Book Review: Now What: A Young Persons Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career by Nicholas Lore

As a career consultant I try to read as many books on this topic as I can. I just finished reading Now What: A Young Persons Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career by Nicholas Lore. I had very high expectations going into this book based on the last book that I read from this author. I must say that I was not disappointed.

The first couple of chapters are pretty basic and kind of boring as the author describes various tests that college students can take to learn about their personality types and which careers they would be best suited for. The best part of the book is the tool kit that Lore provides. This allows the reader to become engaged and learn as they read. The book forces you to take action towards your career and actually provides encouragement and motivation along the way.

There were a couple of negatives though. The one thing that I did not like was the author plugs his testing and coaching services and at times I felt like I was reading a promotional piece for his business instead of a book that was supposed to inform and educate. The other negative was there was never any mention of the negative economy we are in and how that impacts people that are starting off in their career.

Overall, I do recommend this book for any high school or college student that is ready to start searching for a career. It is tough out there so the more you can read and prepare for the better off you will be.

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Career Book Review "101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself" by Jay Miletsky

In today's marketplace, your career is 100 percent your responsibility, including marketing your strengths. Unfortunately, marketing can be maligned, especially when you're the product being marketed. Honest attempts can appear boastful, so we hesitate to do so. Yet, if people aren't aware of your strengths, how will they know when, where, and how to use them?

The best self-marketing centers around building relationships and having fun doing so. Successful self-marketing can, among other things, enhance your job search, promote your own company, grab a piece of the spotlight (i.e. become a thought leader/industry innovator), and make new friends.

Following is the second of three articles summarizing "101" career books published by Course Technology. A different author highlights what it takes to achieve professional success in the 21st century for each book. Here, it's businessman and marketing expert, Jason Miletsky. His new book is entitled 101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself."

Miletsky is CEO and executive creative director for a leading marketing communications agency in New York City. He's a featured speaker for numerous companies and seminars and guest lectures for universities.

"101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself," is a short read of 88 pages, long on self-marketing tips. You're bound to learn some new applications to advance your career. Use Miletsky's ideas to gauge how many techniques you currently incorporate to promote yourself, and decide which ones best suit your needs.

The book reads in three easy parts. The first is entitled, "27 MYM (Marketing Yourself Mandates);" and establishes the foundation of your self-promotional efforts. Miletsky's tips include:

Understand Your Personal Brand. Your personal brand is your personal reputation. It's key to successfully market yourself and sustain relevant long-term connections. People will decide to befriend or distance you based on your personality, sense of style, unique qualities, what and how you say it, commitment follow through and what you potentially bring to the table.

22. Do Something Specific to Stand Out. Accomplish something that separates you from the crowd, and you'll find yourself in more demand. Suggestions include write a book, or articles for popular print/online publications, record a series of Web videos, and hold a seminar.

27. Don't Give Up-It Won't Happen Overnight. "Marketing yourself is a process," says Miletsky. It takes time to meet new people and build a following. Persevere.

Part II is titled, "Make The Most of The Web." Miletsky emphasizes that to effectively market yourself today, you need to include the Web. "Social networking may die down a bit over time, but it's here to stay," he says. For space interest, Miletsky assumes you have a basic knowledge of the three big social networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If not, he advocates learning their attributes as soon as possible. Highlights include:

28. Make Social Networking Part of Your Daily Routine. Social networking does take time and effort. It can take a while before you see results. "This can be frustrating, because thanks to the speed of the Web, most people have lost their patience to allow things to happen over time," says Miletsky. Incorporate social networking into your daily routine, using the Big 3 sites. Send an e-mail blast once a month to your contacts. Inform them of your new blog posts and other information.

63. Get Your Name in a URL. Make sure you secure your name as a URL. It's good marketing for any of your online activities you engage in. Defensively it prevents someone else from cashing in on your name, as you become better known.

69. Broadcast What You Write. Get the URL for any blog post you write or comment you leave on someone else's blog (shorten the URL through bit.ly or some other shortening service). Broadcast it on Twitter, use it in LinkedIn conversations, and post it on relevant Facebook groups and your Facebook wall.

"There's Life Offline-Get Out and Meet Real People," is Miletsky's third message. Among his suggestions are:

78. Become a Regular. Frequent various places. Over time, people will recognize your face, making connections easier.

82. Seek Out Public Speaking Opportunities. Meet numerous people all at once. Be a featured speaker in a room full of people listening. Speakers command attention, are focal points for attendees; and many will want to befriend you afterwards.

