A recruiter asked a job candidate, “Why did you leave your last job?”

The job applicant replied, “It was something my boss said.”

“What did he say?”

“You’re fired.”

This person definitely needs a copy of my new book, “Getting a Job Is a Job,” which comes out Jan. 5. In it, I focus on bouncing back after being fired, dealing with rejection and the emotions people feel after losing a job. And I explain why you can’t take it personally.

The book is chockful of helpful hints on not only getting a job but landing the job you want. Job hunting is a contact sport. You might have to work eight days a week. Networking is very important, and it’s even harder during a pandemic. But there are still effective ways to get out there. Be visible. Keeping a low profile is for people ducking bullets. With LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms, networking has never been easier. The key is to use social media properly.

I would highly recommend you check out Sam Richter, president of SBR Worldwide, at samrichter.com. He has taught me how to take the cold out of cold calling by using the internet to find important information on the people you might be interviewing with or the decision-makers at companies.

The Mackay 66 Customer Profile, which I wrote about in my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive,” has never been more important. You need to learn about what your prospective employers are interested in and what turns them on. If you can do this well, your odds of landing a job will go up dramatically. The Mackay 66 is available free on my website, www.harveymackay.com.

And don’t overlook the importance of gatekeepers, the assistants who control access to the people you need to connect with. They are invaluable. Getting through the fence to the top dog is easy if you know the gatekeeper.

I share helpful information on resumes that help you resume employment, such as what terminology to use to describe your experiences that makes sense to both applicant-screening software and human readers.

Because many people have a section in their resume that is constantly questioned, there’s also a chapter on addressing chinks in your armor -- because flaws scar you the worst when you can’t or won’t explain them.

Do you have an elevator pitch? If not, you need to develop one that sizzles, and is dead accurate and crystal clear.

I also devote a lot of space to prepping for job interviews -- what questions to ask and what to listen for. Be perceptive, not contentious. Read the walls and desks. Even though you are not interviewing for a sales job, you are always selling yourself.

Second interviews are even more important. You should prepare rigorously. Recall topic threads from your earlier conversation to identify themes you can build on. Remember, the closer you get, the harder they’ll look.

If you get a job offer, know what you can and cannot negotiate. Do your homework to get superior information. Stay calm. Anticipate questions. Learn to be a spin doctor and finesse certain queries. The smartest thing you can do in any negotiation is to keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears wide open.

I conclude the book with a toolkit that includes the Mackay Sweet 16 for acing first impressions, the Mackay 44 Interview Checklist and the Mackay 22 Post-Interview Wrap Up.

Many people have lost their jobs due to the current pandemic, but this situation may present new opportunities. The famous British author W. Somerset Maugham told this story about a janitor at St. Peter’s Church in London, who was fired when it was discovered he was illiterate.

Jobless, the man invested his meager savings in a tiny tobacco shop, where he immediately prospered. He then opened another shop and another and soon owned a large chain of tobacco stores all over Britain.

One day he was dining in a fancy club with his banker who observed, “You’ve done quite well for an illiterate man. I wonder where you would be today if you could read and write.”

“That’s easy,” replied the man, “I’d still be the janitor in St. Peter’s Church.”

Mackay’s Moral: It bears repeating: Getting a Job Is a Job.

During the holidays, we are surrounded with messages about the power of joy. But why is joy looked at as only a seasonal thing? I think it should be lived year-round, and not just outside your professional life.

So where does joy fit in the business world?

“How we feel profoundly influences how well we perform at work and socially,” says my friend Randy Garn, managing partner at the High Performance Institute. “Research shows that joy is one of the best predictors of the good life we all strive to achieve.”

Popular opinion holds that joy is a result of being happy. I think that’s backward. Joy allows you to be happy. Happy feelings are temporary. Joy is much deeper than that. True joy is untouched by circumstance.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day,” said theologian Henri Nouwen.

Studies show joy can positively affect us physically and emotionally. The release of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in our brains increases feelings of elation and joy.

Poet laureate Maya Angelou said, “We need joy as we need air.”

Brendon Burchard, another good friend and the best-selling author of “High Performance Habits,” uses notification triggers as a way to remind him throughout the day to “bring the joy.” When going through his work routine, his alarm reminds him to bring positivity to his day.

I couldn’t agree more. We cannot wait for circumstances to bring us joy. We must make our own joy.

“Right now, there is so much negativity in the world,” Brendon says. “People are angry and complaining. If you don’t have joy, you can generate it by the way that you think and act. We are responsible for our emotions. It’s up to you to generate positive emotions, and joy is one of them.”

