It’s officially spring, and even though the skies are gray and snow covers the ground outside my window as I write this, I am imagining my first bouquet of spring flowers. While I wait for the crocus and daffodils, let me share a different bouquet with you – a random harvest of books that have crossed my desk in recent months.
"Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness," by Kerry Hannon, Wiley/AARP, 2015, $19.95. Hannon, a perennial authority on career issues affecting the boomer generation, takes a turn here from her earlier best-selling books on changing careers at mid-life. She doesn't disavow that approach, but adds depth to her work by acknowledging that major career shifts aren't for everyone. Some people can't justify the leap financially; others need to focus on finding contentment or excitement with their current work.
As always, Hannon writes in an encouraging, upbeat way, this time to provide advice for hanging on, upping your game, having difficult discussions with your boss and all the other components of learning to love your job again.
"Just Listen," by Mark Goulston, AMACOM, 2010, $17.95. Speaking of perennials, here's an older book that's hard to ignore at a time when we're all struggling to connect. Subtitled "Discover the secret to getting through to absolutely anyone," this guide is being promoted again to help launch seminars disseminating Goulston's methodology beyond the FBI teams and others he has trained to diffuse difficult situations.
Hostage-takers might seem far removed from our daily lives but as Goulston points out, we’re all held captive when someone else refuses to communicate. His sections on 12 easy tools to achieve buy-in and seven fast fixes for challenging situations are particularly helpful for everyday use.
"Getting Things Done," by David Allen, Penguin Books, 2015, $17. Here's another oldie but goodie — this one substantially updated since its original release in 2001. Among the changes is a focus on productivity methods in a digital, 24/7, work-with-no-boundaries age. But underpinning the book is the same concept of managing productivity by clearing away confusing distraction and protecting your time while completing what matters.
If that sounds hopelessly dry, the fault is mine. While this is in fact a densely written book, it’s logically laid out and liberally seeded with examples, quotes and anecdotes that make organization seem almost fun.
"Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives," by Gretchen Rubin, Crown Publishers, 2015, $26. Here's a newcomer to the productivity dialogue, but not to the marketplace overall. Author of the very popular "The Happiness Project," Rubin is less interested in productivity than in the fundamental question: How do we build the habits that help us prosper? As she notes, "We repeat about 40 percent of our behavior almost daily, so our habits shape our existence, and our future. If we change our habits, we change our lives."
Written more as a conversation than a how-to manual, Rubin still manages to impart a significant amount of advice, much of it interlaced with psychology and cultural touch points. If this subject interests you, you might enjoy Maria Popova’s insightful discussion of Rubin’s book, at www.brainpickings.org/2015/03/23/better-than-before-gretchen-rubin/
"Let Me Give it to You Straight," by Mark Jaffe, CGW Publishing, 2014, $18. Well, this is one aggravating author. I might be nicer if Jaffe hadn't titled one of his 40 short essays "Stop Reading Career Advice Columns." Ouch, that hurts. A partner in Wyatt & Jaffe, a 27-year-old recruiting firm, Jaffe is known by readers of Business Week, Forbes and numerous other publications for his acerbic reflections on the recruiting and job hunting game.
Having read his columns many times, I was already familiar with Jaffe’s distinctive, straight-shooter perspective. But I forgot I would be alternating guffaws with winces as I marched through nuggets of excellent advice enveloped in layers of wry observation and sardonic humor. These well-written gems are the kosher dill pickles of career advice. Delicious but overwhelming if consumed all at once. Proceed with care; to borrow Jaffe’s mantra, sometimes less is more.
"Post Office Jobs: The Ultimate 473 Postal Exam Study Guide and Job Finder," by Dennis V. Damp, Bookhaven Press, 2015 (6th edition), $24.95. I couldn't resist including this sturdy guide on the old-fashioned Post Office career. Damp does a great job explaining everything from the step-by-step application process to what you can expect in the testing room to how the interviews are conducted. I especially appreciate the generous selection of test questions and the sampling of 24 job descriptions.
Whatever this institution’s future may hold, hiring is still happening and as Damp notes, with more than 2,000 distinct job titles, from carrier to custodian to mechanical engineer, there’s something for just about everyone.
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