Our third CareerCampSCV (Santa Clarita Valley) is happening on July 14th, 2012 and tickets are available starting today. We hope to see you there!

Unemployed? Underemployed? New college graduate? Considering new career options?

Join us for CareerCampSCV 2012!

When: Saturday, July 14, 2012 9AM to 3:30PM

Where: 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road Santa Clarita, CA 91355

FREE Admission • FREE Parking

Directions

College of the Canyons Career Center presents CareerCampSCV, a FREE hybrid conference/unconference dedicated to helping you build the career you deserve. The day will include scheduled speakers, ad hoc presentations and breakout ses- sions on all aspects of building your career. CareerCamp is FREE for all adults who want to build or improve their career. Space is Limited. Register for FREE today. For more information, a list of scheduled speakers and additional career content

Registration is now open for CareerCampSCV 2012 – July 14, 2012 is a post from Career Opportunities

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Here is the original blog post that started the conversation.

ROBBIE ABED’S PERSONAL BLOG: Fire Me Now, I beg you!

In every situation I ask myself two questions:

• What do I want the outcome of this situation to be
• What do I secretly want the outcome of this situation to be

For example, at one of my previous jobs, my boss setup an emergency meeting in her office. The title of the calendar invite was “catch up”. It was one of those vague meeting titles that meant one of two things: 1) She wanted to catch up or 2) She was going to lay me off.

Read the entire article here

More importantly, here is a great discussion thread on Hacker News that that blog post generated.

YCombinator: Hacker News Discussion Board

There are some great thoughtful and insightful comments there, including…

This is actually a great mental exercise for determining if you’re fundamentally unhappy at your current job. Just try and imagine your boss calling into a meeting like the one the OP describes and giving you some sort of, “your work has been good, but unfortunately we have to make some changes, and this will be your last day” speech, and imagine how you would feel.If your reaction is something along the lines of relief, then you are fundamentally unhappy at your job. You have not only concluded that it is not a good situation, but that the situation is incapable of improving. It’s likely only artificial mental restraints keep you from doing anything about it (“oh man I may have to move, moving is annoying… and I guess I get paid pretty well, most of my friends are making half what I do… and my boss said some things would change, although he said that months ago…”) and those restraints aren’t even that strong, otherwise you wouldn’t be relieved if you got laid off.

It is very worthwhile to look through this thread no matter where you are in your current job.

Fire Me Now, I beg you! – great blog post and discussion is a post from Career Opportunities

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Thanks to @ilovegarick, I checked into this evening’s #TChat – “At the intersection of talent and culture”, as it says on their web page. There was lots of talk about communities of all sorts, but especially about talent communities — people of similar talents, jobs, work gathering together for mutual benefit. Here are a few things I had to say during the chat.

If you want to join in on the #TChat fun, it happens each Wednesday night at 7pm EDT/4 pm PST. You can use your own Twitter client or the TweetChat.com service to aid you in your participation.

Tonight’s topic was Talent Communities. I must admit, the term wasn’t familiar to me. Before the chat I headed over to Wikipedia for more information.

