Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass

Book excerpt: Job hunting is a different ballgame when you're holding a pink slip instead of a brand-new college diploma. In Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass, Michael B. Laskoff--a Harvard M.B.A. who has flown high and flamed out more than once--offers essential advice for those of us who have recently been laid off, restructured, or plain ol' fired. A tell-it-like-it-is bible of "reemployment," it tackles both the practical and the emotional issues of job loss.Because he's not an academic, a recruiter, or a human resources professional, Laskoff has no ax to grind, no philosophy to peddle, and no corporate ideology to support. He's been through the job-loss/job-search drill more than once, and since he consistently has gone on to do better in terms of compensation, responsibility, and job satisfaction, he's the perfect ex-employee to share with you some hard-won wisdom, such as: -How long to wait before launching yourself into the job arena-How to channel anger, fear, and revenge fantasies into useful job-search tactics-How to snag recommendations (and compensation) from ex-bosses-How to determine your interviewers' hiring problems and then present yourself as the solutionWhether you're concerned about the emotional issues of unemployment (from denial and depression to anger and acceptance) or are looking for invaluable nuts-and-bolts advice (what to say about your ex-employer in an interview, how to handle financial issues, and what on earth you should do with all that free time between jobs), Landing on the Right Side of Your Ass is a straight-up, no-chaser survival guide for picking yourself up, getting back out there again, and winding up with a job that's better than the one you lost.