Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want ASIN: 0060514876 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: This book could change your life Comments: Pollan and Levine have done it again: a bracing, upbeat and utterly contrarian book that opens new doors. Pollan is an evangelist of the possible, and in his latest, he shows you, step by practical step, how to turn dreams into realities-- whether it's a new career, having a baby, taking up a new form of self-expression. Second Act faces up to the usual obstacles --are you too old? unprepared? too broke?-- and then shows you how to surmount them. This is a how-to book in the great American tradition of self-re-invention.

Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career ASIN: 1578517788 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Giving yourself permission to explore Comments: Working Identity is a gift to professionals who are no longer satisfied with their careers and who aren't sure what to do about it. For those of us trapped in jobs that no longer give us pleasure, trapped because we don't want to be seen as quitters, or because we don't want to let down "the team," or because we are just too steeped in the culture and logic of a profession to see our way out, Ibarra offers valuable guidance. She first makes it OK not to be satisfied. Part of personal growth is leaving situations that no longer serve our needs. Through the telling of several stories from her research on people who have made mid-career transitions, you learn that you are not alone - responsible people holding down important jobs and supporting families go through the same process. Of course, questioning your current state is just the first step. Ibarra also offers simple and wise suggestions for affecting career changes tailored to your needs. (The simplicity of the book belies the depth of the research behind it.) The book is in no way formulaic. Ibarra makes it clear that only through trail and error can one find a more meaningful career. But, as she points out, "fortune favors the prepared mind." Working Identity helps the professional prepare for positive change.

What Color Is Your Parachute 2003: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career (What Color Is Your Parachute) ASIN: 1580084605 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Life altering Book Comments: This book changed my life. First, a word of caution: if you are bigoted against religion, if you are intolerant of anyone who dares to talk about God and so forth, you should not read this book. However, if you are open minded enough and are not neurotic about religious affairs, this book is absolutely amazing. It transcends the usual desperation of many job seekers. Even if you are just in career "survival mode," this book can refocus your heart on the fact that life on this earth is not everything, and eternal value is something that applies to the here and now--- even something as mundane as a job search. To all those who have even a little bit of faith in a higher power: read this book and never be the same again.

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-2003 Edition ASIN: 007138720X Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Very good book Comments: Although I haven't read this book in print form, I have read it online for free. It's very authoritative and full of information. The only problem I have is that it lacks subjectivity: doesn't tell you the "problems" a certain career might have or its workload. In conclusion, every student or non-student who's just looking for a different career path will benefit from the info in this book.

Work It! How To Get Ahead, Save Your Ass, and Land a Job In Any Economy ASIN: 0743235495 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A fresh, funny and fact-filled guide to landing a new job! Comments: WORK IT! is jam-packed with the information -- not to mention inspiration -- you need to find a job in any economy. It smartly divides its contents into three parts: Part One: Everything You Know Is Wrong (which dispels countless job-hunting myths and legends, and explains why the Internet Is Ruining Your Job Search)Part Two: Back to Basics (which advises losing the McResume, and standing out through more authentic communications)Part Three: Break Open in Case of Emergency! (which answers the SOS call for desperate situations)Best of all, the advice comes with the smart and witty imprimatur of Allison Hemming, the originator of the infamous "Pink Slip Parties" that marked the beginning of the end of the dot.com era. Hemming dispenses advice not as an "I told you so" expert-on-high, but as a best friend through thick and thin willing to tell it like it is -- and wanting to see you come out on top. With the help of this book, you can't help but feel like you will.

The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success ASIN: 0684823993 Customer's Rating: 1 Summary: 5 Stars? - You've got to be kidding me. Comments: I get the feeling that many of the 5-star ratings handed this book are suspect. I bought this book when it first came out and worked diligently through it for several weeks at which point I realized it was a monumental waste of time. Some of this stuff may be OK for a high school or college student looking for a little direction, but for a mid-career person, it is way too idealistic....very little practical application. This book is filled with time wasting fluff. If you are a big reader, OK, buy this book for fun and/or entertainment. I was however seeking a tangible tool for making career decisions. This book was not it.

