Books for Job Clubs No 2 "How to turn an Interview into a Job" (Book Review Update july 2011)

How to turn an Interview into a Job (2004 Edition) by Jeffery G Allen has about 98 very effective pages (veps) of seemingly effective advice for the would-be job searcher cum interviewee.

The 14 chapters are short and pithy; the chapters, notes and index etc are written for the USA market circa mid-2000's but I would guess this very readable and useful book has a UK-following. The first read took less than a day but it is a book I would want to go back to time and again.

The principal subject matter of the early chapters includes:

• the process of preparing for a job interview;
• job searching on the internet;
• the use of 72 buzz words for CVs;
• some 75 questions for stress or interrogation interviews;
• researching the employers;
• Do's and Do not's in given situations;
• etc, etc.

Although written for the job seeker in the USA much of the material is transferable to the UK. Some of the advice might be innovative or even over-the-top for the UK job market in 2004 and since. My read has taken less than a day and I want to go back to the book for mock interviews at the Hextable Job Club and Swanley Job Club. - as interviewer!

Frequently were the thoughts: "Why haven't I thought of that!" or "I will adopt that approach!"

"Cookery - Roman"

Not being skilled as a cook with historic propensities and thinking that I should start somewhere I picked up Jane Renfrew's "Roman Cookery - Recipes and History". That was a couple of months ago. The pocket-sized booklet has about 96 pages which includes parts on Recipes (31 pages) and History (44 pages) of food in Roman Britain, techiques of preparation, equipment and serving food. A rich harvest of photographs illustrates the text in an appropriate manner - many were taken by Peter Williams. For the would-be devotee of Roman cookery the author has provided a short Bibliography and an Index of about 60 recipes in the book

Wanting to treat my grandchildren to a special breakfast my first attempt was boiled "White Mice in a Green Herb Sauce". I left out the green herb sauce as being likely as not to be too tart and alcoholic for breakfast. The children were not squeamish about the mice! (I should say that no mammals* were used in the recipe.)

At breakfast we adopted a traditional modern style of eating - none of the lolling about on cushions with entertainment as per banqueting Roman style - the exception, perhaps, was me as a both a "slave" and non-Roman entertainer.

The Romans in the British Isles and Romano-Britons (all of wealth, I suppose) seemed to eat to an exceptionally fine menu including: milk-fed snails, "dormice" (recipe not given), partridge, oysters, venison and various cakes. Honey was a favoured ingredient as too was liquamen - fermented entrails of fish - the least appertising item for my palate!

* To doubly reassure my readers I add that the "white mice" were hard-boiled eggs!

Published by English Heritage 2004 (revised edition) ISBN 1 85074 870 5

"Square Foot Gardening"

Having downsized the allotment to half a regular one. (The other two halves are now being harvested by two seeming experts! I am learning much from them.) The down-sizing has resulted in a sense of being cramped - my feel for the allotment's "psychological capacity" has been diminished. So I was delighted recently to read Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening" (2005) but the thought of making 12" square beds was daunting. Luckily a neighbour is having double-glazing installed so I now have about 15 sashes and fanlights without glass and other timber strips to make-up the 1/xth of rods that I need to create. (Allotmenteers tend to use rods and the like - rather than inches and feet or centimetres and metres.)

The book has cleverly described how I can increase capacity and reduce work (I hope it works) - I have just noticed that is what the author intends from the long title of the book which is "Square Foot Gardening _ A new way to garden in less space with less work". The book is a 18 x chapters with all kinds of gardening topics. It is written for the USA but I am able to discern much to excite the reader on this side of the Atlantic.

(It is published by Holtzbrinck Publishers ISBN 13 978-1-57954-856-8 and
ISBN 10 1-579954-856-3)

Books For Job Clubs No 1 "Successful Manager's...

Thirteen authors have given us "Successful manager's handbook" in 864 pages! (I must admit to being a dipper on this one.) The page presentation is superb. Numbered check points run through the chapters of each Part. Each of 12 parts comprises four chapters plus an extra chapter in the first part which is on "Getting Organised". By way of illustration I briefly describe "Managing Your Career" with four chapters: 1 Mapping the Future; 2 Exploring Career Options; 3 Developing Your Career; and 4 Achieving Career Success. It does not have a bibliography but the index is extensive - about 30 pages.

Dipping to pages:

• pp 282 -285 presents "Assessing Your Inflencing Skills" - a practical self-assessment;
• p 542 tables "Differentiating Writing Styles"
• p 807 gives "Indentifying Methods of Learning" with 11 items and each has the "Factors to Consider";
• pp 826 - 829 provides "Assessing Your Career Management Skills".

The range of the book is extensive. Depth will vary with the reader and his or her range of management knowledge, skills and experience. As a boy my father gave me a book on organisation and methods and Gowers on "Plain English" - I know they served me well. How I wish he could have given me this one! It is utterly practical, relatively jargon free and the reader may interact with exercises, points to ponder, charts etc, etc, etc....
A copy or two of later editions will be on my gifts list for Christmas - probably as early presents.
Published by Dorling Kindersley Limited (2002) ISBN 978-1-4053-4155-4 http://www.dk.com/

"Submarine"

Jean Hood's book Submarine - An anthology of first-hand accounts of the war under the sea, 1939-1945 - was picked up dauntingly for it has 592 pages! (I hate long books.) I dipped in once (no pun intended) and immediately immersed myself for three or four weeks -utterly pleasurable reading. The book is a compilation of stories, yarns and memories of several dozen submariners of all or almost all combatant nations in World War 2. It covered:

• a) life under the waves;
• b) running, maintaining and repairing a submarine;
• c) armaments, tactics:
• d) you name it...

Like most groups of close-knit combatants the submarine's crew considered themselves special, every member of a submarine service considered themselves especially special. The sense of an esprit-de-corps bubbled up from of the pages. Other almost unstated attributes of submariners were a pride of service and an unstated, unspoken but carried knowledge of the risks and reliances.

The tales in the book take the reader though every year of the war - in all the relevant undersea theatres for the year. Some stories are sad, some incredible some touching and others amusing. For instance, an Italian boat was damaged in combat but escaped into home waters for repairs: surfacing near the shore rowboats came into view carrying a teacher and charges - they were royally entertained on board!

[First paperback edition 2009 : published by Conway (imprint of Anova Books Company Limited, London W14 0RA) ISBN 9 781844 860906) http://www.conwaymaritime.com/