive things you can do whilst still at school or
college would be useful. Case studies or the input of people
who are in the profession would make each section more interesting
and compelling. Could present the occupations in a much more
interesting way.
The Which?
Guide to Choosing a Career is informative and motivating with
lots of useful advice. It is easy to use, encouraging and
aimed at a wide range of people. Despite your capabilities
and aptitude this book has advice on finding everyone an occupation
that makes the best of their abilities!
http://www.which.net
Getting
A Job in Europe
Mark Hempshell
How to Books LTD (2000)
ISBN 1-85703-536-6
Ever considered
working in Sunny Spain or fascinating France? If the answer’s
a definite “yes” or an irresolute “maybe”
take a leaf through this and you’ll definitely make up
your mind.
Pros
Hempshell presents an unbiased and pragmatic approach to working
abroad. The book contains a section of “Questions to
ask yourself” such as “Do I really like foreign
countries, other than for holidays?” and “Am I prepared
to learn a language?”.
It is
also encouraging. The handy tips and guidance on how to solve
problems, how and where to learn a new language and how to
prepare a Euro CV make the task as least daunting as possible.
The book provides a European Union fact file for you to sink
your teeth into as well as information on your rights in the
EU. This book even includes a personal action plan- how’s
that for motivation!
An employment guide tells you what to expect in each country.
Bad news women! Unfortunately, in countries such as Spain,
Italy, Greece and Portugal most women are preferred in traditional
roles or expected to do no more than menial work. There are
women in proffesional occupations but not many. This book
definitely doesn't provide any illusions about working in
foreign countries.
Cons
There is very little that I find disagreeable about this book.
It’s designed for those who are certain about their career
prospects and probably those in their late twenties who have
the finances and experience to live abroad, rather than adolescents.
If you’re not interested in working abroad or have no
idea of what you would like to do then this isn’t really
aimed at you. It’s for someone who’s tried working
in the UK and either hates it or wants to venture to far and
exotic seas.
Conclusion
For someone who has never considered the prospect of working
in another country, I found this an inspiring, appealing and
a matter of fact guide to working in the EU. The best feature
of this guide is its realistic yet
encouraging approach.
The
Careers Adviser’s Guide
Rebecca Corfield
Kogan Page
ISBN 0-7494-1222-4
An insight
into the complex world of careers guidance. If you’re
concerned with the career choices of young people and adults,
this may be of use.
Pros
This book is aimed at people who want to enter an occupation
in career advising or are interested in helping someone with
careers related matters.
If you’re not particularly interested in career advising
don’t completely reject this book altogether. It contains
some tips and warnings that are just too good to pass by.
A chapter is dedicated to using the book helps you to get
the most out of what is available. There is plenty of background
information on what advisor’s do, where they gain training
and information on what career’s
advice actually is. Tools and techniques on how to give advice
and the needs of the client are also touched upon.
The most valuable and interesting part is the section dedicated
to CV’s and the dreaded interview. In addition to explaining
the purpose of a CV (just
in case you didn’t know and no, it’s not a life
story), the book also deals with common mistakes that people
make such as making their CV too long.
(Believe me now?) Guidance is provided on what to wear to
an interview and there are some examples of interview questions
and answers to help you gain that extra head start. Practising
interview answers are recommended with a friend or if you
can’t persuade one there's always the mirror. Now that
should be entertaining!
Cons
Unless you’re interested in becoming a career’s
advisor, the majority of this book is of little use. The formal
tone can be relatively off putting and although it is easy
to use, it is presented in an uninteresting format.
Not a very inspiring book especially for teenagers who are
just beginning to consider career choices.
Conclusion
The sombre tone of this could leave you feeling ready to crawl
back into your dark abyss never to face the outside world
again. There are more useful sources of advice out there that
make the prospect of career hunting a little more stimulating.
However, it is useful in that it informs you of the common
mistakes individuals make, so you can get it spot on! Nevertheless,
well worth checking out just for the useful advice given on
interviews- something that the other books don't provide.
by
Sofia Shabique
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