Networking, or the notion that one is advancing one's career while talking shop and sloshing down gin and tonics at company parties, has been a popular buzzword in business circles for years. Business Networking Made Easy offers a brief overview of this important personal management tool by looking at fictitious and relatively boring conversations between the budding networker and his/her target. Portions of the scenes are then replayed with blow-by-blow voice-over commentary (pungent sportsperson talk like "John Robinson has set his sights on Laura Newman"). All in all, four skill areas are addressed: preparation, breaking the ice, keeping the conversation going, and breaking away. The presentation is slick, many of the tips are valid (and many are simple common sense), and the price is certainly good for a business video. The tape also includes a "Pocket Networking Coach," a card featuring handy phrases ranging from the inane to the inane ("Hello. My name is..." and "That's such an unusual name.") Those with larger business collections may want to consider, but much of the information is included on other tapes (such as Looking Ahead: Preparing to Meet the Future [VL-1/94]).Get a Job Fast, on the other hand, is a meaty approach to the subject of job-searching. Culled from a seminar presented by Chuck Hoffman (who has been the subject of a Bill Moyers' special and has garnered kudos from people like Richard Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?, and Washington Post columnist William Raspberry), the program is divided into eight segments. Topics addressed include: appearance and first impressions, why job hunters need to look beyond the classifieds, what makes a resume stand out, assessing employment agencies, using the yellow pages and making calls, handling the interview, and negotiating salary. While some of Hoffman's presentation is both repetitive and needlessly melodramatic, there's quite a few good pointers sandwiched into the presentation, many of which could have a major effect on the viewer's success in finding and landing a job. Too, while this is basically a talking-head video, Hoffman is a dynamic and knowledgeable speaker. Add to that the fact that the price for this kind of business tape just doesn't get any better, and Get a Job Fast is a real winner.Business Networking Made Easy is an optional purchase. Get a Job Fast is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
Business Networking Made Easy; GET a JOB FAST
(1994) 20 min. $29.95. The Prescott Group. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 5
Business Networking Made Easy; GET a JOB FAST
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