We recently ran a 30 minute LinkedIn Live on ‘The Best Books for Job Seekers’ hosted by Alyson Ainsworth with speakers Michael Moran and Kris Thorne of 10Eighty.
You can watch the full session at https://youtube.com/live/9pmMtkKvcOY?feature=share
Kris Thorne told us about books that she returns to time and time again as resources in her coaching work:
Designing your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Barnett and Dave Evans is published by Knopf and uses proven methodologies developed at Stanford University. This book shows how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfilment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.
Designing your New Work Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Barnett and Dave Evans and published by Vintage this offers a fresh understanding of the politics and psychology of work and, by sharing the ‘design thinking’ principles that have been fuelling the growth of Silicon Valley, helps us to build a working life that is rewarding and meaningful.
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish published by Penguin explains how to think clearly in any situation. Parrish shows that the path to clear thinking lies not in the most high-stakes decisions, but in the most ordinary moments – from how we start our mornings to how we approach our daily conversations. He uses stories, mental models, and psychological insights to offers a transformative method for seeing through our biases and understanding what’s really happening. This is a manual for optimizing decision-making and living intentionally.
Michael Moran offered his suggestions including some out of the ordinary but inspirational works:
Job Closer: Time-Saving Techniques for Acing Resumes, Interviews, Negotiations, and More by Steve Dalton is published by Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. Dalton, a career consultant at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, offers new, science-based techniques for effectively and efficiently preparing resumes, writing cover letters, answering “Tell me about yourself,” and much, much more. No tips, guesswork, or fluff – just proven recipes for achieving excellence quickly at every critical task in your job search.
The Guide to Everlasting Employability by Michael Moran, published by Lulu.com show the trick to everlasting employability is in how do you predict what skills, experience, and qualifications will be required by the marketplace 18 months from today? How do you ensure that those with a requirement for your skill set know about you? What does the smart candidate do to stand out from the crowd? This book is a pragmatic guide to managing your career to ensure everlasting employability.
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need by Daniel Pink and published by Riverhead is told in manga – the Japanese comic book format that’s an international sensation. It’s the fully illustrated story of a young Everyman just out of college who lands his first job. A ground-breaking guide to surviving and flourishing in any career, this is smart, engaging and insightful, and offers practical advice for anyone looking for a life of rewarding work.
The Magic Blackberry: How to Upgrade Your Relationships at Work: a Personal Leadership Fable by Professor David Thompson is published by Marshall Cavendish. This book introduces a simple model which will help you take a more thoughtful and effective approach to the way you navigate the workplace and the relationships made with people inside and outside of your company. Written as a fictional story, the book recounts the journey of a man who discovers he has a magic BlackBerry. One day, in a moment of anger, he responds to a rude email. When he presses the send button, however, the BlackBerry refuses to send the email. Instead, the man receives a message from his BlackBerry, explaining the danger in sending his original email. Initially taken by surprise, the man soon realizes that he has a magic BlackBerry – a BlackBerry that is able to coach him through difficult situations at work and in dealing with people.
Brag!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus published by Balance is written by a Fortune 500 communication coach. This expert offers subtle but effective plan for selling your best asset – yourself – without turning off those you’re trying to impress. Full of good tips and relevant strategies for anyone who struggles to elegantly promote themselves in the corporate world
Our 10Eighty experts picked these books to help you shake up your thinking about what motivates you and how to plan your career path effectively.
