Book Review: Getting from College to Career

Hi everyone! So, this year one of my New Year's Resolutions is to read one non-school book a week. Because of this, I thought it would be a great addition to the blog to do Book Reviews on the books that I find and think would be useful or applicable to students and parents in the college search process and for college students who are looking for career help.

The first book I wanted to review is Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World by Lindsey Pollak and you can buy it here. I came across it through a search on Pinterest for professional development books for myself and I am so happy I got it. I read the whole thing in the middle of last semester in about a week. It is a quick, easy, and enjoyable read with lots of great information that I think anyone can benefit from, no matter where they are in their career search.

All of the chapters are broken up based on different aspects of the career search, from determining a career, to networking and marketing yourself, to preparing for interviews. This set up works really well because after you've read it through once, when you need pointers or suggestions on one aspect of the job search, you can go to that chapter in the book and find all you need! She also answers a lot of the questions on some etiquette things like professional e-mailing and how to dress for interviews, that vary by subject/topic.

Another amazing thing about the set up of the book and her writing is that she includes these sections called "Make this work for you." In this little section, she gives you a challenge to incorporate her suggestion into what you need for your career search. This is great because it gives you the chance to stop reading and reflect by thinking 'Okay, how am I going to make this work for me?' There are a lot of inspiring suggestions that can help you think about your search in a way you hadn't before.

Lindsey Pollak also offers really great starting points for all of her ideas and concepts. She lists in these sections different organizations you could contact, job and internship search websites, places where you can find mentors or extra experience ... it is difficult not to have many different ideas floating in your head as you read through the book.

Overall Review: I definitely recommend this book to anyone just starting their career search or anyone who is wanting to do more to help boost their career opportunities in the future. This would make a great gift to a new college graduate or to your career-minded high school student. This book is useful whether you have a technical degree, a two-year or four-year degree, or just have a high school education. For myself, I obviously know what I want to do with my career, but this book was still incredibly helpful with different ideas for networking and how I can incorporate the different experiences I've had over the years into my resume and cover letter. I think that not only does Lindsey Pollak give great suggestions and ideas, but she also provides really funny anecdotes and her own experiences to help make the book more real for the reader. Without a doubt, anyone can find something in this book that will be useful for them and their career journey!! Definitely go buy this book ... you won't regret it!

If you all have any suggestions on books that you have found helpful in your college or career search, I would love to hear about them; so comment below or tweet me and I will look into them! I hope you all have a great weekend!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

 Pollak, Lindsey. Getting from College to Career: Your Essential Guide to Succeeding in the Real World. Revised ed. New York: Harper Business, 2012. Print.