Writing a book was not part of his long-term plan until a friend asked him for some advice on negotiating a signing bonus and once got started he realized that there was more to share than just that and our Author of The Month, “Coach Brian,” ended up writing his first book: Find a Job You Love and Get the Job You Want: The Only Job Hunting Guide You Need, Ace Your Interview and Get the Job You Want.
Brian Fenerty has been helping people get jobs for decades and has worked all over the world and worked for many of the companies that we all know by name and reputation. Brian’s specialty is helping high-achieving individuals integrate their professional life with their values through a strengths-based coaching methodology incorporating both tools he has been trained to use and methods he has developed throughout his career.
As part of our Magazine’s Author Interview Series we caught up with Brian to get some answers about him and his book:
What inspired you to write this book?
After decades of giving advice to candidates and hiring managers at work as well as friends and family I have seen the challenges people are faced with in the job search process first hand and wanted to help. I have always been quick to give advice to friends and family and in the last couple years have begun to write my ideas and advice down for them to use. At some point I thought it may be easier to put it all in one place, put it in order, and have a booklet I could email
people. It got big and seemed easier to make it available to everyone via the Kindle $0.99 pricing so I went in that direction and here we are.
What was your process for writing the book?
Before work, after work, in front of the TV… I started with what I had and quickly realized that I needed to start over and build a list of steps that people can follow and went from there. As I said, it began as a workbook and it reads that way, each chapter can stand alone or it can be read in order.
What was the most difficult part of writing the book?
Writing down what I know is harder than I thought. Distilling information down to be of use to most people while avoiding long or over-long explanations of what is going on in the process was tougher than I thought it would be.
If you look at the job interview, for example, I could write a book on that alone. The job interview is incredibly nuanced and, depending on your experience and skill, you may need more or less than what I provided. Trying to keep that in mind through the whole book was a challenge.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
In my experience most people do not realize how much of what they do in the process affects their results. What they share, when they share it, how they write it or say it.
All of it is very important if you are going to stand out and get the offer. I hope readers realize that it may be hard work to get the job they want and it is largely in their control if they prepare.
What are you working on next?
I am focusing on workbooks that job seekers can use to approach the job seeking and interviewing process; personal brand, interview skills, signing bonus negotiation, etc.
Careers have changed a lot in the decades since I began my recruiting career and the process can still be broken down into steps that can be deconstructed in a way that allows people to put in some work, stand out from the crowd and get the offer. You do not have any play till you get an offer.
Find a Job You Love and Get the Job You Want is available on Amazon where it is currently a #1 New Release in Job Interviewing and available in Kindle and Paperback editions.