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Career Smart

Written by Our Reviewer
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Career Smart: Clear Straightforward Career Advice By Stuart Nachbar I worked with career counselors for ten years before becoming a writer. I had the chance to observe their interactions with students and recent graduates. In large part, their advice on the job search was consistent on research, resume preparation, interview tactics and choosing the best fit based on the job seeker’s interests and personality. This is all part of the path towards a good entry level opportunity. Career Smart Career Smart: Five Steps to a Powerful Personal Brand, by Sherri Thomas, is a reader-friendly guide to younger workers on the next stage of their career journey whether it be an upward move, lateral move, or even a switch to a new industry. Career Smart embellishes two major points: provide something of value to your employer and clients; and, deliver it in such a way that or clients feel loyal to you. The emphasis on loyal is the author’s, not mine. Thomas believes that you provide value and earn loyalty in part by building a powerful personal brand in five steps: define the five core ingredients that make you unique; send the right messages; build relationships with the right career influencers, and strengthen your visibility and credibility with them; and, create a return-on-investment dashboard to measure and build your success. Thomas, who has managed several career transitions herself within marketing and communications positions in different industries, gives advice within each steps that at times seems basic and obvious, but necessary for a worker with limited experience. Career Smart is a perfect book for someone who has spent time in one function such as accounting, computer programming or sales, and wonders what his next position might be. Corporations cut back on providing such direction in difficult times, so Career Smart provides an inexpensive substitute to support a self-directed career plan. Career Smart has exercises that are very easy to do, but require thought. However, anyone who has earned an entry level position should do these exercises after they have worked in their company or industry for two years. Most corporate communities and industries expect you to advance out of your entry level position by then. There is one critical area Career Smart touches too lightly. Building a personal brand, at least according to Thomas, involves some degree of self promotion in order to be noticed. Thomas provides several examples from her career as examples: promoting project and task force accomplishments in her company newsletter and developing a corporate video class so that department heads could develop and manage their own productions. Many managers and peers frown on such tactics; prayers for failure are a driving force in corporate politics. I do not believe that Thomas provides enough advice on how to deal with detractors who do not want you to succeed, although her motive might be to encourage her readers, not elaborate on what might discourage them. But detractors are obstacles that can be overcome with her help. Career Smart is clear, honest and reader-friendly. After you read it you will no doubt know of friends and acquaintances that have followed Thomas’ advice. Then it’s up to you to follow through. Contact Stuart Nachbar at http://www.EducatedQuest.com , a blog on education politics, policy and technology or read about his first book, The Sex Ed Chronicle, a novel on education and politics in 1980 New Jersey, at http://www.SexEdChronicles.com . Tag it: ?
Last Updated ( Thursday, 12 June 2008 )