Roberta Rochman, a Grapevine Executive Search Partner, gives great insight into the Healthcare Information Technology arena. Click on the above link for her white paper.

I heard from more than 80 people.  Some took the time to write out thoughtful and heartfelt sentiments for my friend who is like so many people today facing foreclosure on her home.  Thank you for your kindness.  I will be sure she knows of your encouraging words.

Some people went beyond sharing books and shared essays, poems, movies, historical documents and practices.  It has taken me a couple of weeks to digest the information.  Your thoughtful replies are inspiration unto themselves.

I weighed how to share with you, my fellow LinkedIn members, the books that were recommended to me.  I sorted through the comments and pulled out the books as best as I could.  I admit I did not check the accuracy of the titles.  I took your word for it.  I did fill in some authors where they were missing.

Since the request was specifically for books I am providing you the recommended books as they were presented to me.  Many you will recognize.  I was reminded of books I had forgotten and went back and dusted a couple off to reread them.  There are real gems on this list.

I hope that like me you will be reminded of some old favorites and learn about some that may become your new favorite(s).

I was not surprised that the most recommended happened to be the books of the Bible.  Where specifics were mentioned I included them.

If a book was recommended more than once I just included it once.  At the end is a list of authors.  These authors were listed as “ready anything by …” so I included them accordingly.

It is clear that these books and authors have moved people and may provide inspiration and encouragement in this down economy.

“Anatomy of Peace” by the Arbinger Institute

“Anthem” by Ayn Rand

“The Art of Possibility, Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

“Art of War” by Sun Tzu

“The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach

“Awaken the Giant” by Tony Robbins

“A Whole New Mind” by Daniel Pink

“Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” by Walter Isaacson

“Between Trapezes” by Gail Blanke

“Bible,”

Specifically mentioned:

Old Testament stories of The Bible

The story of Job (book of Job) and the story of Joseph (Genisus)

The book of John (New Testament in the Bible)
The book of James

The book of Psalms (Old Testament in the Bible)
Psalm 23

“The Big Five for Life” by John P. Strelecky

“Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne

“Born Rich” by Bob Proctor

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne

“The Call of the Wild” by Jack London

“Change the Way You See Everything” by Kathryn Cramer and Hank Wasiak

“Choose Hope” by Richard Hill

“The Cookie Never Crumbles” by Wally Amos

“The Dip” by Seth Godin

“Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success”  by Russell Simmons

“Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” by Alan Cohen

“The Eighth Habit” by Steven Covey

“Endurance–Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage” by Alfred Lansing.

“Escape from the Box- The Wonder of Human Potential” Col Ed Hubbard’s

“Even Eagles Need a Push” by Lou Holtz, Head Football Coach, University of Notre Dame

“Facing your Giants” by Max Lucado

“Failing Forward” by John Maxwell.

“Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.

“Finding Your Greater Yes: Living a Life That Echoes in Eternity” by Dan Erickson.

“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand

“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz (Author),

“Get Clear. Get Connected. Get a Job” by Lin Morel, MA, DDS.

“The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement”‎ (Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox)

“The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

“Improvise. Adapt. Overcome” By Ken Keller

“Is It Too Late to Run Away and Join the Circus?” by Marti Smythe, PH.D.

“The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch

“The Last Lion” by Winston Spencer Churchill

“Laugh Again- Experience Outrageous Joy” by Charles R. Swindoll

“Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box” by Arbinger Institute

“Leadership for Life” by Douglas Gehrman

“Life Tune Ups”  by Loren Slocum

“The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz

“Many Miles to Go” by Brian Tracy.

“Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?” by Seth Godin

“Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi

“Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton

“Only the Paranoid Survive” by Andrew Grove

“Peaks and Valleys” by Spencer Johnson

“Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

“Power of Intention, Inspiration and Excuses” by Dr. Wayne Dyers

“The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle

“The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale

“The Power of Who” by Bob Beaudine

“The Present” by Ken Blanchard

“The Purpose Driven Life (What on earth am I here for)” by Rick Warren

“Quest for the Best” by Stanley Marcus

“Screw It Lets Do It” by Richard Branson

“The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne

“See You at the Top” by Zig Ziglar

“Seven Spiritual Laws of Success” by Deepak Chopra

“The Shack” by William P. Young

“Sometimes a Great Notion” by Ken Kesey

“South: The ‘Endurance’ Expedition” by Ernest Shackelton” –

“The Story of My Experiments with Truth” by Mohandas Gandhi’s life story in his own words

“The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield

“Sweet Pea the Bumblebee”  by Gabrielle and Tiffany Corbet and Courtney Noelle

“Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do” by Dr. Robert Schuller.

“The Travelers Gift — Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success”  by Andy Andrews

“This is Not the Life I Ordered” by Deborah Stephens, Jackie Speier, Jan Yanehiro and Michealene Risley.

