Best Career Advice Books for Grads
If you're a senior, you're probably feeling good about the fact that most of your coursework is behind you. Unfortunately, the work has just begun, because soon you'll have to find a job. If the thought of writing cover letters and going on interviews makes you more panicked than cramming for final exams, then head to your local bookstore. These three new career books have advice for job seekers just like you.
Here's a short CliffsNotes version of what you'll find:
"Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success" (Warner Business Books) by Penelope Trunk takes conventional business advice like "pay your dues" and "avoid résumé gaps" and turns it inside out. Famous for her no-nonsense career advice in The Boston Globe and on Yahoo! Finance, Trunk shows how the rules of business have changed and how young workers can succeed in an increasingly competitive and unstable job market.
"Career Wisdom for College Students: Insights You Won't Get in Class, on the Internet, or from Your Parents" (CheckMark Books) by Peter Vogt offers a straight forward approach to choosing a career path, landing an interview, and more. Vogt draws from his experience as a college career counselor and MonsterTRAK career coach to address the job-hunting concerns that plague most students.
"Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World" (HarperCollins) by Lindsey Pollak is written in a fun, conversational style, as if your cool older sister were helping you find a job. Short sections titled "Extra Credit" and "Reality Check" break up each chapter so you can pick up and put down the book in between interviews or study sessions without getting lost.
And now onto the good stuff (the advice):
One of the most stressful parts of the job hunt process is going on interviews (if you think first dates are stressful, then you're in for a treat). "Brazen Careerist" offers this gem of wisdom to interviewees: "Hiring managers don't hire the most qualified person. They hire the person they want to work with the most."
How can you be the candidate that people want to work with? Trunk suggests that you hit the gym so that you appear healthy and confident. Regular exercise also gives you better posture and more energy than couch potatoes.
All three books stress the importance of researching the companies where you're interviewing. In addition to the company website, you should read their annual report and any news articles or press releases, as well as asking professors and others for any insider's tidbits on the company and the industry as a whole. A few other resources for company research include Vault.com, Hoovers.com, Wetfeet.com, and Monster.com.
"Career Wisdom for College Students" also points out that interviewing is a two-way street, so job seekers should show their interest by asking questions about the work environment, potential for advancement, and so on. "Polite, respectful questioning is the order of the day," Vogt writes.
According to "Getting from College to Career," the interview stage is the time to "research and assess an organization's culture" in terms of work-life fit. If you anticipate needing time off to train for a marathon or want the flexibility to work from home on occasion, you should look for clues that the company values work-life balance during your interview. Trunk writes in "Brazen Careerist" that "if you get through a full interview and the hiring manager never reveals that she has a life outside of work, there's no need to ask: she doesn't."
Another important aspect to interviewing is choosing the right outfit. In "Getting from College to Career," Pollak tells job candidates to "always err on the side of formality and wear a dark suit." Trunk also suggests that you find out how others at the company dress, because "people like to hire people who look like them, and clothing is the easiest way to make this impression." You can hide out in the lobby and observe employees coming and going or call human resources to find out what the dress code is.
After making a good first impression by dressing appropriately, your next task is to wow the hiring manager with your polished conversation skills. "Career Wisdom for College Students" discusses the value of mock interviews. "The more you practice interviewing, the better you become at it. Just don't do your practicing during real interviews!" Vogt advises.
"Brazen Careerist" recommends telling stories (Trunk uses anecdotes throughout the book to prove her point). "You know you're going to encounter the question, ‘What are your strengths?'" Trunk explains. "Don't give a list. It's not persuasive. Tell a story about how you did something amazing by using your strengths." In "Getting from College to Career," Pollak offers a simple formula for giving examples: start with a problem, explain the action you took, and the result you achieved.
The bottom line: all three books boil down to these essential points - always research the company, dress professionally, and practice, practice, practice.
© 2008, Young Money Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
