Careers Books

This is one of the very best books, if not the best on getting rich. An absolute masterpiece. Written 100 years, it is a short but timeless book. One that you will keep referring to every day. A book that you want to memorise and put into practice. The point is to overlook some of the examples which are not so relevant today and grasp the essence of what the book is saying. I can't rate this book highly enough.

I agree with all the 1-star and 2-star reviews of this book -and wasted my money and time because of the 5 stars. The thinking person will not find this book to be about thinking optimally -which is what "optimal thinking" means. No, this book is about "thinking ABOUT the optimal" -and it is nothing more than that, repeating "think of what is the best thing to do" over and over. Maddening. Nevermind the other nonesense put in as filler. Read the other 1-star reviews. I don't care if you find this review useful. Those are.

Unfortunately I bought this book based on the high ratings as well as the "praise" from some of my favorite writers - Ken Blanchard, Nathaniel Brandon, and Brian Tracy. What a mistake. There is absolutely nothing useful in the book. Maybe if I were 12 or 14 and just starting out on the road to self-improvement I might find a couple things interesting, but I would need to wade through a ton of BS to find it. I'm extremely disappointed. In fact I threw it in the trash rather than saving it for a garage sale just to put it out of its misery and save some reader from having to subject his or her self to the worthless content, and maybe end up throwing a rock through my window because I charged a nickel for it.

This book was a real eye opener for me. I've read hundreds and hundreds of books and came across many
great ones. A lot of these books had to do with
self-improvement and positive thinking. Even though
I believe in being positive, I somehow always felt
there's something missing and now I finally know
what it was.

It's not about being positive alone, that's just
not good enough, it might actually be totally wrong sometimes.

It's about being optimal, which means you're looking
for what's really going on and how to make the best
out of any situation.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and give Optimal Thinking a chance! I know you won't regret it! Actually this
book deserves 6 stars, so come on and get it.

Optimal Thinking is the mental tool to maximize thoughts, strategies, execution, and success. This book differentiates suboptimal thinking from Optimal Thinking and shows you how to use this peak form of thinking in a consistent manner. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to make the most of their life by making the most of their thinking. In addition, I recommend Optimal thinking as the foundation for optimizing personal and business relationships and any corporate culture. And finally, I recommend Optimal Thinking: 100-Day Audio-CD Program for Permanent Results to make optimal thinking second nature.

Without a question this book takes your thinking to a higher Level.
When I was in the initial stages of my career change in 2002 this book was a great tool and inspiration. Now as I take my career to the next level in the recommendation age I have read this work once again. The pages here are of great assistance.
The optimal who, what, how, why and when questions on pages 229 to 130 are precious. The "optimal questions for the present moment" are timeless. This book is the ultimately and optimally one of the best self assessment tools available. Plan to purchase this work. There will be no regrets.

The LinkedIn Personal Trainer is a great resource for ANYONE and EVERYONE who is just getting started on LinkedIn. As I started to use LinkedIn, I realized that I needed a good resource to help me use it more effectively. IF I would have purchased this book BEFORE I started to use LinkedIn, I would have saved myself dozens of hours of work.

I now use LinkedIn almost daily, and I still occasionally go back to The LinkedIn Personal Trainer and check out a feature or question.

If you are well experienced on LinkedIn and use it a lot, you probably will still find a nugget or two of help in Mr.Tylock's book. But, if you haven't started, or are just beginning to use LinkedIn, this is the "manual" to save you a ton of time, and quickly improve your LinkedIn effectiveness and usage. It's easy to read and takes you step by step, and answers the questions you were just about to ask.

I strongly recommend this book for those who are contemplating joining LinkedIn, or are just starting to use it.

A step by step guide on how to set up and use an account with LinkedIn. Not for the seasoned social networking but perfect for someone who has no idea what LinkedIn is but wants to learn and set up a profile page. With this book you will be set up and running in no time!

I've been on LinkedIn for a while, and apparently I wasn't alone in not getting the most out of it. This book went through the many features available, but more importantly provided the succinct "next steps" needed to prod me along. Each practical section is like a lesson: here's what it is, here's how to use it, and here's what you need to do. Great advice for anyone looking to better understand and leverage the power of social networking.

The LinkedIn Personal Trainer tells much more than just how to use LinkedIn. Rather than just showing what the screens are and how to enter data, this book tells you how to effectively use LinkedIn to increase your networking. In a step by step approach, author Steve Tylock gives advice on both building a profile that will get noticed, and on building, managing and using your connections.

I would recommend this book both for new users (as I was), and also for folks who are already are using LinkedIn, but want to get more out of it.

If you've spent any time whatsoever on networking activities, this book isn't for you. It seems to be aimed at those that have never done any networking at all. Very basic. I would not recommend this book to anyone unless you happen to be a novice at networking and don't mind spending almost $20 on a pamphlet.

I loved the way this book was structured and how it explained the solutions to problems, but several times the letters and numbers in the answer keys were misprinted and didn't match up with the problems. It was very confusing and disappointing.

