There’s no better way to spend holiday downtime than by picking up a book that’ll inspire you to up your skills or your search for that perfect job. So go on, grab a book off the list and fill your brain with industry knowledge and top career advice.
Career
1. Knock ‘Em Dead 2016: The Ultimate Job Search Guide, by Martin Yate
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To land the job you’ve been vying for, and manage the twists and turns that come with a long and successful career, turn to this job search guide. Yate’s to-the-point style of writing gets to the heart of what you actually need to do to get noticed, including maximizing your social networks to land more interviews, crushing the interview itself and negotiating your salary.
2. Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job. Kill It in Your Career. Rock Social Media., by Aliza Licht
This global fashion communications exec—and former Twitter phenom—tells her story of the business as she shares secrets, advice and real talk to help you leave your mark on the industry. In her book, Aliza confronts the issue of today’s working world, where personal and professional lines can often get blurred, emphasizing the importance of a strong sense of self.
3. Now What, Grad?: Your Path to Success After College, by Chris Palmer
If you’re a soon-to-be or recent graduate, chances are you’re filled with worries about landing a job, paying off student loans and navigating the workplace. Rather than sit there and stew in your anxieties—think Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate—you could just pick up Palmer’s book that acts as a guide map for succeeding in the real world.
4. Welcome to the Real World: Finding Your Place, Perfecting Your Work, and Turning Your Job into Your Dream Career, by Lauren Berger
If you’re just breaking into the industry, consider this a must-read. Lauren Berger, self-proclaimed Intern Queen, writes about the new workplace (and the one your parents can’t offer advice on, since everything’s changed!). Use this as a handbook to help guide you through your first on-the-job experiences.
Media
5. Contagious: Why Things Catch On, by Jonah Berger
Sure, we can’t exactly predict when a video’s going to go viral, but we can look at the science behind why things take off. Here, Jonah Berger looks at what makes things wildly popular, and shares techniques for helping information spread. If you work in media, this might spark ideas about how to design messaging, ads and shareable content—or, at the very least, can give you a fresh perspective.
6. Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising, by Ryan Holiday
Now more than ever, companies are moving away from traditional marketing and into a new frontier of growth hacking, or using multiple platforms and channels to expand your business while figuring out on the fly which works best. You or your company may already use some of these practices, but this book can give you a fuller picture of why building and engaging your audience in various ways is so effective and how you can fully adopt it in your office, or for your own personal ventures.
7. Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses, by Joe Pulizzi
From the founder of the Content Marketing Institute, this book explains a new model of marketing in which the product is second to building audience using awesome content. If you work in marketing and are looking to gain an even more in-depth idea of the power of content, you’ve got to check out this read.
8. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, by Ann Handley
In Ann Handley’s opinion, we’re all writers. And it’s true if you think about it: If you have a site, you’re a publisher, and if you post on social, you’re a marketer. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re all out-of-the-box amazing writers equipped for the needs of a content-driven market. And that’s where this book comes in, giving you expert guidance into the process of content creation, so you can thrive in this digital world.
9. #AskGaryVee: One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness, by Gary Vaynerchuk
The social media star Gary Vaynerchuk just rolled out his latest book that tackles the most useful and interesting questions he’s addressed on his YouTube show, #AskGaryVee. If you work in digital media, or are just doing your own freelance hustle, check out this book and others written by Vaynerchuk, like Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World.
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