Independent Learning Centre

The author, who coined the term “transferable skills”, uses the parachute metaphor in the book title to refer to changing jobs or careers. The book appeals to job seekers as well as career changers. The 11 chapters and 6 appendices guide you to not only write impressive resumes and cover letters, but also build personal networks and perform in interviews.

Highlights include “Google is your new resume” (Ch. 2), “Sixteen tips about interviewing for a job” (Ch. 4), and “You need to understand more fully who you are” (Ch.7).

Catering for university graduates with little work experience, the book helps you craft persuasive CVs with examples. Beginning with an introduction of the general features in a CV in Part 1, the book guides you how to refine a CV in Part 2, followed by tips in content selection in Part 3 and suggested job search resources in Part 4. “Brilliant tips” in boxes from human resource experts are abundant throughout the chapters.

Highlights include “Making the perfect fit” (pp. 81-106), “Presenting your CV” (pp. 107-120), “Job application letters” (pp. 157-162), and “Addressing selection criteria” (pp. 165-176).

The primary aim of the book is to help you tackle various interview questions. The book hooks the readers with an introduction about the author’s pre-interview preparation experience, vividly illustrating how to predict questions by context and theme through brainstorming. You will gain insights into interpreting and answering difficult interview questions. In addition to worksheets and exercises for preparing interviews, you will learn how to customise your resume for different job positions.

Highlights include “Behind the scenes: Into the interviewer’s mind” (pp. 51-72), “The telephone interview” (pp. 125-130), “Great answers to special challenge questions” (pp. 171-176), and “Great questions to ask hiring managers” (pp. 187-198).

Aiming to help students thoroughly understand what arguments are, the book delineates the composition of an argument in Part One and discusses arguments about definitions, causes, value, and time periods in Part Two with writing guidance in Part Three. You will learn the different layers of arguments through recognising rhetorical elements in various contexts. Each chapter provides thought-provoking activities.

Highlights include counterargument (pp. 54), concession (pp. 56), arguments in disguise (pp. 79), summary versus analysis (pp. 88), inventing a claim (pp. 136, 268, 296), inventing support (pp. 138, 270, 299), and evaluating sources (pp. 329).

The book explicates the concept of “critical” in Part One and guides you how to develop a critical analysis in Part Two, appealing to undergraduates as well as postgraduates. Part Three discusses how to craft critical literature reviews in dissertations. The critical thinking skills introduced in the book will enhance your ability to understand and write academic texts.

Highlights include critical reading (pp. 34), self-critical writing (pp. 51), tools for thinking and ways of thinking (pp. 84), knowledge claims and their key characteristics (pp. 106), and developing a critical analysis of a text (pp. 123).

Focusing on both critical and creative thinking, the guide introduces concepts and theories in the beginning chapters and provides examples and demonstrations for applying thinking techniques and strategies in later chapters. With exercises throughout the 14 chapters, you will be able to practise your reasoning and judging skills. The book will help you understand both critical and creative thinking.

Highlights include developing critical thinking (Ch. 1), sound thinking (Ch. 6), thinking fallacies (Ch. 7), and parallel thinking and lateral thinking (Ch. 9).

本書共分五部分，作者以生活化的語言，深入淺出地講解求職面試各個階段的注意事項。其中第一部分（頁16 - 46）主要介紹履歷與求職信的寫法，並以輕鬆而不失深刻的方式帶出「8大CV禁忌」及「求職信7宗罪」等問題，甚具參考價值。至於餘下四部分，則集中講解面試前的準備與面試的應對技巧，當中第三部分（頁76 - 92）提及「畢業生面試『潛規則』」等話題，有助同學做好個人定位。

本書分為十三單元，除了第一至三單元簡介面試基礎知識外，其餘單元皆為面試常見問題的分類詳析。比如第五單元（頁51 - 86）結集的七十七條問題主要考核求職者的解難能力，由如何說明自己處理問題的方式，到考官表示「如果我說你今天表現很差，你會怎麼辦」等突擊提問，都提出了應對策略。讀者可視乎需要，或通閱全書以了解各式題目，或針對某類問題多加研讀，面試時自能得心應手。

本書分為十一章，內容包括批判思考的基本技巧與態度、論證的元素、論點的建立及論述的品質等主題，涵蓋批判思考的各項要點。當中第六章至第七章（頁143 - 206）主要講述如何對論證作更細緻的分析，尋找別人觀點背後的隠性假設和隱性論證，以至找出論述的漏洞，無論就學術研究還是實務工作而言，都是相當有用的思辨技巧。書中另附有大量練習，讀者可藉此磨練各種技巧，從而提高個人的思辨能力。

全書分為四篇：第一篇為「重新認識思考」（頁3 - 152），說明思考的基本策略與拓寬思考視野的方法；第二部分為「讓思考創意洋溢」（頁153 - 288），講述以創意思考方式確認問題與尋找解決方案的歷程；第三部分為「讓思考展現批判力」（頁289 - 376），說明批判思考的必要性與具體的應用示例；第四部分為「思考結果的傳達與分享」（頁377 - 427），介紹如何將思考成果轉化為具說服力的觀點。讀者如能細讀，當有助於鍛煉思考。