The new year is a great time to think about reinventing yourself. So many people have been displaced from jobs and careers they enjoyed and hope to do again, but many are looking for the next new challenge. How perfect that Alexandra Levit’s new book, New Job, New You – A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career is launching this week!
If you are thinking of reinventing yourself – or even if you are not – the tales Alexandra shares are inspiring. The book offers story after story of people who successfully made changes in their careers and in their lives as a result of a variety of factors:
- Family requirements
- Need for independence
- Desire to pursue additional learning
- Financial aspirations
- Pursuit of a passion
- Personal or health setbacks
- Honing a talent or skill
In each category, we learn the stories of regular people (just like us!) who have made a move. Just to list a few:
- Automotive marketer to toy producer
- Accountant to wedding planner
- Wine connoisseur to thought leader promoter
- Stockbroker to pajama manufacturer
- Paralegal to advertising copywriter
- Electronic sales executive to motivational speaker
If you have read other career books, but haven’t “seen” yourself in them – this book is a refreshing change. I imagine everyone will be able to identify with some of the stories here - via the circumstances and/or the choices described.
The personal, sometimes moving, accounts of people who took the reigns of their professional lives may inspire you, but what makes this book so special and useful is that, for each of the categories above, Alexandra includes self-reflexive questions for potential career changes to consider. She offers specific suggestions, action steps and exercises to help careerists evaluate a fit for the change and a capacity to make it happen successfully. To top it all off – each chapter includes a resource toolkit and suggestions of useful books to read.
I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve reviewed by Alexandra, but I think this one is exceptional – a real home run for anyone looking for advice or information to help them move to their “next best thing.” I hope you will pick up a copy for yourself and anyone you know who could use a shot of inspiration and advice! Don’t forget to visit the book’s site for information about special offers and giveaways and plan to attend the book launch party on January 12th if you are in the Chicago area and keep an eye on Alexandra’s blog for regular career advice and information.
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