Navigating the job market successfully today takes finesse and a little luck, but with the right planning it doesn’t have to be left to chance. If finding the right job is the target, Randy Hain’s fourth book, LANDED! Proven Job Search Strategies for Today’s Professional, hits the mark, offering job seekers a tangible plan and the right formula to make sure those seekers find the employment, and career, they not only desire, but which fits them — and their employers to a ‘T’, and results in financial and personal success.
LANDED! is practical, well-written, easy to read, and equally perfect for a new college graduate and a more seasoned and experienced job seeker. It is sure to become the go-to handbook on job searching… and finding. I also love that he dedicated the book to St. Joseph, Patron Saint of Workers!
Utilizing his experience from more than two decades as a partner at a respected, national executive search firm and head of recruiting for a billion dollar restaurant company, Hain zeroes in on what makes a job search successful. In LANDED! the author helps readers target what they are looking for in a dream job and then provides practical strategies on how to obtain it.
LANDED! is divided into four sections: I — Self-Assessment, II — The Network, III — Resumes, Interviewing and Negotiating and IV — Other Things to Consider. Some chapters of note include “What Am I Really Looking For?”, “Networking with Intention”, “Negotiating 101”, and “Should I Go Into Business for Myself?.”
Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss LANDED! with the author.
What was the inspiration for your new book LANDED!? How did it come about?
Hain: I decided to write LANDED! out of a desire to help three groups of people who I routinely encounter in my professional life as a partner of a national recruiting firm: 1) Active job seekers seeking a road map to find a new position. 2) Employed professionals unhappy or dissatisfied with their current roles who need guidance on how to find a better job and 3) Recent college graduates who are unprepared for how to find meaningful work in the challenging job market. Having written extensively on career and job-search related issues for many years, I felt the time was right in early 2013 to begin writing the book.
Why is there a need for this book today?
Hain: I encounter countless people each year from the groups I described in my answer to your last question who are struggling to find the right job. Many readers know me for my candid and practical approach to living out our Catholic faith and I felt there was a genuine need for a similar candid approach to finding a job. With so much economic uncertainty in our country, anxiety about careers and employment is at an all-time high. I hope LANDED! will lower the stress levels for readers and help them get on the right path to finding the best position.
What kind of insight can readers hope to glean from your book? How is it different from other books on similar topics?
Hain: My sincere hope for the reader is that they will learn from the proven approaches described in the book to get on the right path towards landing a new position. LANDED! is a combination of candor, practical ideas, proven strategies and insights gleaned from professionals who have seen all sides of a job search. My research on similar books uncovered a need for a book of more substance filled with practical actions and not merely concepts and theories. LANDED! is a trusted road map for the journey, a practical tool kit and a book filled the stories and experiences of hiring managers, subject matter experts and others who have sought new jobs.
Did anything surprise you while doing research for this book? If so, what?
Hain: That is a good question. I think the most surprising thing was how many people have been hoping for a book like this to be written! I have been humbled by the enthusiastic response of the people I made aware of the book project as I was writing it and their desire to contribute ideas and spread the word to their networks. I guess I have also been surprised by how much people value the kind of candid and practical advice which permeates LANDED!.
What was the hardest thing about writing this last book?
Hain: The most difficult thing was to decide who I would interview for the book! I am blessed to know so many wonderful people with great insights and experiences and I found it challenging to select the right people to be included. For those involved in the LANDED! project, you have my sincere thanks.
In what formats is this book available?
Hain: LANDED! is available in paperback, Kindle and eBook formats through Amazon.
You have a very busy schedule with work, speaking engagements and family. How do you organize your time? How do you find time to write so prolifically?
Hain: Time, time, time…I always long to have more time! I am fortunate to be well-disciplined when it comes to writing. I wake up most days at 4:00 am. After prayers, spiritual reading and a few cups of coffee, I try very hard to write an hour a day, five days a week. Because I have blogging responsibilities with Integrated Catholic Life™, my own blog and other outlets I write for, I am able to accumulate a great deal of material for use in future books. I also look at writing as a ministry and a way to help other people. Writing as a mission is much more motivating for me than writing for a paycheck.
Which writers inspire you?
Hain: I love to read and have some favorites who I have always found to be inspirational: Dr. Peter Kreeft, Michael O’Brien, Chester Elton, Archbishop Charles Chaput, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Blessed John Paul II, Patrick Lencioni, G. K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Fr. Francis Fernandez, J. R. R. Tolkien, St. Augustine, anything written by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, historian Martin Gilbert and Katie Peterson Warner. I also loved your recent book, Big Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families, written with Patti Armstrong. This is a heart-warming book I encourage everyone to read!
Do you have a favorite quote or phrase?
Hain: Hmmmnnn. I suppose my favorite is this gem from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Do you have any projects in the works?
Hain: Yes. I am working on a book for Emmaus Road Publishing which will be released in late spring as well as a project for Servant Books due out next fall. I am very excited about both of these books! I am also working on an eBook/Kindle-only project for Serviam Press on the subject of authentic business relationships which we hope to release by early February.
Thank you, Randy. I know readers will enjoy the valuable information you share in LANDED!
Theresa Thomas is the co-author of BIG HEARTED: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families (Liguori Publications) and Stories for the Homeschool Heart (Bezalel Books, 2010 & winner of About.com Best Catholic Book of 2010), family columnist at Today’s Catholic News and a contributing writer for the Integrated Catholic Life™.
Please post your comments and questions below. We value your feedback.
If you appreciate our writing, please use both the Share and Recommend buttons to tell your family and friends about this article. Help us help others live the faith throughout their day.
Thank you! – The Editors
