So you're a high school or college student who thinks you know what you want to do with the rest of your life. Or maybe you don't have the first clue about your future. In either case, Tamara S. Raymond's Careering:The Pocket Guide to Exploring Your Future Career should be at the top of your reading list.
Tamara wrote Careering to help young adults avoid the traps she fell into as a result of struggling to figure out her career path after college. Today, this successful leadership development coach shares her hard-learned lessons to help you quickly identify your passions and strengths so you can find your way in the world of work. "I want you to avoid spending eight years in the wrong jobs like I did," she says.
Her concise and easy-to-read pocket guide helps you:
·evaluate your interests, skills, and passions
·identify jobs, internships, and volunteer positions that align with your personal gifts
·identify multiple career exploration avenues, from camps to summer jobs
·put together a resume and references, even if you've never had a "real" job
·learn how to network, apply for jobs, and develop interviewing skills
·learn how to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities
·learn how not to use social media if you want to land a job
·and do so much more
Young adulthood is the best time to explore, experience, and eliminate possible career paths. Careering will help you do all three--and get you on the path that is right for you!
While Raymond chiefly targets readers in later adolescence or young adulthood, much of her succinct career advice and vocational support tools can apply to almost any entry-level job hunter. Organized into easy-to-grasp steps illustrated by plenty of examples, her guide offers up commonsense measures like setting up practice job interviews and exploring personal interests before deciding on a path, plus fresh insights like a rundown of what to anticipate in virtual interviews, tips on creating a separate email address to consolidate career correspondence, and the need to not post anything online that would look bad if publicly exposed. Raymond also breaks down networking into clear, simple actions, discussing who to approach for references and suggesting common local events that can yield networking opportunities.
Though some information is fairly basic (paying attention to hygiene prior to job interviews, for example), sections like the one laying out sample interview questions (including that puzzler “Give an example of a goal you didn’t meet and how you handled it”) and effective responses will well serve first-time job seekers. For those overwhelmed by where to begin in establishing a career path, this efficient guide meets its goal of jump-starting intentional professional behaviors.
Takeaway: High school students and entry level job seekers will appreciate this succinct guide to exploring professional interests and establishing initial career success.
Great for fans of: DK’s The Careers Handbook, Roadmap: The Get-It-Together Guide for Figuring Out What To Do with Your Life.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
"Careering is ideal for any young adult at any point in their life -- whether they are applying for college, looking for a job or serving our country. It helped me organize my thoughts in a simple yet beneficial way. With personal narratives from different events in her life,positive and negative, Ms. Raymond proves that anyone can be successful once they take the time to prepare themselves. I highly recommend this book to other students. It's a must read!"
"As a career coach and recruiter, I am forever meeting people that are unfulfilled and deflated by the work that they do, instead of joyful and deeply satisfied. Tamara offers a solution by empowering students -- who are on the very brink of their career -- with the steps necessary to create a career path that is custom-made for them, based on their inherent skills, gifts, and passions. Every young person deserves the gift of Careering, and the difference it will make in their lives."
"This subject is so important. Even though I am many decades removed from beginning my career, I still cannot comprehend why high schools do not spend more time on this. You have hit on the right combination of length (short enough to be read in an hour or so) and practical insights (enabling those entering their careers to see from the perspective of potential employers). Your book is very well done and I can highly recommend it. It should be required reading for every high school junior and senior."
