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The Book

Book Reviews

Book Review: Dream Job Game Plan

By: Megan Gebhart (MSUCataylst.com)

Why should you read Dream Job Game Plan?

  • This is not a warm fuzzy self-help book. You will immediately benefit from the straightforward and practical advice.
  • It's more of a manual than a book. There are great examples that you can use as a reference when you start working on resumes, networking, and going to interviews.
  • It will give you a competitive edge and help you distinguish yourself from other recent grads.
  • Molly is Tom Izzo's agent!

What can you expect to find?

  • Practical advice on choosing a career
  • Information on getting people to like you enough to help you in your career
  • The five tools needed for finding your dream career
  • Examples of what to do, say, wear, and write during the application process

Here is a glimpse of Molly's 5 tools for becoming YOUR own career agent:

1. Your Passionate Style

The key to career success is finding a job that you are passionate about because passion is what will sustain your motivation to take the extra steps needed to be different from everybody else and overcome roadblocks and barriers. So take time to ask yourself what you love doing more than anything else. This will help you find your own personal style so you can sell yourself to an employer and not just your resume.

2. Your Fearlessness

Once you have found your passion, you have to demonstrate it fearlessly. No one is going to hand you your dream career. You have to pursue it. And that requires courage and confidence. It's not easy to face your fears, but it is vital to embrace the challenges that face you instead of allowing the fear of rejection to paralyze you and keep you from achieving your dreams.

Getting to the top requires making relationships, getting people to like you enough to help you, and seeking advice from people with experience. Being fearless allows you to do this. Molly's mantra is to be consistently, uniquely, and respectfully persistent in forming vital business relationships.

3. Your Game Plan

Once you've found your passion and faced your fears, you will need a game plan so you can effectively represent yourself on paper and in person. This means creating a quality resume, preparing for your audience, and practicing what to say during and after your interview. Molly includes sample cover letters, resumes, and examples of what to say (and what NOT to say) when trying to contact people, conducting an interview, and following up after the initial meeting.

4. Your Flawless Execution

Getting the job interview is only the beginning, now is the time to shine, to prove you are the right person for the job. This takes research. Knowing facts about the company and preparing answers to common questions are just as important as looking professional. A successful interview is one where you get up out of the chair to leave feeling that you have successfully conveyed how you are a solution to the organization's current problems and a great fit for its future opportunities.

This section offers step-by-step instructions for a successful interview that will calm your pre-interview jitters and give you an advantage with tips on having:

  • a WOW factor comment that shows you've done your research
  • a mental list of questions to ask
  • the right level of confidence
  • and a strategy to answering tough interview questions

5. Managing Choices

The interview is going to go one of two ways, and Your Dream Job Game Plan covers both.

Mistakes happen. No matter how prepared you are, something might go wrong, which is why Molly has a list of common interview mistakes and practical solutions. For example, if you slip up and ask a question or make a statement that is insensitive or disrespectful, acknowledge it, "spin it" with a clever comment, or simply apologize for it. Then move on. If it was a major slip up, follow up with a respectful email to apologize and explain the situation.

However, after using the previous four tools for success, you'll likely be offered a position and that means you have a choice to make. It is important to carefully consider the position before you decide. Make sure you know:

  • What work you will be asked to do
  • How you will be expected to get the work done
  • How your employer will assist you in your tasks (training, support, resources)
  • How you will be evaluated and paid

Then you must take a moment to consider what is important to you: salary, bonus opportunities, vacation time, insurance, etc. Do you believe this job is a great opportunity for you? After serious thought, you'll be able to make a sound decision and accept or decline the offer.

Bottom Line

This is just a fraction of the great advice you'll find in Molly Fletcher's book. If you feel overwhelmed and nervous about finding a job after college pick up You Dream Job Game Plan, you will not regret it!