[Review] Knock ‘Em Dead: Secrets & Strategies For Success In An Uncertain World

I’m usually very wary of books that tout of helping you to find that perfect job. Many of those self-help books tend to give career advice that are simply superficial – how to spruce up your resume, or on acing that interview, for example – without delving into the intricacies to help understand the hiring world works and what recruiters really look for when hiring.

“Knock ’em Dead – Secrets and Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World“ by international best selling author and acclaimed thought leader on career issues Martin Yate, CPC, was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the initial premise Yate sets you out on – that you should manage your professional career the way that you would approach running a company:

Start thinking of yourself as a company – as MeInc, a financial entity that must survive and prosper over the long haul. You are MeInc, a brand new start-up with a successful future to be won.

Now doesn’t that change your perspective on how you should view your career? It’s not just about landing a job; it’s about building a strategy about planning your career and, yes, future.

Yates’ incisive writing also penetrates the art and heart of hiring – and getting hired – in the new digital era. For example, it’s simply not enough to put together a perfect resume; you need to come up with a resume that is searchable within resume databases – after all, it’s no use being the perfect candidate if your resume isn’t the one that turns up during database searches. There’s also great advice on how you can leverage online and offline community and professional networks – such as LinkedIn – as well as social media tools, as well as quickly get into conversations with the people that do matter in the hiring process.

Interspersed on every other page in the book are great quotes and brilliant advice from an entire panel of human resource and talent acquisition experts that help drive and reinforce the points Yate make, and which were enjoyable and something I looked forward to reading. Thankfully, the book doesn’t waste space on “resume templates” and the like – such resources can instead be found on the book’s website.

As I mentioned earlier, there are way too many rubbishy self-help career books in this world; Yate’s “Knock ’em Dead – Secrets and Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World” is not of one those. If you are looking for a blueprint for career success, it’s hard to go wrong with this book.

Now go forth and knock ’em dead!