Book Club

Self-Promotion for the Creative Person : Get the Word Out About Who You Are and What You Do
By Lee T. Silber
Three Rivers Press, 2001, ISBN: 0609806262
Review by Heather Gregory, Conestoga College practicum student

Self Promotion for the Creative Individual was written specifically for those right-brained folk who think and act in a creative manner, having a tendency to envision and create products that are truly a reflection of their own individualism. This includes writers, artists, artisans and anyone who has a passion to create. It is noted that right-brained individuals think and perform tasks differently than those not so creatively inclined. They may be disorganized and unfocused except when it comes to their creativity and the last thing on their minds is job search. This book is a tool to focus the creative individual on the basics of job search techniques.

Topics covered include organization, marketing your self as well as your product, knowing what you want and focusing on how to get it. It also gives advice on how to direct attention to your self so that you stand out from the rest of the crowd, but perhaps more importantly, it helps you define what you do and how it benefits the public.

Counsellors can use this as a basis for discussion and a motivational tool. The author discusses basic job strategies such as networking, appearance, follow-up and he stresses techniques for organization in job search. He also includes information on using the Internet, including the basics of setting up a web site. The book offers a broad view of career development but does not get into specifics of theory nor offer any statistical evidence that the methods work. There are no suggested exercises but there are sensible suggestions by the author to keep the reader focused on job search. It would be in the counsellor’s best interest to discuss and perhaps follow up with the client on the success of the author’s suggestions.