Thinking about your current job search after graduation? These books will help you find your way. Learn about the job market. Translate your most important needs, interests, and goals into a rewarding career. Find techniques for a successful online and offline job search. These are my long term favorite job search, career planning, and career management books for grads. Gift a favorite graduate with the opportunity to explore their desired future. If you're the graduate, give yourself a job search present.
1. Internet Your Way To a New Job: How to Really Find a Job Online
Image Copyright Alison Doyle
My colleague Alison Doyle's new book definitively covers online job search. She covers everything a job searcher needs to know to utilize the online world in his or her job search. From building a professional brand - what you want potential employers to find out about you, when they search for your name online - to making contact through social and professional networking sites, Alison lays out the best steps, tips, tactics, and tools. The book is everything needed for a job search in one small package.
2. The About.com Guide to Job Searching
Copyright Adams Media Corporation
Alison Doyle, About's Job Searching Guide, has written a clear, straightforward, comprehensive book that tells you how to get a job. Everything you need for job searching in one handy guide, the book also emphasizes using the Internet for job searching. Doyle's strengths as both a career professional and as an online job search specialist are evident and valuable for the job searcher.
3. Now, Discover Your Strengths
Image Copyright Price Grabber
Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton follow up on their excellent book about what makes great managers great by talking about 34 positive personality factors. Using their StrengthsFinder profile, you can learn a lot about what makes your talents and skills unique. Use the information to select the best field or career for you or the best job in your current field.
4. Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World
Lindsey Pollak tells you how to develop the experience, skills, and confidence you need to bridge between college and the real world of work. Her 90 tips include how to avoid the biggest mistake in career prep and job hunting, why you need to subscribe to a daily newspaper, how to write and manage email like a professional, how to successfully network at events you attend, how to practice the essentials of a successful internship, how to prepare for interviews, and how to conduct a professional job search.5. I'm on Facebook, Now What?
Image Copyright Jason Alba
Jason Alba and Jesse Stay tell you all about how to use FaceBook as a source for your professional job search. They tell you what works for both job search and furthering your career appropriately and professionally on Facebook.
6. I'm on LinkedIn, Now What? A Guide to Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn
Image Copyright Jason Alba / Price Grabber
Why spend the time figuring out how to use LinkedIn.com for career networking and job search? Jason Alba has already done the research for you. Take a look also at my recent article to see how employers are recruiting on LinkedIn.