101. Make Follow-Up a Ritual. Make sure you follow up with each new contact within 24 hours after your initial connection. Send a quick e-mail to remind new contacts who you are, how you met, and conversations had. Suggest a future meeting when you sense mutual benefits.

Six appendices enrich the book; with the first listing Miletsky's top 30 Twitter tools. "Twitter is one of the absolute best ways to get people to notice you," he says. Endorsements include:
Tweetdeck. Provides numerous columns to allow simultaneous monitoring of people you follow, tweets mentioning you, direct messages and any other keyword/group you choose. Twitterholic. Checks your relative ranking and graphs your followers over time. Nearby Tweets. Enhances local marketing by entering desired geographical location/keyword. Site shows the people within that radius that fit the description.

The " Who You Should Follow On Twitter" List is Appendix B, and details 31 active links to find good people to follow on the site. Included are:

25 SEO Gurus. 50 Users to Follow for Job Searching. Top 237 People to Follow on Twitter Who Will Follow You Back.

The most comprehensive appendix, titled, "Strategies for Success," specifies how to maximize your achievements at work. Its nine tips include "Visualize Success," and "Learn How to Advance within the Company;" which features 30 soul-searching questions pertaining to seeking a management position. Those queries include:

Are you decisive? Can you see yourself calmly and objectively handling crisis situations? Do you do your best work all the time?

Other appendices highlight LinkedIn groups, networking events and additional social networking sites.

Marketing yourself is no longer an option. To enjoy long-term career success, learn and hone a process that works for you; and have fun doing it.

Complement Miletsky's message with Rashika Fernando's "101 Career Success Tips," and Carol A. Silvis's "101 Ways To Make Yourself Indispensable at Work," to jump-start your career, whether employed, unemployed, seasoned or novice.

You can follow the author on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jaymiletsky.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

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Career Book Review - 101 Secrets To Career Success by Rashika Fernando - A Holistic Employment Model

Current U.S. unemployment reigns at roughly 9.5 percent, with at least 14 million jobless Americans. Statistics show approximately 5 applicants for every one available job. Economists predict a multi-year experience of higher than usual U.S. unemployment. Today's global marketplace is restructuring employment opportunities. It's challenging. Now, having the perfect resume and knowing the answers to "tough" interview questions no longer guarantees a job. Many who are working feel unfulfilled, desiring to change careers; yet hesitate for a variety of reasons. 

Following is the first of three articles summarizing "101" career books published by Course Technology. A different author highlights what it takes to achieve career success in the 21st century for each book. Here, it's businessman Rashika Fernando. His new book is entitled 101 Secrets To Career Success.

Fernando sports an impressive corporate career, working primarily in Global Finance. His message transcends the corporate world, addressing careers in general, whether you're employed or unemployed. "101 Secrets" offers a holistic approach to employment, integrating both your personal and professional presence. In today's marketplace, the more these two worlds converge, the happier you'll be. Fernando's 101 career secrets are dispersed among 17 succinctly written chapters, providing an expedient, enlightening read. Following are highlights from four chapters.

Purpose/Meaning. Fernando asks, "Why do you live and go to work?" Each one of us has a purpose in life, waiting to be discovered, he writes. Once we know our purpose in life, everything else falls into place. He believes our overall happiness includes these elements: 1. Be happy with the life that we have. 2. Ensure the continuation of life. This would include procreating, or aiding future generations by volunteering, adopting/sponsoring orphaned children, etc. 3. Enhance life by donating to causes, offering comforting words to someone facing a difficult challenge, etc.

Finding our purpose can be a long journey, unique to our being. Ultimately our career choices should make us happy while getting paid to do it. Combine a mission with your purpose; believe in it and execute it. To act on your purpose, you need a strategy. It allows you to connect high-level dreams into actionable plans. Career Success Secret: "Wanting to understand your life's purpose is the biggest step forward you can take towards success."

