John Dion
In today’s world, it is more important than ever to think about your career. A significant portion of your life will be spent at work. As a college student, the decisions that you make can impact your future. Though it is daunting to think about the amount of work needed to make it in the real world, there are plenty of resources to help. Getting from College to Career is a great first book to start your career development learning experience, brought to you by career expert and LinkedIn spokesperson Lindsay Pollack.
The second edition contains many current trends and helpful tips in career development. The book goes over the fundamentals, ranging from resume review, interview, and professional etiquette. She also incorporated the importance of technology in your job search. For example, Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn directly and indirectly shape the image that individuals are portrayed as online. The book itself is simple and straightforward. Each tip is stated and defined clearly with examples like quizzes and “Make this work for you” in order for the readers to be fully engaged with what’s being taught.As an interesting way in ensuring readers are accountable, every time a tip is completed, there is checklist they can fill out. Trying to accomplish all ninety tips is a challenge, but a worthwhile reward when finished.In addition to a reflection of contemporary trends, the author has done a great job in incorporating elements from her life experience in creating this book. The tips that she provides have that honesty and authenticity not necessarily found in other career related books. She tells stories where she had spent months doing nothing with her life filled with discouragement. From there, she really had to look deep within herself to find that motivation to make something of herself. As you read through the book, you learn how she and other people were able to utilize the tips being taught. Not only do you learn helpful guidelines to build your career, with real world examples you have an idea and the inspiration to apply them.
As much as the book acts as a useful guide, I encourage everyone to learn other perspectives. Take the initiative, respect Lindsay Pollack’s point of view in this book, and invest time in learning from other sources that you believe can contribute to your career progression. As you check off the tips that you have completed, I’m confident that you can discover a career that would be a great fit. Who knows, you may be able to write about your career perspectives in the future. It will be up to you to decide!
For those who were wondering, here are some interesting tips from the book:
1) Start wherever you are
59) Perform Five- Minutes of Stand up
69) Take Candy for Strangers
76) Think “and,” not “or”
84) Be nice to receptionists
