Now, Discover Your Strengths ASIN: 0743201140 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: Good book, but doesn't fulfill potential. Comments: Since I didn't read their first book I thought the first half of the book was great. Their research on focusing on strengths v. improving weaknesses was really valuable. The test process and results leave much to be desired. You get a list of 5 strengths and one page explaining each, but no guidance on what it might mean to know these things. For example, the book talks about how important it is to use your strengths to find the right role in your chosen field and then gives very little insight into mapping strengths to roles. Also, you don't get to see beyond your top 5 strengths which leaves you wondering about the others even though it says the next 2 or 3 might be important. The fact that you can't share with a family member or retake the test without buying another copy is really lame.In general a good business / management book on why a strengths focus is important, but little in the way of understanding and applying your strengths. Guess they either took the word "discover" literally in that it means get a simple list of 5 strengths or there is another book on the way. Depending on whether you are looking for management theory or personal strengths insight it may or may not be a good buy.

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.

Do What You Are : Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type--Revised and Updated Edition Featuring E-careers for the 21st Century ASIN: 0316880655 Customer's Rating: 3 Summary: unspoken assumptions Comments: Like many books about career, and many books about personality types, this book sidesteps critical thinking about type and about career. As a previous reviewer noted, the book addresses primarily "professional," white-collar career options -- with a few artistic and skilled trade options thrown in. It does not really address people who work outside of that narrow landscape.Carl Jung himself once wrote that categorizing people by type would be "pointless." He intended that the typing system be used (by psychoanalysts) as a way to understand where an individual person might be coming from; the "true north" of the person's unique perceptual, motivational, emotional, cognitive, and (yes) spiritual compass; and the best route to helping the person glimpse beyond a limiting worldview while clarifying the authentic convictions to which his or her unique life has led.It has been dumbed down and used instead to "help" people level out their personalities to fit into institutional environments and cookie cutter job descriptions (fix themselves) and/or "find a niche" -- seek out an institutional environment or cookie cutter job description that is tolerable enough that they won't cause trouble by seeking "too much" change."Do What You Are" is certainly validating. Reading it, one can see why certain jobs have worked and others have not. However, the message seems to be, "You can find someplace where conformity won't be too hard." It avoids like the plague the notion that type is merely a starting point for unique development and the more radical idea that jobs may be mere skeletons upon which human beings flesh out unique WORK.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Follow Your True Colors to the Work You Love ASIN: 1893320286 Customer's Rating: 5 Summary: A Colorful Pathway to Success Comments: An exceptional work that is a delightful "read". In a very friendly yet literate style, Ms. Kalil lays an easy foundation for finding harmony with our career focus and personality. The included card set is an amazingly simple way to find your direction and learn about your "True Colors". The book is truly informative, and very helpful.