I thought this was a nice intro prep book, but you will definitely want to buy the LSAT prep book with the actual tests to practice. I really like the simple tips, and the simple breakdown of how to approach the questions without saturating you with too much info. I think the best application is to start with this to get comfortable with how to approach the questions, and then practice using the real LSAT tests. I also appreciated the calming tone the author had. Instead of getting you all jacked up about how hard the test is and how much you have to study, she seemed a lot more practical.

I have one word for this book: wow! I picked this up as a cheap introduction for the LSAT about a year ago. I find myself coming back to it every so often to reread and refresh myself with the plethora of information contained within. I didn't expect to be so impressed with this book, but it has put me on the path to success with the LSAT. My scores are far above average and I think its mostly because of the help I found with this test guide. The explanations are phenomenal.

This book is wrought with typos. It makes me wonder: If there are so many problems I can already see, how many are there that I can't see (e.g. Questions unlike those you will see on the real LSAT, flawed reasoning, incomplete information, etc). Stay away...

This was the first test prep book I used. I just finished it over the weekend. I will certainly have to buy a more indepth book to continue my preparation. The logic games section has good tips, but the book and this section in particular, is just too short.

The book was listed at Amazon as 2007 edition. Book we received was 2005 edition and not usable. I am in the process of waiting for a refund.

A very clear and concise look at public speaking. There are multiple pointers that help with building confidence in the area of public speaking.
Elaine Littau
Author of "Nan's Journey"

Very informative and well written. This book definately had some good tips and advice on how to improve your public speaking. I highly recommend it.

This book was well........ I'm not sure cause I haven't read it yet. Personally though I love Public Speaking and this book is required for a course I'm taking. For those of you who think you'll never be able to do Public Speaking, I assure you, you can!

I do a fair amount of public speaking and have found this book very helpful in many respects. It does an excellent job of covering the basics, includes some great tips that you might not think of on your own and also introduces some advanced topics without overwhelming you with lots of detail.

Like most of the "For Dummies" series, the book has an encouraging tone and is written in a humorous or light manner. It's an easy and pleasurable read and I believe everyone interested in public speaking would pick up something useful from it.

While I am not a huge fan of buying a book advertised as being for "dummies," I find the "...for Dummies" series to be very helpful for those of us unfamiliar with a certain topic. Needless to say, I am very unfamiliar with public speaking, unless you count the class I had in high school ten years ago, which I barely remember.

I am grateful for Kushner for taking a complex topic and making it easy to understand. Even though I am naturally outgoing and like to talk to groups, I wanted to learn an effective method of public speaking. I picked up the book because some friends and I have started an internet broadcast (called a podcast) and I wanted tips and suggestions on how to improve my speaking ability and organizational skills. I eventually want to branch out and do public speaking.

Generally, I liked the book, and even read it in a single day. I especially enjoyed the chapters about speech organization and the ones about voice and body language. I am going to practice his techniques during my spare time before either the mirror or a camera, to try to make them come more naturally. I am also going to thoroughly prepare for any speech I make, using the methods outlined in this book. He gives plenty of tips on how to start a speech, how to end one, and how to fill the speeches with humor and other interesting elements. Even though the book is an overview, putting his many suggestions into practice will keep anyone busy for awhile.

The only drawback to this book is that being a "...for Dummies" book, I feel like I need to read another more advanced book to actually get the best handle possible on public speaking. While I am glad this book is for complete beginners, some of the material is more about basic time management skills and common-sense psychology than public speaking. Also, I expected to read something about how to record myself and then how to evaluate/correct any mistakes I made. I didn't read anything about this. Webcams and microphones are so cheap these days that it only makes sense to suggest recording yourself speaking, and then watch it and evaluate it. I know that just editing my own (and others') podcast talks has helped me see how often I use "um," trail off, and ramble.

Overall, this is a very helpful and easy-to-read introduction to public speaking, with many advanced suggestions thrown in. I would suggest that anyone interested in public speaking read this book, and then get out and practice, practice, practice. That is what I plan to do.

The point of this book is that you are a brand. The possibility of having a very long term job with one company that defines you career is very small. For this reason you need to evaluate what your skils and interests are and market them, network, and promote yourself as the brand behind the 'WOW' projects you've worked on.

This strikes me as resonable though it's pretty generic.

Reading the book seems like it'd be a lot like seeing Peters in person on stage. It's got an evangelist style, catchphrases like 'WOW' project, BRAND YOU!, etc.

Here's a representative quote, 'Set up a Freak Collection section in your Rolodex. Add to it. Consciously. Constantly. Nurture it. Concsiously. Constantly.' The book is about 200 pages of that. (IMHO: BRAND YOU 50 = CAPITALIZATION + REPETITION + GENERIC OBSERVATION.) If you need a shot of enthusiasm about branding yourself, this book might be for you. If you are looking for more substantive reading, look elsewhere.

"Take control of your career by standing out as your unique self" is the point of this book.

If you're going to read anything on personal branding, start with this book as Tom was the first to ever use the term "Personal Branding." His books are always worth reading despite his annoying endless upbeat optimism, foo!ish use on end!ess !!!!!!, TOO MANY CAPS, and font mania.