How to Stay Stuck in the Wrong Career (HBR OnPoint Enhanced Edition) ASIN: B00007M5ZY

The Employee Handbook of New Work Habits for a Radically Changing World: 13 Ground Rules for Job Success in the Information Age ASIN: 0944002153 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: This bascially is all you need to know to succeed! Comments: I am commenting on this book because the three previous comments indicate that the readers are not aware that each person is responsible for his/her outcomes. The message of this booklet and those in the know is:"YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE" for your own success. This is the message of today. My opinion is that everybody should realize that the 13 rules for job success are and always have been the keys to progress and success. If every person understood the message of this booklet we wouldn't have so many people who don't realize that every human being needs the satisfaction of achievement and accomplishment. This can only be obtained by working, thinking, studying, reading, helping, etc. When we don't get the satisfaction of achievemenet and accomplishment we turn to watching television, drinking alcohol, smoking, taking drugs, etc.

The Career Fitness Program: Exercising Your Options (6th Edition) ASIN: 0130861006 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Career Fitness program, The: Exercising Your Options Comments: THE CAREER FITNESS PROGRAM is a wonderful book. The reader is gently lead through the process of career exploration form self-insight to final job search. The book is written with lively language and has great clarity and precision. This new 2001 6th edition has current web references and has cutting-edge insight into the important issues of todays's world of work inculding: Americans with Disabilites Act (ADA), Career Information Services (CIS);Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT); North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); and the Secretary's Commission on Achieveing Necessary Skills (SCANS). Well-organized and supremely readable, THE CAREEER FITNESS PROGRAM will appeal to mature adults seeking career change and renewal, as well as secondary, college, or graduate students. A "must-get" book in the career and job field, a "classic" to be compared with WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE.

Career Counseling: Applied Concepts of Life Planning ASIN: 0534367232 Customer's Rating: 2 Summary: Vague and inconclusive Comments: While there is an immensely broad array of career counseling topics covered in this book, it is extremely poorly written and is of little use. The author fails to define the key terms, and only vaguely discusses the key concepts. For example, Zunker fails to effectively explain Donald Super's career maturity factors e.g., Zunker full definition of Super's crystallization of traits is, "individual progress toward forming a self concept." In addition, Zunker writes in an extremely passive, wordy, vague style more tailored to impress academics than to be relevant for students.

Create Your Own Future: How to Master the 12 Critical Factors of Unlimited Success ASIN: 0471251070 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Mr. Tracy has done it again! You must apply this wisdom! Comments: Brian Tracy has done it again. A very good read, with insight and experience to back it all up. Yeah, Brian has incorporated some of the same wisdom as Napoleon Hill, Carnegie and many others. Heck, he's repeated material from his own publications. Why? Because it works! I read Focal Point, but I like this book much better. I put this one up there with Maximum Achievement. They both belong in your personal library. This book is chocked full of exercises, hints and application. I have been out of work since Oct. 2001 (doing contract work until things improve). Now, this book may not help me land a job. However, when the economy improves and the market comes back, I'll be ready. Get this book. Read it. Better yet, apply it. Learn by doing and you too will "create your own future"!

The Career ToolKit: Skills for Success (3rd Edition) ASIN: 0130884189

Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design ASIN: 0140195998 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Making a living VS. having a *life* Comments: Boldt's little subsection about "The Little King" complex/ideal that Western society tends to program us to pursue (ie. the TRUE "American Dream:" every person a compulsive control-freak striving to make himself master of his own little universe, vis-a-vis the cookie-cutter tract home in the suburbs and the endless remote controls and the children/spouse to lord over) is simply dead on and worth the price of the whole book! Boldt prepares us for the inevitable "know thyself" component with an incisive but admittedly lengthy section on "knowing thy environment, from which ye are produced"---excellent social history and cultural analysis, guided by a fair bit of Eastern philosophy. This is the foundation, from which self-knowledge and thereafter self-guidance can grow. It's not a quick or easy process, so those of you with your TV-lobotomized 15-second attention spans who are looking for a quick fix in career planning should probably look elsewhere. This book excels mainly in helping you figure out how to *have a life,* rather than how-to-make-as-many-bucks-as-possible-in-today's-corporate-jungles-without-turning-yourself-into-a-hopelessly-miserable-wreck-of-a-human-being, which is unfortunately what most people hope for when they turn to a "career guidance" resource. Which is the only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

Career Anchors , Discovering Your Real Values ASIN: 0883900300 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Discover Your Career Anchor Comments: After reading this book and taking its quizes, I found that it was mildly informative. It provided a good start for self-insight. There wasn't a major or deep revelation for me about my career anchor or why I was so disatisfied with my present job role. This book will help you determine what your career anchor is (what motivates and stimulates you) and then it will end there. You are left in the dark with how to develop your career around your anchor. The book, however, is true to its subtitle "Discovering your real values"-- but doesn't delve into what to do after this discovery.

