…Just work! – More than job, fulfilment. An international primer to employment by Henk Vaars, Maurizio Fantato
This is supposed to be a different kind of book, moving away from the usual stereotypes yet on a very popular and truly life-changing subject like finding employment. You are, after all, unlikely to be interested in this book if you aren’t considering finding a new job, aren’t worried about your present career, aren’t actively…
This is supposed to be a different kind of book, moving away from the usual stereotypes yet on a very popular and truly life-changing subject like finding employment. You are, after all, unlikely to be interested in this book if you aren’t considering finding a new job, aren’t worried about your present career, aren’t actively seeking employment, or have been unsuccessful in your quest and wish to review your present situation in order to understand where you may have gone wrong.
One of the paradoxes of today’s world is that we are surrounded by heaps of information yet are often less capable of making the right decision. Much of the stuff we are going to tell you could be found strewn across countless online channels (what couldn’t?), yet we have less time to digest it all. How do we sift through such quagmire of data and information, really focussing on what matters to our present circumstances? The more we look, the more daunting the task ahead might seem. We all want to get a grip on a solution speedily, which is what we have been attempting to do in this book, offering a quick digest of essential tools to get started again, a bit like pressing ctrl+alt+del on your old PC…
In trying to explain what this book is in the shortest possible way, we thought we’d tell you also what we didn’t want to write about. We didn’t want to compile a personal eulogy offering advice focussed on our own experiences only. Such knowledge would get you nowhere, which is why we teamed up with other professionals, and not just those who have contributed directly but many more. Many of the experts and contributors were from different parts of the world and from a variety of disciplines. This is one the traits that makes this book different and of more universal appeal.
Throughout this book we made every attempt to steer you in a direction that wouldn’t just get you to any job, but hopefully take you to a new and more rewarding life adventure. Our greatest satisfaction would be to know that we may have led you to your own eureka moment, whether that meant starting anew, just getting your dream job, or even considering getting further professional help.
So what is this book about in a nutshell? We have three simple objectives. The first is to get you to pause for a moment before you embark on finding a new job, asking yourself some questions about what you really want to achieve and whether that road will be one to happiness. The second is to provide you with a succinct and highly practical way of going through all the tools available out there, giving you the best advice on how to maximise effectiveness. Finally, we wanted this primer to have an international dimension and not simply to reflect our interests and backgrounds, but to mirror today’s circumstances. We live in a world that is shrinking rapidly thanks to advanced communications methods. That perfect job is rarely, if ever, on your doorstep. Comparing your experience with circumstances elsewhere might help you put things into perspective. This, and hopefully more, is what this book is about.
If while reading Just Work! you begin to find something of your true self, rekindling the same inner fire that inspired those valiant knights of old, we are certain that you will have no qualms in facing and defeating any dragon that may come your way. And at long last, that personal Holy Grail, whatever it might possibly be, could truly be within your reach. The tools provided in this book are your personal weapons. They will help you, but only if you discover, nurture, and believe in your true self.
” Thought provoking”
Five Star Review on Amazon By wozzer
This book provides numerous strategies for finding satisfying work and describes some approaches I hope to put to good use in my next career move.
About the Authors
Henk Vaars
Is there such thing as a professional job hopper? Job hopping could be the single biggest obstacle for job seekers. Yet when you become a pro, like Henk, you can continue to find jobs. After years in a variety of posts Henk landed himself a job as a Location Manager for a temporary staffing agency. Being in the middle of the recruitment world – on the other side of the fence – he became fascinated by a new recruitment phenomenon called pre-recorded web-based video-interviewing. This is a plugin for applicant tracking software systems and he ended up managing one of the recruitment software companies specialising in that service. In the software industry there is one truth once you’re in – you’re in! So right now, though in a different market, Henk is still dealing with software, but as a commercial advisor for a well known IT Company in the Netherlands.
Maurizio Fantato
Born in Turin, Italy, in 1959 then moved with his family in his early teens to Venezuela. There, aside from completing his secondary education with distinction, he pursued his environmental interests volunteering for the WWF which included a visit to the Angel Falls with a UK film crew. A few years later he moved on to England, where after a short stint in the the hospitality industry he decided to complete his higher education – neglected while getting a little too engaged in political activism and independent radio broadcasting in his native country after his secondary studies. From then on he worked mainly in marketing and communications, while also being passionately involved in community activities. He co-founded and continues to chair a unique trust for European Education, co-founded a local pressure to improve transport links in West Oxfordshire, is a trustee of a charity engaged in poverty relief in developing countries, stood for local elections and he is currently the South Central Chairman of the RSA. He is an active blogger and has ghost written countless articles on a variety of topics.