Recommended Career and Business Books to Help You Succeed

In honor of National Book Lover’s Day (August 9th), we asked our staff what their favorite career and business books are.

Here are some of our recommendations:

No One is Unemployable: Creative Solutions for Overcoming Barriers to Employment by Debra L. Angel.

Details of experiences and suggestions from WorkNet. “At WorkNet, we have found that all barriers, even those which seem insurmountable–a felony, homelessness, no high school education–can be overcome creatively and honestly. After nearly ten years of success, we can give you real examples of people who have done it and are working in good jobs.”

It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best D**n Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff.

When Captain Abrashoff took over as commander of USS Benfold, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve his ship. Within months, he created a crew of confident and inspired problem-solvers eager to take the initiative and responsibility for their actions. The slogan on board became “It’s your ship,” and Benfold was soon recognized far and wide as a model of naval efficiency. How did Abrashoff do it? Against the backdrop of today’s United States Navy, Abrashoff shares his secrets of successful management

Absolutely Abby’s 101 Job Search Secrets by Abby Kohut.

Absolutely Abby encourages you to answer your career wake-up call by taking the time to identify your ideal job and preferred industries. Once you are committed to your mission, you’ll learn the key strategies that will set you apart from the competition including *Why you’re on a Never Ending Interview whether you know it or not. *How to be resilient in the face of rejection. *The importance of LinkedIn, Twitter & Facebook to your job search. *How and why you should interview your next boss. *How to use retro technology as part of your new strategy. No matter what stage of the job search you are in, and no matter what level of success you have achieved in your career, within these pages you will find the keys to your job search success!

In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.

Based on a study of forty-three of America’s best-run companies from a diverse array of business sectors, In Search of Excellence describes eight basic principles of management — action-stimulating, people-oriented, profit-maximizing practices — that made these organizations successful.

Self Made: Becoming Empowered, Self-Reliant, and Rich in Every Way by Nely Galán.

What does it mean to be self-made? It’s not just about having money, but financial empowerment is where it begins. It means getting out of survival mode, where you are one problem away from catastrophe. It means changing your mindset from instant gratification to goal orientation. It means being able to sleep at night without worry. It means being rich in every way: rich in money, rich in family, rich in love, rich in time—abundant!

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson.

It is the amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life, for example, a good job, a loving relationship, money or possessions, health or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for what you want, perhaps the organization you work in, or the family or community you live in. The problem is that the cheese keeps moving.

5 Steps to Rapid Employment: The Job You Want at the Pay You Deserve by Jay Block.

Sporadically responding to job openings is not the way to find lucrative employment. In today’s job market, you have to separate yourself from the competition with crystal clarity–which means approaching your job campaign strategically. In 5 Steps to Rapid Employment, veteran career expert Jay Block reveals his proven system for finding and getting the job you want, whether you’re just out of college or transitioning into a new career.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

You can go after the job you want…and get it! You can take the job you have…and improve it! You can take any situation you are in…and make it work for you! Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 15 million copies. Dale Carnegie’s first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles.

What Color Is Your Parachute? is the world’s most popular job-hunting guide. This completely updated edition features the latest resources, strategies, and perspectives on today’s job market, revealing surprising advice on what works—and what does not—so you can focus your efforts on tactics that yield results. At its core is Richard N. Bolles’s famed Flower Exercise, a unique self-inventory that helps you design your career—and your life—around your key passions, transferable skills, traits, and more.

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher.

Since its original publication nearly thirty years ago, Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution. Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict.

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard.

Raving Fans uses a brilliantly simple and charming story to teach how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature–not just another program of the month. 

You’re Going to Survive by Alexandra Franzen.

 No matter what kind of career you’ve chosen, you’re going to deal with discouragement, frustration, and occasional failure. It could be a difficult interaction with a hysterical client. Or watching your best friend get the promotion you wanted. Or a vicious one-star review that rattles your self-esteem and makes you question your talent and even your identity. When that moment arrives, open this book. Inside, you’ll find inspiring true stories from all kinds of people–from authors, chefs, lawyers, website designers, and Broadway performers to personal stylists, jazz musicians, business consultants, non-profit fundraisers, and more–each describing one of the worst moments in their entire career, and how they got through it.

Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye

Since employees who walk out the door cost their companies up to 200 percent of their annual salaries to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. And with so many surveys reporting that employees are unhappy and not working up to their full potential, engagement is a second serious and costly issue. The latest edition of this Wall Street Journal bestseller offers twenty-six simple strategies—from A to Z—that managers can use to address their employees’ real concerns and keep them engaged.

This is Who We Hire: Employers Reveal How to Get a Job, Succeed in it, and Get Promoted by Alex Groenendyk.

Why do some people quickly land a job and then skyrocket to the top of the corporate ladder while others take months, even years, to find a job they hate, only to lose it a short time later? “THIS Is Who We Hire!” covers every essential skill you need to help you get a job you love and negotiate a high salary and great benefits.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.

Learn how to keep your cool and get the results you want when emotions flare. When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation badly and suffer the consequences; or read Crucial Conversations and discover how to communicate best when it matters most.

Biographies and Memoirs from Successful Leaders

…such as Katharine Graham, Ted Turner, Chris Gardner, and Lee Iacocca

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No matter where you are on your career journey, CareerSource Brevard can help you. Visit our Career Services page to learn more, and contact us today.