Career/Life Strategy. Arguably the best chapter in the book, "Strategizing Your Career and Life" emphasizes the importance of planning. Strategy is the approach you take to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. It brings choices into action. There's no formula for strategy, as each of your goals is unique. We strategize every day on a simpler level (mapping out a travel route, daily To-Do lists, etc.) Achieving big dreams is difficult and complex. Strategy brings our dreams to the level of other day-to-day realities. While there's no strategy formula, there is a Strategic Planning Framework: Definition-write down the problem to solve and the goal, which serves as a reference point for planning. Data/Analysis-record what you already know about the problem or goal, analysis you've done, or any assumptions. Strategy-devise your approach to obtain the goal. Tactics/Resources- identifies the smallest details of your plan, Monitoring- review progress in your plan. Career Success Secret: "It is very important that you make a choice rather than hiding behind analysis."

Being Proactive. Proactive people actively participate and anticipate various diversions in their plans, influencing the change towards their goals. Being proactive creates better quality of results and better quality of life. Any quest for success will include competition. Anticipate and plan for inevitable competitive situations. On your journey towards success develop the ability to see what will happen in the next several years. "You can always see the signs of tomorrow today," says Fernando. Regarding the workforce, anticipate continual technological advancements. "Give up what you already know, to learn what you don't know." Career Success Secret: "Being proactive builds your confidence."

Networking. Our success depends on our relationships. To be successful, we need to learn the art of networking and feel comfortable doing it. Networking is essentially being a good friend to others. Our existing contacts and friends are our most powerful network we have. Networking provides friendship, emotional support and encouragement. Connecting with other people helps you realize your own accomplishments and the value that you add. The best reason to network is the wealth of opportunities it provides you. Career Success Secret: "Networking is a matching process whereby your strengths are matched with new opportunities, increasing your chances for success."

Amidst anemic job markets and media stories featuring the distress, we can only direct our own lives. If you're dissatisfied with your career or frustratingly unemployed, read "101 Secret's" Chapter 4: "Controlling Your Destiny." The global marketplace presents an evolving employment landscape. Old industries fade to reveal new career opportunities. Experiencing career success in today's marketplace requires a paradoxical selfishness. Only by engaging in relentless introspection (regardless of age), with a goal to integrate both your personal and professional being, can you best contribute to society. Fernando's holistic approach to career and life offers steadfast advice in today's tumultuous world.

Complement Fernando's message with Jay Miletsky's "101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself," and Carol A. Silvis's "101 Ways To Make Yourself Indispensable at Work," to jump-start your career, whether employed, unemployed, seasoned or novice.

To view the Table of Contents for 101 Secrets To Career Success, visit http://rashikafernando.com/Book_Details.html.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

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Career Renegade - How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love by Jonathan Fields

"Career Renegade: How To Make A Great Living Doing What You Love" by Jonathan Fields is more than a "rah rah" do what you love book. It's full of practical advice on building a living around what you love to do, and following your passion rather than a paycheck. Fields himself, once a mega-firm lawyer who was killing himself for the job, left his high paying position to become an entrepreneur and follow his passion. You might not picture a high paid lawyer quitting his job to open a yoga studio, but it worked for Fields, and he insists that following your passions and doing what you love can work for you too. This book is his guide to show you how.

Again, I found this book to be much more than a bunch of motivational "you can do it." Fields shares examples, stories of others who've achieved success following their dreams, and resources to assist you make the transition toward your passions. The first part consists of two chapters that get you thinking about what you really want. Part two explores what kind of renegade you want to be. Fields looks at different career renegade paths and opportunities available to make a living while doing what you enjoy.

In part three, Fields covers topics such as getting social online and building on blogging and social media, areas that he has been extremely successful with. Marketing is a key to building a business, and Fields offers some good advice in this area.

The final part focuses on topics such as cultivating the renegade mind-set, not doing it alone, holding on to your life preserver until you can swim, and being your own guru. This final chapter was motivating, but also grounded in reality. I like the Helen Keller quote near the end, "Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." Fields then asks, "What are you waiting for?"

Some of the stories and examples Fields uses were people and business I was familiar with, and others I'd never heard of, but all of them fit well with the lessons he was sharing. He also provided numerous websites for additional information. I really did feel the book had a good mix of motivation, practical tips, resources, and examples that engaged and instructed the entire way through. It is also a book to look back to as you plan your own career. If you are not making a great living doing what you love, check out this book and it may just provide the stimulus and advice to help you along that path.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a performance and personal development expert who teaches how to live, take action, and get things done through the Warrior's Edge. Alain combines his military, martial art, and Asian experiences with his business, law, and conflict resolution education into a powerful way of living with balance, honor, and integrity. He teaches how to use the Warrior's Edge to Take Action and Achieve Remarkable Results. Alain is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From The School Of Hard Knocks, the DVDs Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking series, and numerous articles and reviews. You can read more articles and reviews and see clips of his DVDs as well as much more at http://www.burrese.com/ and http://www.aikiproductions.com/

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Want a Super Stellar Career? Be Ready For Anything - Book Review

Everyone wants to advance in their career, and with so many people laid off or fearing they will be next, we see that it's time to get serious or get left in the dust. Do you want to get the dream job of your life? Apparently, many people do, you can tell by reading the business news these days, career articles, stories, and advice, it's everywhere. We have a whole new career now of personal coaches, helping others score their dream life and career. Surely, you've noticed all this online and in the media as of late?