To incorporate joy in your life, Brendon cites four things that I’ll expand on:

1. We have to trigger happiness. My take: Happiness is a state of mind. So are anger, sorrow, disappointment and loneliness. The mind is the most powerful tool in the universe, but you are the one who controls it. Happiness is a powerful, addictive narcotic.

2. Use humor. I believe life is too short to be serious all the time. How dull our existence would be without the potential to see the lighter side of situations. And how hopeless, too! Humor often represents hope, that the worst is behind us and better things are coming. It also demonstrates that we are able to handle what life throws our way. Life isn’t always funny, but a sense of humor always helps.

3. Be helpful. In my opinion, helping people not only makes them feel better, but it also makes YOU feel better. It lifts moods and gives you a high similar to the endorphins you experience when running and competing in sports. People who do volunteer work and help others on a regular basis have a healthier outlook on life. They are more inclined to be go-getters and consistently report to be happier in life.

4. Appreciate and honor people. Give a compliment or thank someone. We all love to receive praise. Compliments do wonders for our sense of hearing. Everyone likes a pat on the back and a hearty “Well done!” Develop an attitude of gratitude.

A friend shared a wonderful message from his parish priest that helped him understand three things that might be getting in the way of a joyful life: self-pity, worry and complaining. These detractors are universal problems, not confined to any particular religion. If you recognize those tendencies in yourself, you can take action to eliminate them and make room for joy instead.

You have a choice, and I hope you can find the joy in your life not just during this holiday season but all year long. I promise you will notice the difference almost immediately. And so will those around you.

One of my favorite authors, Norman Vincent Peale, offered this gem: “Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.”

Mackay’s Moral: Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be filled with joy.

There is an old Chinese story about a woman who lost her only son. She went to the holy man in her village and asked, “What mystic powers do you have that will lift the pain from my heart?”

“There is a wonderful thing you can do,” he said. “I want you to go get me a mustard seed from a home that has no problems. Such a mustard seed can ward off your own problems.”

So she traveled to a beautiful mansion. Nothing could possibly be wrong there, she thought. She knocked on the door and said, “I am looking for a mustard seed from a home where there are no problems. It is very important to me.”

“Oh," they said, “you have come to the wrong house.” They began listing all of their family problems, and the list went on and on.

The woman thought to herself, “Well, I certainly know something about problems, for I have my own. Maybe I can be of help to them.” And she was. She listened to and comforted them, and they all felt better.

Instead of giving gifts to others this holiday season, maybe this is a good year to give yourself. There are many charities that are hurting, especially during this pandemic and the hardships it has inflicted on so many.

Fortunately, the options are many, even when we’re locked down or limited in opportunities to connect in person.

Financial donations are always appreciated. And if you are good at raising money, offer your services. There’s always a huge need for help, and even if you can’t afford to donate cash, giving your time will be greatly appreciated.

You don’t have to look far to find a good place to start. Participating in -- or organizing -- a food drive serves an immediate local need. I’ve heard about several local companies, whose employees are currently working from home, that have opted to collect food and cash from employees as a holiday project. The employees from one have even decided to continue the practice monthly, due to the enthusiastic response from their co-workers. What a gift to folks who lack the basics.

Clothing drives, toy collections, giving trees: There are so many activities around the holidays that can use all the help they can get. It doesn’t require a big commitment, but sharing with someone you don’t even know is the kind of gift that means so much to the recipient.

The pandemic has kept us apart, but it has also helped us find new ways to be together. A phone call to brighten a friend’s day, an errand for someone who can’t leave their home, a little surprise package left on a doorstep or at a homeless shelter -- all these are simple ways to share your gifts with others. Write a letter to a service member, a thank-you to emergency workers or to a school whose teachers have worked hard to keep in touch with their students.

In other words, it’s an opportunity to focus on someone else’s needs besides your own. Like the woman in the story above, we can all find ways to connect with people who could use a little encouragement or assistance. And as she learned, this is a gift you also give yourself.

Don’t limit these gifts to the holiday season. The need never goes away. As you will discover, there is always someone who needs something you have to offer.

It all boils down to one truth: We’re all in this together. Whatever we do to help a neighbor or stranger can change a life. The rewards are often so much greater than the gift itself.

A man was speaking with God about heaven and hell. “I will show you hell,” said God. They went into a room that had a delicious beef stew on the table, around which people sat chained to their benches, looking desperately famished. They held spoons with long handles that reached into the pot, but were too long to put the stew back into their mouths. Their suffering was terrible.

“Now I will show you heaven,” said God. They then went into an identical room with the savory stew on the table, where people sat with identical spoons with long handles, but they were well nourished and joyous.

The man was baffled until God said, “Quite simply, you see, these people have learned to feed each other.”

Mackay’s Moral: Make every season a season for giving.