Souped-up confidence-building, or is it self-hypnosis for the miscast, misemployed and misunderstood. Nash, a career counselor, begins by instructing her pupils to draw up lists: lists of past satisfactions and successes, lists of skills, lists of earnings. Remember how well you organized the church bazaar? This is supposed to spark future achievements. Eventually she gets to some specifics like resumes and attention-catching letters to prospective employers. Use active verbs: ""I instituted, I designed, I developed, I systematized. . . ."" Ignore the jobs you flubbed. ""You've had enough self-criticism in this last period of your life."" You're peddling yourself, so be a good salesman. The smug little self-improvement lessons are interspersed with Horatio Alger tales, like the woman who found herself in macrame.