Indeed, not long ago there was an interesting article in Forbes - "America's Most Surprising Six-Figure Jobs - Astronomers, ship captains, even writers can make more than $100,000 a year," by Susan Adams May 28, 2010. The article suggested that perhaps getting a great paycheck in a rewarding career means thinking outside the box and growing your skill sets organically. The article also indicated the need for networking and ability to keep doors and opportunities open. I'd recommend thinking on this, and some of the wisdom in the article.

Meanwhile, when considering this topic of career choices and good pay, let me recommend a good book by Harvey MacKay; "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty; Only Networking Book You'll Ever Need for a Rewarding and Successful Career," published by Currency Books, a Double Day Publishing company partner, New York, NY, (1997), pp 311, ISBN: 0-385-48543-3.

The author of this book also wrote the best-selling book; "Swim with The Sharks - without being eaten alive," which focused on the cut-throat corporate career game, and ladder climbing challenges of modern day business. Yes, things have changed since then, but in this new book; "Dig Your Well, Before You're Thirsty," we see it's all about networking to land that perfect job.

He makes an interesting statement in this book, whereas networking may not be rocket science, someone who is career driven certainly ought to keep it that way, and realize he wrote this book in 1997 prior to all these social networking websites and groups. Talk about on the leading edge of his day, Harvey was ahead of his time, Mr. MacKay. It appears that if you take the advice in this book seriously, and network efficiently you can very much hyper-accelerate your career using these tactics and techniques.

This book has been sitting in my personal library for as long as I can remember, so I pulled it out the other day, as I have a friend who got laid off, get this; "involuntary indefinite leave of absence without pay," yah right! He just lost his job. I am going to recommend this book, if he agrees I am going to give it to him. I'd recommend you read it too.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes it's hard to write 20,000 articles; http://www.bloggingcontent.net/.

Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program, or Artificially Intelligent Software. None of his articles are outsourced, PLR Content or written by ghost writers.

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Want A Portable Career? A Career In Your Suitcase (Book Review)

Once upon a time, getting a job was the ultimate goal. Along came Generation X and the goal posts shifted: esteemed jobs needed to be international -- and well-remunerated to boot.

Now, thanks to Generation Y and 4 hour work week advocates like Timothy Ferriss, the playing field has changed again: why wait for a job offer when you can create your own international career and work your own hours -- anywhere, anytime?

Jo Parfitt is at the forefront of the portable career movement -- writing and speaking about it for years before Timothy Ferriss came on the scene. Jo is a portable career expert who has been practising what she preaches while riding the expat rollercoaster in Dubai, Oman, Norway, England and The Netherlands for more than 20 years.

Much to the delight of those who loved the first and second editions, the third edition of this definitive portable career bible, A Career In Your Suitcase, has just been released and it is better than ever. It is jam-packed with tools to help you self-assess your passion, drive, skills and goals, plus real-life quotes from men and women living the portable career dream abroad.

There is also a great chapter entitled 60 Brilliant Ideas -- all of which Jo attests have worked for either herself or people that she knows. These ideas will surely get you started and include: looking after holiday homes off-season; teaching people to do the things that you find easy; exporting local goods; importing goods from home; selling your artistic creations, or teaming up with someone artistic and marketing theirs; writing travel articles; and/or becoming a freelance photographer -- the list goes on.

Whatever your generation, if you have ever dreamed of creating a career that allows you to follow your passion and/or follow your partner, at home or abroad, A Career In Your Suitcase is for you. With its comprehensive advice, real-life stories, ideas, checklists and hands-on exercises, this book is not only a wonderful read, but it could just be the catalyst that you have been looking for to positively change your life forever.

Copyright belongs to Andrea Martins.

Reprints welcomed.

First published by The Telegraph (UK) online on 14 May 2008.