The Famous Outrageous Cool Kid's Guide to the Future: the unique career guide for pre-teens and young teens based on their talents and interests ASIN: 0646365673

Milady's Standard Theory Workbook ASIN: 1562534688

Workforce Education: The Basics ASIN: 0205198341

True Professionalism: The Courage to Care About Your People, Your Clients, and Your Career ASIN: 0684840049 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Should be required reading in law firms Comments: "True Professionalism" expresses Maister's core message: do work you love with people you like and everything else will come with ease. Few of the lawyers I coach have heard this message before. If they'd read Maister they'd realize that business development isn't about selling, with all of its worst connotations -- it's about helping people you respect and whose problems are meaningful to you. Maister encourages the reader to consider the "radical" idea that work should be enjoyable and that if it is, then success will come from doing it well and with sincere caring. I agree with him and enjoy being reminded each time I re-read this wonderful book.

Discover What You're Best At ASIN: 0684839563 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Excellent resource for career direction Comments: This book is excellent not only for those who are changing careers but also for those beginning college and unsure of what area to study. For example, I took these tests as a senior in high school. The results reaffirmed my choice of major and provided a wide range of choices for career paths that I would be good at. My lowest score occurred in an area I did not like and did not feel I was good at. At the back of the book an excellent career directory provides detailed descriptions of all the career choices. The directory is very comprehensive and informative. This book is an excellent resource for guidance and career counselors. The only areas it cannot test are special skill areas such as music and art, but for everything else it is great. An emphasis on skills, and not changing interests, provides the books main strength.

Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love ASIN: 0553371657 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Change your thinking about what "work" means Comments: My work history has ranged the spectrum from Corporate Clone to short-term contracting, and even when I was employed full-time at a "real job" I always had one or two other businesses going on the side. But, like most Americans, I'd been brainwashed into thinking everyone should have a well-defined and well-thought-out CAREER, so I didn't take my "sidelines" seriously. And, after thirty-plus years in the work force, I was still searching for the One Perfect Job that would best utilize my abilities and satisfy my soul. This book changed my thinking: Barbara Winter shows how to evaluate your talents, interests, and skills, and turn what you already like to do into multiple income streams. She gives inspiring examples, provides tools for self-analysis, and offers encouragement; she doesn't give specifics on how to create your perfect work, but she can't because everyone's combination of abilities and knowledge is unique. The book started me thinking on how I could create income sources from the things I enjoy doing, and convinced me that I don't need to find that elusive Perfect Job after all. I recommend it highly to anyone searching for a better way to work.

Knock 'Em Dead 2002 (Knock 'Em Dead, 2002) ASIN: 1580625371 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A Must-Read! Comments: It's not every day that you run across a book that actually lives up to its reputation. This one does, and more. Martin Yate's Knock 'Em Dead series has spawned numerous bestsellers. Here's the original, in an all-new, updated edition. The core of the book is a catalogue of strategies for answering the wide array of questions you could be asked during a job interview. The book also includes plenty of other job-hunting advice. If you don't get the job after following this book's advice, it can't be because you flunked the interview. We from getAbstract recommend this book to all job-hunters and to those who think they may be out looking anytime soon.

Promoting a Development Culture in Your Organization: Using Career Development As a Change Agent ASIN: 0891061096 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A superb book about development Comments: I found this book to be very informative and an easy read. It has a good balance of theory and practical advice. It goes hand in hand with the same author's Career Compass book. I would recommend this book for human resources or organizational development people looking for a new perspective.

