What an amazing handbook for those who are in the thick of job hunt or considering a career change!
I wish I’d had this resource when I was starting my career change for sure. The author, Dan Miller, covers very specific tips with lots of very specific case studies from his years of career counseling.
But what’s more important though, is how he emphasizes the need to step back from specifics so we get clear on the larger picture – of our career and even of our life.
He spends several chapters, probably a third of the book, discussing the importance of having a life plan, of understanding our motivations, desires and values BEFORE even getting to the specifics of what the work we love might be.
And once the life plan is clear, he then goes into the elements which make up ‘work we love’. He lists three:
1) Skills & abilities
2) Personality tendencies
3) Values, dreams & passions
These elements are very similar to the ones I talk about in my Joyful Work guide & masterclass, we just call them by different names and organize them differently.
Mr. Miller offers many insightful questions for the reader to work through as they consider their own situation. These are very helpful if the reader is great at making time and space for contemplation and reflection.
For the other 2/3s of the book, Mr. Miller goes into nice detail for job hunting, including how to approach resumes and interviews. He also spends a chapter or so on choosing yourself as the boss.
And while the specifics he offers are likely very helpful to those currently hunting for a job, my top takeaway is how he ended the book. It’s a great metaphor for helping us get our of our comfort zones. He described how eagles tend to build nests by laying a foundation of thorny branches. Then layering up softer materials. As their eaglets grow, the parents remove the softer materials starting from nest’s center so it’s less and less comfortable. The eaglets end up standing at the outer edges. The parents also feed them less and less, so the juveniles have to choose between the discomfort of staying (hunger and thorny branches) versus the discomfort of maybe landing on hard rocks or crashing through trees if they leave or they don’t even know what might happen. Yet, they do choose the not knowing over the knowing and soar with the wind beneath their wings.
If that phrase feels familiar and maybe with a bit of a connection to certain Bible passages, you’ve picked up on a theme Mr. Miller carries through the book. He does call on his Christian faith and scriptures to emphasis certain points and theories. It flavors the book but does not overpower it at all.
Mr. Miller passed away just a few weeks ago and it was thru some amazing tributes in my social feeds that I found out about his work & this book. And based on those tributes he really did live out his faith, helping so many people in so many ways.
This book may not be high on the list of career development and job hunting books, but it should be. It’s absolutely worth the read. And once you do, let me know what your takeaways are!