Link: Talent Community from Wikipedia.com

• As much as we might like to have “terms” we can hang our hats on, I wouldn’t get so tied up in the terminology.
• Communities require that you join them, not be a member by default. You have to engage.
• Sometimes your community isn’t enough. You need to go out and join the communities that have the people you are seeking to recruit
• i.e. If you are recruiting programmers, you better be on the programmer’s forums. That is where the talented people often are
• Important to remember too that you are never just a member of one community. We all have multiples in our lives and work
• For people, a community is yet another place to show people “what you do and how well you do it” which is so needed for all workers
• In some ways, you entire life is your community. Just as likely to meet candidates at Starbucks as in an office or job fair
• You need to be aware of talent no matter what you are or what you are doing. Your next placement could come from a fellow gym member
• The best communities are already, by default, showing you who has the best “chops/skills/energy” You just need to listen to them.
• Finding talent should be integrated into you life. Something you always do. Not limited to specific situations, times, communities
• You need to be careful that you don’t create too many “silos” in your life, all compartmentalized. Let things blend and bleed together
• I like to think I have one community — mine, but it has a lot of different neighborhoods, each with their own character
• I’ve never been able to draw lines between personal and professional life. They mush together waaaay to much for that. I am me, period
• So here is the rub, though. I don’t think you can form a talent community from the outside, I think those with the skills do it together
• As a recruiter, I think you need to be more focused on finding useful communities than trying to create/recreate your own
• You can’t force people to interact. That is for sure. It has to come naturally. They have to have something interesting to say.
• You create your own personal community every day. Bring in those people who are interesting/useful to you and enjoy.
• I would say that the manufacturing of a community can be very low key, though. Hey, come over to #tchat tonight and let’s talk for example. Give them a place to gather.
• Your communities are a collection of overlapping and intersecting bubbles. They all effect each other as you bring info from 1 to other
• I think I have come around to the fact that we should be joining other communities, not trying to create our own world. Go find them.
• Go where people are already discussing their work – telling others “what they do and how well they do it” Why need our own – Is it control?
• Smart folks treat every job as freelance/contract and shouldn’t stop networking, etc. More people need to do that.
• Companies can use Talent Communities to develop collection of talented people they can turn to when in need. Need a programmer? Here are 30+ to choose from.
• Companies shouldn’t wait for great candidates to send in a resume from an ad. They should be building a list continuously.
• There is never really a lack of talent. More likely the company doesn’t know where talent is. Needs to go find it.
• Major reason companies need to be reaching out/cultivating communities more, in fact

Notes from #TChat on Talent Communities is a post from Career Opportunities

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• January 14, 2011 - What day is it?
• January 31, 2011 – Communication and your career
• February 14, 2011 - The care and feeding of your career
• February 18, 2011 - Production, Promotion and being Proactive in your Career
• March 6, 2011 - Those who take advantage
• March 25, 2011 - Your career is about YOU!
• April 1, 2011 - Hitting the bullseye
• April 8, 2011 - Taking responsibility for your own education
• April 29, 2011 - What I tell every new career builder
• May 19, 2011 – Helping other help you
• May 27, 2011 - It doesn’t take permission to do good work
• June 10, 2011 - Networking means connections, not just collecting business cards
• July 1, 2011 - Time for a review
• July 9, 2011 - Too much can’t
• July 18, 2011- Most of us undervalue our knowledge
• July 29, 2011 - Work your rolodex like a pro
• August 5, 2011 - Make the extrinsic, intrinsic in your job search
• August 12, 2011- Opting out of social media is no longer an option
• August 27, 2011 - The importance of the teachable moment
• September 3, 2011 - Real World Example: A talk with George Starcher, fellow Friends in Tech member
• September 16, 2011 - Look deeper to find hidden jobs
• October 1, 2011 - Networking is not about business cards
• October 17, 2011 – Video: Social Media and Your Career Part 1-4
• October 30, 2011 - A college degree isn’t a license to a great career
• November 6, 2011 - Treat every career like an entertainment career
• November 18, 2011 - What you DON’T do is often more important than what you do
• December 12, 2011 - The pain of solving a problem today is always less than the pain of solving it tomorrow
• December 30, 2011 - Life isn’t about the ticking clock

Career Opportunities Podcasts for 2011 is a post from Career Opportunities

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Listen to the audio promo

This 11,000 word book is available for immediate download in the Amazon Kindle bookstore. Kindle books can be read on almost any device including Windows and Macintosh computers, iPhone, iPads and Android tablets and phones using the FREE Kindle Reader software.

Here is an example from the introduction of Cultivating Your Career Reputations.

“While we often talk about one, monolithic, Reputation – with a capital R — I believe that there are a series of reputations that make up the whole. This book will focus on the combination of reputations that make up your one, overarching, Reputation. By examining each of these reputations in detail, I hope you will find specific areas where you can improve your work, your actions and your thoughts so that your overall professional reputation grows.

