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Guest Post: Career Books to Help College Students Succeed

Guest Post by Recruiter and Career Coach Jennifer Armitstead

Ongoing education and exploring ideas is critical to success to your career. Surprisingly, most people don’t take time to continue to learn about managing their careers. I understand life has a way of filling our schedule and we don’t want to think about work when we get home. Reading career related books is an investment in yourself… It isn’t work. There are many great books that offer up career advice; here are my top 5 recommendations:

1. StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath is one of my favorite career books. This book must be purchased new as there is a one-time use assessment code in the back of the book. Take the online assessment in about 30 minutes and voila! A simple to understand evaluation of your core strengths. Focusing on your strengths, rather than weaknesses, will bring you much more enjoyment in your work.
2. Great Work, Great Career by Stephen R. Covey and Jennifer Colosimo is a wonderful overview of evaluating your career so that it can be the best. Easy to read and inspiring in the typical FranklinCovey way, this book will get you thinking of many ways to ensure your work and career are great.
3. The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins is an amazing tool for anyone who is starting a new job, or transitioning to a new role in the same company. Most people don’t realize the importance of planning for success. This book will give you step-by-step instructions for planning the start of a new position… ultimately planning for your success.
4. You are a Brand by Catherine Kaputa is a gem of a book! Catherine is the mastermind behind the “I ♥ NY” brand. She masterfully distills the core elements of corporate branding into an easy to follow book about personal branding. If you don’t know your brand, or how to communicate it, this book is a must read.
5. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi is the bible on networking. Keith is the definite authority and shares his amazing techniques for effective networking. While most people won’t be able to keep up with his schedule, everyone can benefit from at least three of his suggestions.

Most of these books are under 200 pages. Can you find time to read a chapter a week? Perhaps one less TV show per week? Remember, it is up to you to manage your career. If you aren’t managing your career, growing and learning professionally, then you could become obsolete and dispensable. Pick up a great career book and invest in yourself… And share what you learn with your peers. To your success!

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