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Author Puts Job Skills To Work in New BookJan. 30, 2012 Angie Haflich
The Garden City, Kan., resident has had more than 50 jobs in his life, few of which have been in the same field. Despite the fact that his experiences have not translated into a defined set of job skills in one particular field, they have made him something of an expert at not only job hunting, but also people in general. "I can identify with almost anybody. I know where most people are coming from," Skilling said. For more than 25 years, Skilling has been compiling his job hunting experiences, which resulted in him writing a book, "Job Hunting Techniques for Everyone," published in 2011. "I was teaching at an Indian Reservation in New Mexico and had a lot of free time on my hands, so I wrote the inventory at the back of the book, and then I added more and finally had it published last year," he said. "I'm going to call them and try to get them distributed to the school systems and things like that. It's a really good book to use in a career development class." The book outlines the do's and don'ts of landing a job. The topics he covers in the book include everything from handling difficult questions during an interview to filling out applications properly. "The best thing is get up in the morning and get out and hunt for a job. You can't hunt for a job like you're on vacation," he said. "That and master a job application. You have all that information right there. If you're at home, you can gather up this information very easily. Remember the things you've done, the tools you've used, that sort of thing." Vantage Press out of New York published the book, and Skilling says that there have been about 200 copies distributed. At $10.95 each, Skilling receives about $4 per book sold. He said it cost him $10,000 to have it published. "I should get a royalty check every six months. I don't think I'll ever get my purchase price back, but I had a lot of fun with it," he said. Skilling began work as a high school counselor, which he says is his favorite of all the positions he has held. He also has worked as a job developer, which translates well into the book. He has worked everywhere from an auto parts counter to the dairy department at a local grocery store. "I worked in a radio station, keeping the automatic tape machine on the air throughout the night. It was a FRED -- fairly ridiculous electronic device. It was a tape deck actually," he said with a laugh. "I started playing my own music and thought I was going to get fired, so I quit." Like anything, Skilling says a lot of what he has learned through his job hunting experiences has been more about learning from mistakes than from successes. "A lot of people limit their options to unemployment centers or newspapers, but there are a lot more places to find leads than that," he said. "If you get an interview, you have a pretty good chance of getting hired, but in one instance, I kept on talking and I think I talked myself right out of the job." He also believes that younger people should find a career path and stay on it. "That's the reason I say early on, get your education and training and then follow it on up. Get in your job. Don't just bounce around from place to place. The person who has had 10 jobs in 10 years isn't worth much. The guy who has had one job in 10 years is a pretty valuable employee," he said. There have been several positives to his varied career path, however. Born in Garden City, he also has had the opportunity to live in Texas, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico and Nebraska. "Every time you go somewhere, you learn something about their culture. I lived in Lincoln, Neb., and became a Nebraska football fan. Wherever you go, they have their own culture," he said. "As far as the geography goes, Anna, Ill., was the most beautiful. ... My favorite place is Garden City, though." Skilling has a bachelor of science in education and psychology from Emporia State University and a master's degree in education and counseling from Fort Hays State University. He also served in the Army. Although Skilling, in his mid-60s, is currently unemployed, it is by choice. "I get military compensation, so I decided I'm just going to sit back and enjoy it for a while," he said In the meantime, he is writing another book and has ideas for several more, even if it is just for fun. Source: (c) 2012 The Garden City Telegram (Garden City, Kan.) |