Why break your Reputation down into its constituent parts? It is often said that you can’t “do” projects, you can only do the individual tasks that make up the project and achieve the desired result. The same can be said for reputation. You don’t build your reputation as a whole, you cultivate the smaller reputations that create it. Each individual action builds your reputation in unique ways and each requires some thought as to how they relate to the whole.”

Sections include:

• A Reputation for Fairness
• A Reputation for Honesty
• A Reputation for Trustworthiness
• A Reputation for Decision-making
• A Reputation for Empathy
• A Reputation for Helpfulness
• A Reputation for Compromise
• A Reputation for Clarity
• A Reputation for the Big Picture…and the small
• A Reputation for Balancing Work and Self
• A Reputation for Creativity and Innovation

Buy the book, or download a sample, today!

Other Kindle Books by Douglas include:

• Social Media Self Preservation
• The High-Tech Career Handbook

Cultivating Your Career Reputations eBook now available! is a post from Career Opportunities

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Do you have career questions? Drop me a line on Google+ or any of my other blogs or social media sites.

T: I absolutely fail at job interviews. I don’t know what it is but, I could be the most confident person walking in, but as soon as I get in front of the interviewer, especially if it is a job that I really want, I freeze up. I start thinking all of these negative thoughts in my head, and I just know they can read my uneasiness on me. Right now I am applying for an opportunity at Red Cross, and even though it is a volunteer opportunity and not a paying job, they want to interview you for it. I am fearful that I will look good on paper, but not so much in person.

Is there any advice you can give to help me to not sabotage myself at interviews? Any secrets or tricks of the trade to help with my self-confidence?

Douglas: I would call what you are experiencing a “crisis of confidence” and it happens to everyone on occasion. (Been there, done that myself) You allow yourself to get so stressed about what MIGHT happen that you aren’t paying attention to what IS happening. We can all doubt ourselves and our skills on occasion, but you DO have the skills you need, you DO have the knowledge and you CAN do the job. This is true of all of us unless we have some impairment. Look around you and see everything you have accomplished in your life. You can accomplish even more.

The stress can also come from being judged. I know I hate being judged so I can empathize with you. That said, let them judge. You are who you are regardless of what they think about you. You need to feel confident in yourself and it will matter less how they judge you. They will judge you, but you will handle it better because you have an innate confidence in yourself.

Think of the interview as a conversation and treat it as such. I think many of us take an interview much too formally. There should discussion about the job of course, but if the conversation turns in an interesting direction — follow it. If you have an illuminating example of something from your life, share it. Try to show as much about WHO you are as WHAT you know. Remember, an interview is basically about them trying to see if they could stand to be around you day in and day out. (SMILE) Of course, you will want to avoid the typical touchy areas — sex, religion, politics — unless you are working for a company or group who specializes in those areas. No need to go into your drunken revels, either, but that probably doesn’t need to be said. (LAUGH)

Also, You might just be caring too much about getting this job.True to your present circumstances or not, you need to feel like you don’t NEED the job. You may WANT the job. You may LIKE the job, but you don’t NEED it. Feeling needy can stop us in our tracks and, I think, the interviewer can feel it, too. Try to push the NEED from your mind, even if you are feeling that you really do NEED it. You should always feel that you have other options. If not this job, then the next, or maybe the next. You should never feel you are there begging for a job. The company needs you as much as you need them. Remember that always. It is true — and if it isn’t true at this particular company, find a company where it is true.

This neediness has a lot in common with the “desperation factor” that we can sometimes see in others (and maybe ourselves) when we are dating. These people are so desperate to have a date, a girlfriend, a wife that it spills over into their actions. The come on too strong. They come on too needy. They come on as desperate. Other people can sense this desperation and recoil from it, as you have probably done yourself at one time or another. You are not desperate, you are just looking for a job.

Finally, find a quiet place and imagine what a perfect interview would look like.

(INSERT DREAM SEQUENCE HERE)

The interview meets you and provides you a coffee exactly as you love it. Tall Latte, 3 caramel pumps, extra whipped cream. You go to a comfortable office where you sit across from each other in comfortable arm chairs. You chat. You discuss. You have a great conversation. You think, “Hey I could see myself being friends with this person.”