”Walden” by Thoreau.
”We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance” by David Howarth and Stephen E. Ambrose

“What Color Is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers” by Richard N. Bolles

“When Bad Things Happen to Good People” by Harold S. Kushner

“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

“Who’s Got Your Back” by Keith Ferrazzi

“You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise L. Hay

Anything by

Deepak Chopra

Jim Collins

Wayne Dyer

Eduardo Galeano

Louise Hay

Napoleon Hill
Rob Rabbin

Ayn Rand

Tony Robbins

I printed this list off and put it in my car.  This way when I go to yard sales I can look for these books.  Yard sales are great places to pick up books.  I like to carry books I am reading with me and give them away to people I meet along the way.  I believe books are meant to be re-gifted through their life rather than sitting on a shelf or, worse yet, in a box.

Thanks again for all of your inspiring suggestions and thoughtful responses.

As a recruiter what advice can I give you?  My advice is to keep doing what you have been doing that has gotten you to this point.

Even when the process drags on whatever you have been doing in your interviews has moved you forward in the interview process.  At the final interviews the hiring manager expects the same interest level and enthusiasm for the position and the company as you demonstrated in the initial interview.  Letting frustration with the process show at this phase can result in rejection.  You won’t have a decision to make as you won’t receive an offer.

I am not suggesting you be someone you aren’t or be insincere.  Be yourself.  Be enthusiastically you.  The final phase is not the time to let your frustration with the process show.

I’ll give you an extreme example of how frustration with the process led to failure to receive an offer.  I know a Senior Vice President who missed out on a position he wanted.  The final day of interviews dragged into late afternoon.  The company had arranged for a driver to take him back to the airport for a return trip home.  He got into the car and shared with the driver his frustration with the day and the process.  In addition to delivering his rider to the airport the driver’s job included reporting back to the company what the candidate shared with him during the trip.

The Senior Vice President received no job offer from the company.  He could not undo the damage that had been done during the ride to the airport.  He learned a very costly lesson about keeping his frustration with the process in check.

You can’t decide if you want the job if you don’t receive an offer.  Getting the offer gives you the choice.  If you are successfully moving forward in the interviewing process then no matter how slow it is going keep doing what you are doing as it is working.

Suzanne Travers

PhoneInterviewBootCamp.com

In addition, the Labor Department noted continuing jobless claims fell by 54,000, to 6.2 million.

The employment situation for July 2009 is scheduled to be released on August 7, 2009, at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.

Last evening in my role as recruiter I was helping a former teacher who has been a stay at home Mom for years prepare to re-enter the job market. It is the first time for awhile that I have worked with someone who was completely unaware of how to search for a position in the web 2.0 world.

As we built her search from the ground level I was reminded of just how critical it is to become and remain current with Social Media. For someone using job hunting skills from years ago they are out of touch and out of date. We had to really work to get her up to speed to help her understand that LinkedIn has changed the face of resumes and the methodologies that recruiters use to identify candidates.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are impacting our work and out lives in ways we never imagined even last year this time. What is on the horizon? Something else can come along and take the internet by storm just as Twitter has and minimize the importance of any of the current hot platforms.

How do we remain relevant in our work and career in this web 2.0 environment? I invite you to join us at a new group I launched on LinkedIn to explore Social Media in at work and in our career. At Healthcare Grapevine this is where Social Media experts and career enthusiasts explore all things Social Media in the Healthcare Industry.

When it comes to Social Media no one wants to find they are like the former teacher at ground level in career search skills at 50 years old.

Suzanne Travers
Founder of “Healthcare Grapevine” a new group on LinkedIn

The smaller than expected reduction in payroll jobs, reported by the Labor Department on Friday, adds to evidence that the recession is loosening its hold on the country. It marked the fourth straight month that the pace of layoffs slowed.

Recruiters and Hiring Managers frequent these sites.  You will want them to see you in the best possible light.  Participating in these groups is a great way to build your presence on the web either in a positive or negative manner.  You control whether your presence is professional or unprofessional.

Here are 3 secrets to building a successful presence in Discussion Groups:

 1.  At all times observe rules of good grammar and check to make sure that your spelling is correct.

2.  If you have read something that stirs your emotions write a draft and then let it sit until you are calm. 

When you write from a place of passion revisit and evaluate it carefully before posting it to ensure that it expresses your opinion professionally.  Unlike journalists, when we are writing on LinkedIn we don’t have an editor to save us from ourselves.  Few of us can afford to be as candid as Bill O’ Reilly or Chris Rock. 

3.  Ask yourself how a future employer, current employer, or hiring manager will view your post.

LinkedIn gives you a matter of minutes to edit your post once you submit it.  After that it becomes a permanent record on the internet.  This is not the place to complain about working, your job or your employer.

You might think this is obvious, however I recently saw a post where the person discussed the trouble they are having with their job search. Within the post she complained that the only reason to work is for a paycheck.  While I am sure she wrote from her heart, the post she wrote is not going to help her if a potential employer sees what she said. 

I am not saying to be someone you aren’t or to misrepresent yourself.  Having an opinion and voicing it is how we demonstrate knowledge on a topic.  This is a great opportunity to get noticed by employers.  Why not have them see the best side of you?

Suzanne

www.grapevinegroup.com

These are questions one of my mentors asked me.  I am happy to say I do live where I want.

What about you?  Share your thoughts and see what others have to say.

Suzanne

suzanne@grapevinegroup.com

www.grapevinegroup.com