Andrea Martins is the Director and Co-Founder of ExpatWomen.com (http://www.expatwomen.com/) -- a global resource site full of inspiring features to help all women living outside of their home country. Visit ExpatWomen.com today as your first-stop website to get inspired, share stories, network globally, develop personally and find the best resources.

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Want A Portable Career? A Career In Your Suitcase (Book Review)

Once upon a time, getting a job was the ultimate goal. Along came Generation X and the goal posts shifted: esteemed jobs needed to be international -- and well-remunerated to boot.

Now, thanks to Generation Y and 4 hour work week advocates like Timothy Ferriss, the playing field has changed again: why wait for a job offer when you can create your own international career and work your own hours -- anywhere, anytime?

Jo Parfitt is at the forefront of the portable career movement -- writing and speaking about it for years before Timothy Ferriss came on the scene. Jo is a portable career expert who has been practising what she preaches while riding the expat rollercoaster in Dubai, Oman, Norway, England and The Netherlands for more than 20 years.

Much to the delight of those who loved the first and second editions, the third edition of this definitive portable career bible, A Career In Your Suitcase, has just been released and it is better than ever. It is jam-packed with tools to help you self-assess your passion, drive, skills and goals, plus real-life quotes from men and women living the portable career dream abroad.

There is also a great chapter entitled 60 Brilliant Ideas -- all of which Jo attests have worked for either herself or people that she knows. These ideas will surely get you started and include: looking after holiday homes off-season; teaching people to do the things that you find easy; exporting local goods; importing goods from home; selling your artistic creations, or teaming up with someone artistic and marketing theirs; writing travel articles; and/or becoming a freelance photographer -- the list goes on.

Whatever your generation, if you have ever dreamed of creating a career that allows you to follow your passion and/or follow your partner, at home or abroad, A Career In Your Suitcase is for you. With its comprehensive advice, real-life stories, ideas, checklists and hands-on exercises, this book is not only a wonderful read, but it could just be the catalyst that you have been looking for to positively change your life forever.

Copyright belongs to Andrea Martins.

Reprints welcomed.

First published by The Telegraph (UK) online on 14 May 2008.

Andrea Martins is the Director and Co-Founder of ExpatWomen.com (http://www.expatwomen.com/) -- a global resource site full of inspiring features to help all women living outside of their home country. Visit ExpatWomen.com today as your first-stop website to get inspired, share stories, network globally, develop personally and find the best resources.

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Win-Win Career Negotiations - Proven Strategies For Getting What You Want From Your Employer

Win-Win Career Negotiations: Proven Strategies for Getting What You Want from Your Employer by Peter J. Goodman is a great little book regarding negotiations about employment issues. Goodman incorporates the approach described in Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreements Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton. In fact, Roger Fisher even wrote the Foreword to this book.

The book focuses on career negotiations using a principled negotiation strategy for win-win propositions rather than bluffing. Part one of the book is a basic overview of the negotiation process and skills that are essential for negotiating success. This part contains the first two chapters. Chapter on focuses on basics that include topics such as listening, communication, self-control, focus, and of course the four keys outlined in Getting to Yes:

1. Separate the people from the problem.
2. Focus on interests, not positions.
3. Invent options for mutual gain.
4. Insist on using objective criteria.

Chapter two is a good basic primer on getting ready to negotiation. Every negotiator knows that preparation is key, and Goodman lays a solid foundation regarding this important step.

Part two of the book looks at specific employment negotiation issues. Chapters topics include: the interview, salary, stock options, signing and performance bonuses, benefits, relocation, various nondisclosure agreements, severance packages, employment agreements, and annual reviews.

The final part of the book looks at the big picture and covers topics such as professionals' perspectives on negotiations and working in groups.

The appendix includes two model agreements that strongly favor the employer with instructions to put your knowledge to use by identifying the undesirable clauses within the agreements and then restructuring each clause to bring the agreement back into balance. There is a clause-by-clause analysis following each agreement.

Overall, this is a great little book that shows hot to get what you want from your employer and coworkers by negotiating in a collaborative way. This book can help anyone in varying aspects of their career development process. Negotiation is a part of life, and it is especially a part of the work world. This book provides advice and strategies that will not only help you build professional relationships and improve the ones you have, but also get ahead in all areas of your career.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He writes and speaks about a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional dvds, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com/ or http://www.bennettlawofficepc.com/

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