Of course, most interviews won’t go like this, but imagine how would feel if they did. No remember that feeling and keep it within you no matter what actually happens. I hope it will make you feel calm, comfortable and confident, not matter what questions they ask.

I hope this helps on your next interview. Let me know if you have any follow up questions to this topic or any new questions you would like me answer.

T: thank you so much for all your advice. I can only hope that when I go into the next job interview that I can keep all this in mind. 

I have submitted my application with Red Cross and am now awaiting their phone call. That’s another thing I hate – waiting. Even though this is only a volunteer opportunity it is an amazing one and I do hope to get a callback for an interview about it. I have been unemployed for about six months, and it has been 3 months since I last got an interview, even though everyday I have been sending out resumes and attending job fairs. I am running out of options, really.

Douglas: You are very welcome! I hope that it helps you feel better about your interviews.

As for waiting…Go do something else while you wait! 

Don’t sit around waiting and worrying. It is so important to have many “irons in the fire” so you don’t end up obsessing about any one of them.

What else can you be doing?

Want to organize a +CareerCamp International in your area? (SMILE)

How about just getting together with others to share techniques, job leads and more.

Get out there and DO as much as you can. It often leads to bigger and better things you never imagined.

Interviews, Confidence and more – a Google+ Conversation is a post from Career Opportunities

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ONE-TO-ONE CAREER CONSULTING WITH DOUGLAS E. WELCH

DO YOU NEED PERSONAL HELP WITH YOUR CAREER?

As I enter my 13th year of writing the Career Opportunities column and my 7th year of podcasting, I have decided to offer an exclusive service to Career Opportunities readers and listeners.

ONE-TO-ONE CAREER CONSULTING

While I believe that the written and podcast versions of Career Opportunities can be very helpful, I also understand that sometimes we can all use more direct, one-to-one attention. I know from personal experience that talking things out is often the best way to solve career problems and discover new ideas. It can be difficult to discuss career issues in public discussion groups and it can even be difficult to discuss them with friends and family. Sometimes you just need a knowledgable and friendly ear to help you develop your own unique solutions for your career.

EXCLUSIVE TO CAREER OPPORTUNITIES READERS AND LISTENERS

Openings for these one-to-one career consulting sessions will be very limited. I don’t imagine taking on more than 10 clients at any one time. This will allow me to deeply focus on these clients while still continuing to write the column and record the podcast.

Since availability will be so limited, I will not be advertising this new consulting service widely. My first goal is to work with readers and listeners of Career Opportunities, especially those long-time readers who are now looking for more guidance in “Building the Career You Deserve”.

COST

One-to-one consulting will be available at my regular hourly rate of $100/hour via telephone, Skype or other online services. Purchasing multiple sessions in advance offers a discount.

For example:

1 session – $100

2 sessions – $175

3 sessions – $250

4 sessions – $325

Sessions can be recorded and delivered as MP3 audio files.

Payment can be made through US Mail by check or credit card via Paypal.

Sign up for your one-to-one consulting session today and start “Building the Career You Deserve.”

Number of 1 hour Sessions

1 Session $100.00 2 Sessions $175.00 3 Sessions $250.00 4 Sessions $325.00

*You will be contacted on receipt of payment to schedule your session.

Questions? Email career@welchwrite.com or call 818-804-5049

ONE-TO-ONE CAREER CONSULTING WITH DOUGLAS E. WELCH is a post from Career Opportunities

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Follow @careertips on Twitter.

