Book Review – Big Career in the Big City: Land a Job and Get a Life in New York

Relocating for a job when you’re fresh out of college can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when you’re hoping to move to New York. In Big Career in the Big City, author Vicki Salemi provides readers with a roadmap for turning a daunting task into a very manageable process. And although the book is targeted primarily at a female audience and a very specific geographical area, Vicki includes job search tips and strategies that apply to any gender and any location.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the NYC-ability quiz which is included on page 3. This high-level screening tool helps readers quickly differentiate between those who are truly passionate about making a go of a professional and personal life in New York from those who aren’t. Big Career in the Big City goes way beyond advice for how to land a job—it also includes a treasure trove of information on finding a place to live, links to local utility companies and banks, and a comprehensive list of fun stuff you can do on the cheap.

If you have your heart set on moving to New York to find a job, or if you want to live extemporaneously as someone who does, I definitely encourage you to check out Big Career in the Big City. I know I wish I would have had a guide like this at my fingertips when I relocated out of state a few years after college.

Book Review – Launch Pad: Your Career Search Strategy Guide (Volume 2)

20 articles from 20 career experts. Advice ranging from how to effectively organize your job search from Jason Alba, CEO and creator of JibberJobber.com, to how young leaders can leverage volunteer experiences to catapult their careers by Emily Bennington, author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m one of the 20 experts featured in Launch Pad: Your Career Search Strategy Guide (Volume 2). But that’s not why I’m writing a review.  Rather, Meghan and Chris Perry did a great job of compiling perspectives from a broad range of career experts—something you’d be hard pressed to find in other job search titles currently on the market.

Maybe it’s because 99.9% of all LinkedIn invitations I receive include the generic “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” generic email, but I have to say my favorite article has to be “5 Guidelines for LinkedIn Invitations”—a must read for anyone with an internet connection who is serious about managing his or her professional network.

If you have or will check out any of the titles in the Launch Pad series, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

E-Book Review: “Relocating for an Entry-Level Job”

It’s too hot. It’s too cold. It’s too long of a commute. I need to be close to my boyfriend or girlfriend. I don’t like packing and unpacking. Just some of the many reasons I’ve heard undergrads and other entry-level job seekers give as to why they won’t relocate. And by doing so, it will come as no surprise, they drastically limit their options and chances for success. Heather Huhman’s new e-book, Relocating for an Entry-Level Job: Why You Probably Have to & How to Do It, provides a compelling case for why it could be in your best interest to move to find work and the tools you’ll need to land on your feet in a new city.

After a brief introduction, Heather starts off with the top 15 cities in the U.S. for entry-level jobs. Each profile contains the median age, male to female ratio, median household income, median gross rent (ex. $776 for Denver, Colorado), and a list of the most common entry-level occupations broken out by gender. She also provides an overview of helpful resources for locating jobs including a step-by-step guide to using Twitter–a site more and more companies are leveraging to attract potential candidates. She even suggests tips for moving your stuff to a new city on a shoestring budget—something I had to learn on the fly when I relocated to North Carolina in my twenties.

Heather is founder and president of Come Recommended, an online community linking internship seekers and entry-level job candidates with recruiters. She is also nationally recognized career expert and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

For more, check out a free preview of Relocating for an Entry-Level Job.

Book Review: “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Success in Your 20s and 30s”

A lot of undergrads spend their time in the classroom discussing abstract theories and concepts but they stop short of learning about their practical application–how it will help them launch their career or business venture. As a result, after graduation many of them are left flailing with no real road map or trajectory. In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Success in Your 20s and 30s, Robert Sofia provides a comprehensive toolkit designed to help you get on the right path.

In the book, Robert shares perspectives from his time as a vice president of marketing for a leading wealth management group, his current role as chief operating officer for a marketing consultancy that he cofounded, and lessons he’s learned from his time as a public speaker. He provides advice, strategies, and concrete examples on how to land your next job, connect with management to increase your chances of getting promoted, and even how to fund a start up business.

Unlike a lot of other career books, at the end of each chapter Robert includes a quick summary titled “The Least You Need to Know.” Because so many of us are pressed for time, I found the summaries incredibly helpful as they allow you to break down the entire chapter into 5-10 key takeaways. There’s also a section on new manager pitfalls that’s a must read for any first-time managers. There he includes what you should watch out for and how to avoid any missteps.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Success in Your 20s and 30s is recommended for Gen Y job seekers looking for on one-stop career reference guide.

For more, check out Robert’s blog.