Read Next Job, Best Job If You’re Ready for Change

“Can you help me figure out what I actually do?”

Yes. That was an actual question from one of my oldest friends who started her career as a highly paid biomedical engineer, then decided to pursue her dream of being a professional singer.

In order to supplement her income and work during her downtime, she took a retail job. And, of course, proceeded to lose the retail job during the pandemic.

As of this minute, she’s what I’d call a virtual marketing assistant to a small business owner. She’s been exploring the world of freelance work where she’s put her engineering organizational skills to use in project management and her artistic and design skills to use doing small marketing projects.

Her next step is transforming her skills and talents into either a freelance career or a new job.

I think I’m going to send her my review copy of Next Job, Best Job: A Headhunter’s 11 Strategies to Get Hired Now by Rob Barnett.

If You’re a Freelancer or Solopreneur — this Book is For You Too!

Don’t stop reading because you’re not in the market for a full-time job! The principles Rob Barnett covers in Next Job definitely apply to you!

Rob Barnett reimagines today’s career search and offers a proven process to land the right job (or client) fast.

This book is written for job hunters. But a lot of his advice applies to freelancers, consultants, and solopreneurs as well. In fact, the one complaint I have about this book is that it’s targeted at folks looking for employment but everything he recommends will be just as useful for solopreneurs and startups who are looking for that first long-term customer.

Let’s face it, there’s really no difference between marketing your skills and marketing a product or service. I think that Next Job, Best Job is a terrific gap filler for new solopreneurs and freelancers who are looking for that first client.

In just 11 short chapters, job and client hunters will take a journey through a process that incorporates just as many mindset strategies as job-hunting strategies.

Rob Barnett Turns the Dreaded Job Search Upside Down

Rob Barnett is a two-time entrepreneur with five decades of experience working for successful media companies. He has advised thousands of job seekers and heads of companies. With that kind of experience, he has a unique approach to helping anyone find the right job (or client).

But what makes him the ideal person to write this book is his personal journey through the modern job-hunting process. He even coined a hashtag for it #iBJA (in between jobs again).

Here’s what happened. Tell me you don’t see parallels to some really solid marketing strategy here.

After being out of work for more than six months and anger, frustration, and fear taking permanent residence in his psyche, Barnett picked up his iPhone and clicked the record button.

He opened up about his career and his concern about supporting his family. He spoke with unbridled vulnerability with the goal of reaching everyone who was in the same boat. His philosophy was to create a tribe and work together.

Needless to say, the video went viral. Since then, he’s created a new short video focused on getting people back to work.

And this led to a career transforming call when someone asked him if he was a headhunter. Without thinking he said “Yes” and has never looked back. Just a few minutes after the call he realized that he had never considered being a headhunter. But that this was the perfect job that would leverage his extensive executive experience.

Is Your A-HA Moment Just Around the Corner?

Next Job, Best Job starts your A-Ha journey via 11 self-care strategies that are designed to take you from where you are now, to where you’re excited to be.

At the end of the day, you’ll come away with valuable and actionable tips that you can take to the bank. Here are just a few:

Rebrand yourself with a unique and easy-to-remember-and-refer headline. Burnett calls it your North Star. I call it a personal brand or what you want to be known for.

Embrace an “Entrepreneur-tude”. See, I told you this was ideal for the freelancer and solopreneur! You’ve already got this one down. It simply means being fluid and flexible and embracing and taking advantage of change.

Market yourself. Whether you’re looking for a job or a client, you’re going to need to market yourself. Regardless, you’ll need a powerful LinkedIn profile. Burnett provides tons of helpful tips on exactly how to write it up.

Build your tribe. Like all good marketers, you’ll want to build a networking community where you offer support and get support. One rule — no pity parties allowed.

What I Loved About Next Job, Best Job

I’m generally not a fan of employment books. But Next Job, Best Job is different. I’m an entrepreneur and when I read this, it really resonated with me.

For one thing, Rob Barnett’s point is that you should be “working on your next job while you’re still working at the old one.” That means that as a freelancer or self-employed person you need to constantly be networking. After all, every client is your next job.

Another great thing about this book is that it is very practical. Barnett tells you specifically what to do and when with checklists of questions for every step in the process.

Why I Think Every Entrepreneur Should Have a Copy of Next Job, Best Job

I think every entrepreneur, freelancer, or solopreneur should have a copy of Next Job, Best Job because it doesn’t treat marketing yourself like some corporate activity. It incorporates all the practical elements of personal branding and marketing to a customer of one.

So, whether you’re looking for your next full-time gig or your next big client, Bob Burnett will guide you through the process, transform how you see yourself and your business and lead you to your Next Job, Best Job.

Image: amazon

This article, "Read Next Job, Best Job If You’re Ready for Change" was first published on Small Business Trends