• #CareerChat today at 1EDT/10 PDT. Join in via Tweetchat.com.
• What is accountability?
• Taking responsibility for your action and work and being held responsible for the work you are assigned.
• You also need to hold yourself responsible for your actions, your goals, you achievements and your behavior
• Additionally, accountability also means doing what is best for YOUR career, not just your job.
• Your job description merely describes the minimums of your responsibility
• You have to go well beyond these minimums to thrive and grow in your career
• In some cases, blame DOES need to be assigned as this person is accountable for the poor work/no work they do.
• Admit mistakes AND repair mistakes. Also very important
• Accountability must be equally applied throughout company structure. People inherently sense unfairness when not.
• Remember that being a team player only works if the other members of your team believe it too. Don’t be a doormat/fall guy.
• Setting clear/agreed upon goals and holding workers (and managers) to them.
• I find using tech tools to monitor/update/manage status to be highly preferable to F-2-F mtings. More productive
• Everyone should be able to see status of any project at a glance.
• Simple rule for accountability is: Do what you say you will, when you say you will or renegotiate the agreement.
• Most F-2-F meeting s devolve into any number of useless endeavors. Also status out of date when mtg is over
• What in status? Whatever it takes to be clear — a combination of all types of status
• Projects often come off the rails, because someone isn’t performing and no one knows until too late
• The problem being that not everyone understands professionalism. You will always find those people in every company
• Goals are useful yes, but sometimes we all need to ask WHY a project is moving forward. Good goals on bad project go nowhere.
• Excuses for ducking accountability: I didn’t know. It was THEIR fault. No one told me. It’s not my job.
• Accountability for something, without being given responsibility (or power) to manage it is one of most frustrating work experience.
• No follow through on projects can also point out the perhaps project wasn’t that important and shouldn’t have been pursued at all
• Unfinished projects are a complete waste and employees recognize it as such. Enough such projects and employees go elsewhere
• People want to see their work implemented and respected. Dead end projects provide neither. Horrible moral killer
• Great book on meetings – “Read before out next meeting” -http://amzn.to/pErHEO
• There will always be those who try to avoid responsibility. Identify and avoid them at all costs.

This week’s #Careerchat – Accountability is a post from Career Opportunities

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Anniversaries come and go, so it was only a couple of days ago that I remembered that Career Opportunities passed another milestone back on September 24, 2011. Back in 2004, this was the day the first episode was sent out into the “ether” using this new-fangled “podcast” thingy. It was one of the first 20 podcasts then available in the infant podcast directory that Adam Curry had started.

So, I raise my glass to 7 great years and many more to come. My podcasting has expanded into several more blogs and podcasts and extended into video and live streaming over the years. I don’t foresee that I will ever stop podcasting something. It is simply too good a way of getting your word out to the world free of gatekeepers. I encourage others to start podcasting nearly every day so that they can build their lives and businesses.

Thanks for reading and listening and watching over the years! I hope you will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Douglas E. Welch, Writer/Producer, Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities podcast is now in its 7th year! is a post from Career Opportunities

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You can follow me on Twitter at @careertips

We were discussing how to deal with gaps in your resume due to layoffs and downsizing.

• A1: It does help to have other, perhaps volunteer work to fill in the gap. Maybe even self-developed projects
• Consulting is another great idea
• That said, it seems odd we still worry about such things in today’s job market. Everyone has gaps, or so it would seem
  • We need to finds ways to make gaps less of a red flag.
  • Yet another one of those archaic issues that revolve around job search. Some people still living in the 60′s
• You can’t/shouldn’t have gaps. You need to be doing something all the time. Put projects in place before layoff
• I always have my CareerCamp work as on-going so there is always something happening. Develop your own projects and show them off
• Social media is very important way of showing people “What you do and how well you do it!”
• Common sense is always the most important and often least acknowledged.
• I push self-directed” education with everyone I talk with/speak to. Very important for overall life/career health
• RT @CareerBuilder: If you have a gap in your career, be prepared to answer, “What did you do?” from recruiter. Dont say “Nothing
  • Know your “story” before you walk in the door…and then tell it well. Always good advice.
• Sharing your knowledge and expertise using social media is a necessary and imp. part of your career. Can lead directly to work.
  • You always have something to share/say..or you need to. Capture ideas and thoughts, post to blog, etc
• Most people “throw away” great content and ideas because they don’t capture them immediately. Write it down.
  • You have more to say than you might think. Really! I believe that is true to everyone.
  • I carry a paper journal everywhere I go, even though I am a tech head with an iPhone. It facilitates easy idea capture anywhere
  • I find the conspicuous nature can help sometimes. People like to see that you are capturing info and ideas
  • My clients always notice when I am taking notes during a consulting call..always. Easy way to estab. credibility
  • Oh yes, ALWAYS take notes during and interview, even if you are only noting how ugly their tie is. (LAUGH)
  • Taking notes during an interview can give you an oppty to slow down and think about your answers before speaking.
  • I can’t imagine that it would (annoy the interviewer). It shows your interest and your attention to the interview, I think
    • You are being interviewed, not interrogated. At least, that is the way it should be
  • (Dealing with interview nerves) Well, note taking can help with that too. Gives you something to do with your hands.
• Self-directed education, outside/personal projects, anything that reminds you are good and builds/maintains confidence
  • People attending and organizing CareerCamp always tell me how much of a confidence builder it was. Taking active action helps
  • They are in control of everything for one day or week when everything else might feel out of their control. Gives them energy
• For me, action itself, any action, is always the most positive mode of operation. Do something, anything to get you moving
• We always underestimate the importance of our own knowledge and skills. We have much to share with others, every day. Do it!
• (Interview as performance) I always have believed my degree and experience in the theater has served me greatly in my career.