What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up : Starting the Next Chapter of Your Life ASIN: 0316127140 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: LIKE PLANTING AND TENDING A GARDEN! Comments: As a counsellor, I have found many individuals discover "anticipating retirement" and "living in retirement" are two very different things. In the next ten years, I, too, will be "growing up" and facing this new chapter of my life. However, there are so many plans for my future, I only hope my health, financial resources and stamina will allow me to fulfill these ambitions. To me, retirement is like planting and tending a garden. First, one must plan carefully (you do not want to waste your precious years on activities that do not bring you joy and fulfillment.) Then, one should decide what plants (projects, hobbies, activities) to sow, not only to keep you physically active, but metally alert. Finally, one must lovingly tend that garden (nourish the soul, maintain physical health, and weed the emotional clutter from the past.) If you have lost a spouse, partner or soul-mate during this planting season, it is important to grieve, but it is equally important to know when to let go and when it is time to plant a new garden. Remember, time waits for no one. Only then, will one be prepared to start the next chapter of their life. We all need to have hopes, goals and dreams, no matter what our age. In this book, the author points out the positive ways of dealing with change and how to plan and approach this new period in the lifecycle. Anyone approaching mid-life can certainly benefit from this book; it is never to soon to plan for the future. If you are already into your retirement years, this book may be just the inspiration you need if the years are not as challenging and fulfilling as you anticipated. The author has a lot to say on the subject and it is a great book based on sound advice.

The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People ASIN: 1580080758 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Eikleberry has shown me I am not alone! Comments: I bought this book for a friend, but I had no idea I needed it this much myself. Eikleberry's book lays out a psychological profile of creative and unconventional people and shows us there are many more like ourselves out there. She maps out the skills and interests of creative people and shows you how they point to different career paths. There are even self-tests along the way to help you assess your skills-and the results may surprise you.This book shows you that just because you're an "artistic" person doesn't mean you have to choose between being a starving artist or having a "normal" job. She explores the wide variety of jobs available for creative people, but is also realistic in stating that these jobs are not as plentiful as more conventional jobs.If you're frustrated, and generally feel lost in your career choices, this book can give you hope and help point you in the right direction. She doesn't give you the answers, but she helps you know how to look for the answers within yourself.I highly recommend this book to college students and twenty-somethings in particular. But this book is appropriate for any creative and unconventional person who needs a new direction.

Keeping Good People: Strategies for Solving the #1 Problem Facing Business Today ASIN: 1886939268 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A Book to Study and USE! Comments: In today's job market, it is challenging to attract the best-qualified and well-suited job applicants. It is even more difficult to retain excellent employees. The cost of employee turnover is high in terms of lost productivity, lost knowledge, and financial expense associated with filling the vacancy.Roger Herman, futurist and certified management consultant and speaker, provides an exceptional resource for any organization seeking to retain its best employees. Keep Good People is divided into three sections. The first effectively sets the stage by providing valuable insights into the competitive nature of the job market, the value of good employees, and what prompts employees to stay and leave an employer. The first section provides essential background that led to an essential, yet basic understanding of employer/employee relations regarding retention. Section two provides nearly 200 very specific and useful strategies. Each strategy is clearly defined and concisely explained. Herman does not stop with a somewhat overwhelming list of strategies, yet provides suggestions for implementation and an "eye to the future" in section three. Keep Good People is an excellent resource for human resource professionals and managers seeking to prevent undesirable employee turnover as well for the organizations seeking to reduce turnover. Use this book as a guide to simply review current practices and development of strategic, and it will be well worth the investment of both time and money.

Grammar for Grownups: A Self-Paced Training Manual ASIN: 0963745514 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Much Needed! Comments: Let me tell you about something embarrassing that happened to me last year. I sent an E-mail to an important client who was angry about a misplaced order. The client replied that he understood what happened and wouldn't hold it against us, which was a relief. Then he pointed out every grammatical error and misplaced comma in my message. For example, I had used "effect" when I meant "affect," and I had created a run-on sentence by using a comma instead of a semicolon. There were other errors as well. After I picked myself up off the floor, I went onto the Internet, looking for help, and I found a great book called Grammar for Grownups. It gave me clear explanations of all those tricky grammar and punctuation rules. It also gave me practice exercises so I could work on my own to improve. Now I proofread every E-mail I send-and now I know what I am looking for.

Become A Recognized Authority In Your Field - In 60 Days Or Less ASIN: 002864283X Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Clearly presented, useful information I can use Comments: A few days ago, I received my copy of "Become a Recognized Authority In Your Field In 60 Days or Less!" and it is remarkable. I'm already doing many of the things noted, however, the details you provide really close the loop in my efforts. For example, the 60-day "Become a Guru" action plan puts each step into perspective helping me to stay focused on my niche and message.Actually, my niche was too broad and unfocused, until I got this book. The "skills exercise" on page 16 helped me develop a clear assessment of what I can give to my customers. The book told me about the importance of a balanced niche and then throughout the reset of the chapters instructed me on how to share what it means to my customers.This book is well laid out, easy to read, and knowledge packed. The table of contents is detailed; I find myself using this handbook as a reference tool while developing marketing plans or just tuning my image. Though I could easily reference materials, I think I benefited most from reading the book once from cover-to-cover."Become a Recognized Authority in Your Field In 60 Days or Less!" shares what most people feel about gurus, even provides some insights on where to concentrate your efforts. This book isn't going to help you hide a lack of skill. I recommend 'Becoming a Recognized Authority' for anyone who truly has talent to share and is interested becoming the name to know in their target market.

The Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World ASIN: 1590590082 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A must read for every IT professional Comments: This book is not only about Corporate America, but also about Corporate Europe. The book gives a good explanation why sales and marketings give us such a hard time, and how we can solve all the problems we encounter in these situations. You will recognize a lot of situations he mentions, and will regret that you didn't read this book before you started your life as a programmer in the Corporate world and spent whole weekends programming because the deadlines are approaching. The Career Programmer is a must read for every programmer, junior or senior. I even think that this book is very good literature for sales & marketing people and for managers. I'm sure that I will read this book more than once. It was written in a "cut the..." way, very humorous and still very interesting. (I really like the way chris goes to job interviews :) I'm looking forward to other books from Chris !

Career Guidance and Counseling Through the Life Span: Systematic Approaches ASIN: 0673523667

Take Yourself to the Top: The Secrets of America's #1 Career Coach ASIN: 0446673773 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Helped me make my successful business flourish Comments: I first read this book just over a year ago. I employed her ideas after every chapter and watched them ripple through my staff and clients. I was surprised that ideas, sometimes a simple change in my perception of everyday situations, could actually change my business reality. My people responded to the changes immediately and seemlessly. The book taught me more about the intangibles of leadership than any other reasource I've found. Other specifics: She helped me spot where I was wasting energy, in work and worry; Tweeked my creativity toward managerial concerns; And more, she's planted the seed for my ultimate movement (logistically & emotionally) away from the incredible amount of personal investment that it's taken to build my business. In the last year we've grown over 100%, nearly completed the difficult task of becoming direct manufacturers reps in a highly entrenched and protected industry, and made the move from local to national clientele. The business and I have changed so much that I'm reading it again to see what I get out of it now.

The Perfect Career (and how to GET IT) ASIN: 0967566304

The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee' into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion! ASIN: 0375407723 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Do not think twice! Buy this book (and the Project50) Comments: This set of 3 books by Peters (Brand You50, Project50, ProfessionalServices Firm50) has changed the way I think about my work, job, and career for ever. Every time I read a few pages, I go back to work with a passion and a commitment for and to WOW! that I never thought existed in me. Tom Peters has changed my world for the better. They are worth the money even if you just read one page.

Knock 'Em Dead 2003 (Knock 'Em Dead, 2003) ASIN: 1580627595

The Potato Chip Difference : How to Apply Leading Edge Marketing Strategies to Landing the Job You Want ASIN: 0970208804 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: Strategy - A Key Component of Any Successful Job Search Comments: It seems that a new book on finding a job hits the market everyday. Typically they have a "sameness" about them. Most carry a list of dos and don'ts along with questions interviewers are apt to ask. Very little is included about the importance of marketing strategy. Not so with Michael A. Goodman's The Potato Chip Difference. It is unquestionably different. A hotel's success Conrad Hilton once said is all about location, location, location. Mike Goodman discusses job search in terms of strategy, strategy, strategy-reflecting his own background as a senior marketing consultant. Job seekers who follw his advice will surely benefit from this consisely written and highly readable 133 pages. This book's wide range reinforces the argument that size is no barometer of great substance.

What Your Boss Doesn't Tell You Until It's Too Late: How to Correct Behavior That Is Holding You Back ASIN: 0684811464 Customer's Rating: 4 Summary: Great and Useful Comments: I found this book to be quite useful, it gives you a different perspective on your job, and how others may be viewing what you do. It helps you to think out of your box.

Training Games for Career Development ASIN: 0070347905 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Limited use Comments: The games in the book were easy to use and well written. However, I expected a larger variety of topics. I won't be able to use the games very often since the focus is mainly on determining and making career decisions rather than progressing or advancing in your current career. I am a 'corporate trainer' and won't be training staff how to find new jobs!