The Career Playbook: Essential Advice for Today's Aspiring Young Professional

 

I decided to take a break from my usual cookbook review and share with you a book that is relevant to not only bloggers who want to take their blog to the next level, but also to any young adult who is lost or needs direction in regards to their career path. For many of us, once we graduate high school and/or college,we face the difficult decision of where do we go next. What type of jobs should you apply for and how will you ace that interview?

Essentially this book answers all those questions. The book is called The Career Playbook: Essential Advice for Today’s Aspiring Young Professional and it’s by a man named James M. Citrin. James is the leader of Spencer Stuart’s CEO Practice and a member of the firm’s worldwide board of directors. His diverse clients include leading media, technology, financial services, and consumer companies, as well as other multinational corporations and private equity firms.

In the first chapter, James discusses the six phases of your career. Did you know there were six phases? Neither did I. Each different phase demonstrates where you will be at in each stage of your career. From your early twenties, all the way up to your sixties, James talks about each phase differs and what significance it has in your career.

James also discusses the major dilemma we are all faced with throughout our careers…balancing a successful career while also maintaining a healthy home life. Both are very integral to making everything run smoothly. If one is out of balance, the other suffers.

One important if not THE most important thing that James talks about is the power of relationships and networking. The right connections and relationships can open doors for you to careers you might not have been able to get unless you had that connection.

In Chapter 6 James discusses a topic you might be familiar with in your job hunt….Overcoming the Permission Paradox. What is that you ask? I’ll be honest, I’ve never heard if before either until reading this book, but it’s that frustrating road block we all face when applying for jobs, not having enough experience for the position and needing the position for experience. This happens to be my favorite chapter, because I myself have faced this difficult obstacle when on my job search.

Don’t worry either because James also discusses how to ace your interview and he also covers what you should do when deciding what job to accept, because believe it or not, it’s a very important step in pointing yourself in the right direction for your career path.

In each chapter of this book, James goes into detail, step by step, of each process you will need to go through in order to successfully carve out a great career path. I enjoyed reading this and think that anyone who is struggling with their business or career can benefit from reading this book. I urge you to read this if you are searching for help in your career.

Facts & Figures:

• Of the more than 3 million college graduates who entered the U.S. workforce in 2013, nearly half accepted jobs for which they believed they were overqualified.
• According to the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking.
• More than 3 quarters of top leaders who were surveyed, advised that the right company or organization is most important for young professionals starting out in their careers.
• Business leaders said almost unanimously that company culture and fit should be your top priority in choosing a job.
• In a Gallup survey, one of their most important and actionable findings, is that employees’ job satisfaction is the single biggest determinant of how effective they will be in their role.

Question of the day: What was the best career advice you were ever given?

*** This is a sponsored post. I received this material in exchange for an honest book review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ***