Americans

Yesterday I received the book "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters" (I also received The Economist's "Style Guide" but haven't read it yet which is why I'm still using quotes rather than italics for book names. Probably.).

This afternoon I finished the Guerilla book. Well, some people speed read, others skim... I speed skim.

What do you think?

I think it's a very good book.

Having read it, would you buy it?

Absolutely not. I've already got it, why would I want to buy another copy?!


Er, okay, having read it, would you recommend it?

Yes.

But with caveats.

Sod caveats, with cautions. Caveats are for dead Romans.

Basically, you need to remember that this book is written by Americans for North Americans.

Some of the enthusiasm and assertiveness ... well, we English have medications for that sort of enthusiasm. And if necessary we have cruising armed police officers who would deal with that sort of assertiveness with extreme prejudice, not to mention extreme stupidity.

One story the book relates is of a near-destitute job-seeker who conned her way into a school to use the IT to create a c.v.

This was mentioned as a laudable act.

My view is that her actions were unethical, fraudalent and most probably criminal (deception and theft).

In the UK these days you'd end up either facing the camera lens of a photographer from the Daily Mail or the muzzle of a homicidal policeman*. Most likely, the latter would be preferable.

But ignoring these American-isms it is a very good book. I'll be reading it again, slightly slower, and utilizing a lot of its recommendations.

*We're admired throughout the world because our police are not routinely armed. Actually, it's just as well they're not.