A short book, but not a short read, at least not if you think about what you're reading.

In Tom's words, "Everyone has a chance to stand out" -- in my and many other's words, if you don't stand out you're a commodity, and receive commodity pay and treatment.

"What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times."

Gee Tom, that's tough. YOU try it! But the bottom line is, ya gotta lead with something.

Tom suggests "Go back to the comparison between brand You and brand X -- the approach the corporate biggies take to creating a brand."

Now Tom also mentions that "you still have to market the bejesus out of your brand."

Now I'm in 100% agreement with Tom, as what he says applies to me, but I think he may misunderstand how most of the corporate world wants people that just "fit in" and most people just want to "fit in" and be left alone." If you just want to be left alone at work, Dilbert style, this book isn't for you -- go crawl back into your cubicle!

I love this book (and the other two Reinventing Work Series books: The Project 50 and The Professional Service Firm50).

The Brand You 50 is a tiny little book that's a very quick read. It's chunked up into really short chapters. EVERY chapter has a wealth of information.

Tom Peters brings his passion and wisdom to the concept of your own personal brand. Each of us really should have our own brand. None of his ideas are hard to understand. Many require courage. Most take a real investment of your self. Isn't this what we want though? Don't we want to be / deserve to be / the very best we can be?!?

Best of the Book: Chapter 4 which includes four very practical Brand You assessment tools. I personally love the practical stuff. Give me a theory and I'm happy. Help me understand how to apply it and I'm thrilled. Let me help someone else apply it and I'm ecstastic!

Pick up a copy of The Brand You 50 today! Order it and have it sent right to you or go to your local bookseller and buy a copy. I'm a big fan of the library but you're going to want to have a copy of this one on your own bookshelf.

I hope you use The Brand You 50 to start your own Brand You. I did.

"Talent" by T.P. is better. This book consist of 50 main bullet points and possibly 6-700 sub bullets - all together a long list of nice things to think about but this is not a "how to" book as expected.

A lot of the advice within this book is sound: Be proactive. Sell yourself. Define yourself. Network. Take responsibility for your career success. As a junior professional, it's very important for someone like me to realise how these elements support and leverage one's actual capabilities in the workplace.

However the author seems hard pressed to develop these into 50 distinct points. It becomes repetitive, which is why I would recommend dipping into the book as opposed to reading it cover to cover.

The written style and tone becomes irritating. As other reviewers have noted, it's full of PHRASING like THIS!!!! HYPERBOLE!! INSPIRATIONAL CLICHES!! I wish instead of 5 word sentences the author had also offered more explanation and insight into the issues he raises.

I recieved my purchase as promised. No complaints. This order came direct from the Amazon Book Store.

I trully enjoyed this book, even though I am not a fan of text books. It has helped me develop stronger speaking skills, and I am not very good at public speaking. It's not a how to book, its simply a guide which offers tips and ideas on how you should present various topics.

I'm a student at a local college here in Jersey City. I found this book very easy to read but doesn't defeat the purpose to inform. I really wish I can have him as my teacher.

THANKS HAMILTON!

As a college instructor of oral communication for ten years, I complained bitterly about the poor selection of books for beginning students--until now. This is the single best book of its kind on the market, bar none. In all my years, I've never had students brag on a book like this one: easy to read, well-organized, thoughtful, practical, visually attractive, and substantive. My best compliment is that I can teach three times the material in half the time just by using this text--and people understand it! I can't brag enough on the author's work. This is phenomenal. ANYONE who wants to master the basics of public speaking should read this cover to cover. The principles and techniques Mr. Gregory describes are effective, powerful, and described in a simple way. BRAVO! I'll recommend this to everyone.

This book is terrific! I work with teenagers and helping them establish careers and making career choices. This book taught me so much about how to approach teens with this tough decision issue. Very down-to-earth and well established writing and exercises.

This book is needed to be read before anyone plans to seek employment. It will guide you to understand yourself and what career you need to lead a fulfilling life. A must read for anyone at any level of employment.

This book is really helpful in figuring out your own personality type as well as other people's. It teaches you how to interact with other personality types and gives you an accurate description on what kind work you should be doing according to your personality. It not only helped me to figure out my dream profession, but also encouraged me to go for it!

An exceptional work that is a delightful "read". In a very friendly yet literate style, Ms. Kalil lays an easy foundation for finding harmony with our career focus and personality. The included card set is an amazingly simple way to find your direction and learn about your "True Colors". The book is truly informative, and very helpful.

True colors will break your kids down into 4 main personalities and a combination of sub personalities. This book will teach you the weaknesses, strengths, wants, needs, etc. of each kid. After reading this book you will learn how to read kids and deal with their personality. Also, it will help you pick the right mate to date or marry and to pick the work that will make you happy. After two days of students in my class, I can tell the "orange" students in my class and my career advice to them is "Never take a job that is behind a desk or stuck in a room all day." Years later, students always tell me I was so right. So true colors does work! Buy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!