Timely Book Looks To Help Job-Seekers

"If you talk the talk, this is the world in which you'll have to walk the walk," says Patrick O'Halloran, professor of Hospitality Management at New York City College of Technology (City Tech). "Which is to say, that the key to seeking and landing the job of your dreams lies in looking at yourself honestly, doing a real self-assessment and developing the common-sense skills and attitudes that are required to achieve your goals."

This kind of advice underlies most of the suggestions in Unlocking the Door to Your Career -- Guidelines to Finding the Perfect Job and Taking Charge of Your Life (Pearson Custom Publishing), a new book by Professor O'Halloran and Catherine Palmiere, president of New York-based Adam Personnel, Inc. and owner and operator of Palmiere Career Services, a career-coaching business that assists individuals and corporations in employment-related matters.

The book is already generating interest from several area New York City high schools and colleges planning on incorporating it into their curricula, among them Monroe College, Grace Institute and Culinary Academy of New York. According to Professor O'Halloran, "Whatever your age or educational background, you will find guidelines in this book to help you succeed -- guidelines that you won't find in most other books on the subject."

For example, included among the contents are sample résumés for many different types of professions, cover letters that apply to a wide variety of positions, sample thank-you letters, checklists for pre-interview preparation and post-interview assessment, suggested dress codes, handling salary expectations and a comprehensive listing of web-based search engines that can be helpful in a job search.

"We made sure to include guidelines that would cover every level of job seeker -- from those applying for entry-level positions to experienced college grads," he says.

"We tried to make clear the connections and pathways from the classroom to the job site."

A book-signing will be held at Grace Institute (1233 Second Ave between 64th and 65th Streets) in Manhattan on April 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Job-seeking techniques, tips and challenges will be discussed and analyzed. Students from City Tech and other colleges in the area are invited.

Asked how he would define the "perfect" job, O'Halloran answered confidently, "A job based on your skills set and education that you find challenging and rewarding, which is how I describe my job here at City Tech."

O'Halloran earned a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Labor Relations from The City University of New York BA Program (City Tech was his home college), and a master's degree in industrial labor relations from Baruch College, "all of which prepared me well for my current position."

He worked in the hospitality industry as a union organizer and auditor for 20 years, all the while going to school at night. "I understand the challenges facing City Tech students and want to help them in any way I can to succeed," he says.

O'Halloran's pre-college journey was different from most others. He came to New York City in 1985 at age 22, emigrating from Kilkishen Village, County Clare, in Ireland, intending to stay a short while before returning home. After finishing high school, he worked in accounting for a private firm. His plans changed dramatically when he met and fell in love with his future wife and decided to settle in the U.S.

After earning his master's degree, he served as an adjunct professor at City Tech for several years. In 2006, he became a full-time professor of accounting, marketing and law in the College's department of Hospitality Management, a position he finds rewarding in every way.

"When I was a City Tech student, now-retired Professor Allen Freedman told me that 'Two people can have an influence on your life, a parent and a teacher.' He was my role model and mentor, and I decided I wanted to be that person for others. I still talk to Dr. Freedman almost every week."

Unlocking the Door is the second book O'Halloran has published in the past year. The first was Testimonies, a collection of 16 poems translated from English into Gaelic, Polish, Russian and Spanish. "Gaelic is my native tongue and Panama, the native land of my mother-in-law, accounts for the Spanish version," he explains. "As for the other languages, I wanted the poems -- which deal with philosophical conjectures that question life, death and all things in between -- to be read by as wide an audience as possible.

O'Halloran started writing poetry as a young boy in Ireland. "It helped me deal with life's day-to-day challenges," he says. "I have a love for Langston Hughes, because he wrote so many different things - poetry, short stories, children's books, etc. My own son is a ferocious reader and he's just six. I hope to write a children's book with him."

O'Halloran's multi-faceted academic interests and talents will be on display in the City Tech Library showcase later this spring.  Four of his poems and a number of his photos will be included in an exhibit, "The Circle of Life," focusing on one of his hospitality management colleagues.

"It tells the story of Professor Jean Claude, who is from Haiti and had to overcome many obstacles, using his academic success to achieve his life's goals," O'Halloran explains. "The student body and the College community as a whole will be encouraged to evaluate Professor Claude's life circle, to ask themselves where they are, where they're going, and to realize that academic success can truly open the door to fulfillment," says O'Halloran.

O'Halloran and his wife, Tricia Jackson, live in Cold Spring in Putnam County with their two sons, Eamonn, 6, and Bryce, five months old.