Turn the page for your career: A Reading List for Jobseekers
Turn the page for your career: A Reading List for Jobseekers
It’s about time we found a trusted companion for these dark Autumn evenings, wouldn’t you agree?With that we thought it would be no better time to root out our Top Reads for Jobseekers (and some honourable mentions of books that are now on our reading list).William James once said that, “The mind altering, alters all”. Who knows how a book, passage or chapter could impact your thinking in terms of career decisions and how you approach the working arena when on the job-hunt (interviews, negotiations, networking, risk-taking).A window of opportunity awaits.
1. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
Fears are perfectly normal. Simmer down and feel them. Spare pair of hands? Grab this classic by Susan Jeffers and as the title says, learn how to feel those fears and do it anyway. Jam-packed full of stories and situations from Susan that will resonate with all of us - if you’re stuck on moving forward in your career there may well be a story buried in here that will help you turn indecision into action. This book will teach you the ways of releasing your fears by dealing with them head on or simply letting go. Conquer the fear of change, the fear of the space outside your comfort zone or the fear of taking control by picking up this tried and tested book companion.Buy here
2. The Power of Habit (Why we do what we do in life and business) – Charles Duhigg
They say an understanding of a bad habit and its context can help greatly in replacing it. A thorough understanding of how habits are formed and moulded can be found here. This is a provocative sharp read that covers habits in three arenas: The Habits of Individuals, The Habits of Successful Organizations and The Habits of Societies. Finding a replacement or adopting good habits may become a habit in itself and provide a baseline for making your life (and career choices) more healthier, productive and fulfilling.Buy here
3. Think like a Freak – Stephen D.Levitt & Stephen J . Dubner
Learn to unravel the world’s simple codes and challenge conventional wisdom. Resurrect childlike slant to your thinking that we all once had (though it’s easily to forget). Learn new methodologies from a hotdog-eating episode, a well thought out brown M&M filtering process and new approaches that can be learned from throwing away your moral compass and thinking like a child. Sometimes you need an edge; seeing the world like these pair might be what you need.Buy here
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
Learning new techniques to handle people in a variety of situations while still being yourself? This classic will teach you. 78 years in circulation, this book has withstood the test of time and helped people prepare for interviews and refine their interpersonal skills.Take it away Dale, “By fighting you never get enough, but by yielding you get more than you expected.”.Buy here
5. The Art of Possibility – Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander
Regardless if you are embarking on a fresh new job search or not, this book could awaken a lot of possibilities in all areas of our lives. A teacher (Benjamin) and psychotherapist (Rosamund) combine their efforts to produce twelve breakthrough practices for bringing creativity into all human endeavors. This book and its' practices calls us into a world of opportunity. It illustrates how, with simple shifts in our view of life, we can open ourselves up to our own excellence in our professional and personal lives.Buy here
Honourable mentions that are now on our reading list:
1. Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)2. The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale)3. Linchpin: Are you Indispensable? (Seth Godin)4. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Malcom Gladwell)Have you read any great books lately that might help Jobseekers or that introduced you to a new way of thinking? Please Tweet us or message us on Facebook – we’d love to hear them. Also, if you have read any of the above titles please let us know how they have helped you.Need an extra push to turn the page for your career? See the benefits here in these two articles:Grow Your Mind and Increase Focus Through ReadingTen benefits of reading and why you should read everyday