The Job Search Navigator ― An Expert's Guide to Getting Hired, Surviving Layoffs, and Building Your Career

Despite recent reports of soaring corporate profits and gross domestic product growth, the effects of the Great Recession are still very real to the nearly 20 million Americans who are either jobless or underemployed. With higher-than-ideal unemployment rates expected to persist for the foreseeable future, many job-seekers are still experiencing the despair of the "jobless economic recovery," as many economists call it.

But as The Job-Search Navigator reveals, looking for a new job does not have to be an exercise in futility. Author Matt Durfeea human-resources authority who has hired tens of thousands of employees for companies such as Pepsi, Marriott, Bank One, and more, and has himself lost his job nine timesprovides a comprehensive perspective on what it takes to land a job in the United States today.

This book combines both practical, insightful "real world" perspectives with the technical knowledge job seekers need in order to excel at every aspect of the job search. This includes chapters on managing the emotional and financial demands of change; finding your dream job; crafting effective resumes and cover letters; the art and science of networking; advice for finding and navigating job opportunities; preparing for and acing interviews; evaluating offers and negotiation techniques, and more.

Along the way, Durfee adds a personal touch with both candid stories of his own job-hunting triumphs and failures, as well as anecdotes from more than 80 top search firm recruiters, HR executives, and other professionals. Whether you want to change careers after surviving the cutbacks of a decimated workplace or find a better fulltime gig in a stagnant marketplace,The Job-Search Navigator will guide you through a successful transition.

Matt Durfee is the founder and president of Navigator Executive Advisors, Inc. and the Navigator Institute. Prior to launching the firms in 2006, Matt held chief human resources officer, senior vice president, vice president and human resources management positions in a number of the world’s most admired companies including Pepsi Cola, Hard Rock Cafe, Frito-Lay International, Bank One, Nestle, Coca-Cola Enterprises and Marriott. He earned his Master's degree in Human Resources & Labor Relations from Michigan State University. His national newspaper columns for American City Business Journals, "Navigating Your Job Search" and "Coach’s Corner" appeared in 40 major US markets. He lives in Orlando, FL.

William N. Cooke, Ph.D., is a professor at and director of Michigan State University’s School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1977 and has served on the faculty at the University of Michigan, Purdue University and Wayne State University, and held visiting faculty positions at Cornell University and the University of California, Berkeley. He currently serves as Chair of the University Council of IR and HR Programs, LERA. He is the author of numerous articles and several books about multinational companies and their global HR/LR strategies. He lives in East Lansing, MI.