Tidbits from today’s #careerchat is a post from Career Opportunities

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This post is an “Open Discussion” to both collect your questions and also allow you comment on the questions of others.

Got a question that is really concerning you? Add it as a comment to this post. Then, come back and chime in on the questions of others.

Open Discussion Week 01: What are your biggest career questions? is a post from Career Opportunities

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2. The Right Way to Resign


3. Weekly Career-Op Open Discussion Thread


4. My first post from an iPhone


5. The difference between your job, your work and your career


6. The New Career Danger Zone


7. Archive: Traits of a Good Leader – October 14, 2005


8. Look to the fringe for the next step in your career


9. Expand Your Horizons


10. Video: Career Compass: Finding Your Career North with Douglas E. Welch


11. Career-Op Gift Guide # 3: Drive by Daniel Pink


12. Do you remember how unique you once were?


13. Someone has to do that job…or not


14. Everything you do MUST have value to others


15. What I’m Reading…How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell

Top Career Opportunities Posts for 2010 is a post from Career Opportunities

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Sunday marked our 5th Annual LIVE Reading of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. We had some new voices this year and had a great time as usual. You can listen to the entire show using the link below.

Consider having your own reading of A Christmas Carol, or other favorite story, as a way to gather friends together and share a unique experience. You don’t have to broadcast it like we do, but why not share it with the world!

This year’s show was sponsored by WelchWrite.com, Eclipse-1 Media and New Media Interchange.

Listen to 5th Annual Live Reading of A Christmas Carol

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Enjoy more Christmas Carol in your own home!

Free download of “A Christmas Carol” – Text/ePub/HTML/Kindle versions available

Free download of our reading script of “A Christmas Carol” – PDF format

The audio CD of Patrick Stewart’s one man version of A Christmas Carol is absolutely amazing. We saw the show several times here in LA and met Patrick one evening. His version of “A Christmas Carol” was the driving factor in starting our own yearly reading of the story.

More “A Christmas Carol” on Amazon.com

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# 15 The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton, PhD

Let me start by addressing the mild curse word in the title of this book. I find it a totally appropriate use of the word and truly brings home the extremity and importance of the issue. If the word offends you, please skip this post, although I do highly recommend this book. — Douglas

A world without assholes (the author has a precise definition for them) — what a dream it would be. Working in a company where you weren’t constantly demeaned, threatened or abused. A company where everyone had the ability to succeed to their highest levels without suffereing the outbursts, rage and attacks of the assholes around them. While nearly everyone can agree this would create a much better workplace, too often we support assholes and allow them, even encourage them, to continue their behavior no matter what the cost to the company or those around them.

Sutton clearly explains what we already know in our hearts — excluding assholes from out lives makes everyone happier and more productive. He suggests that every company have no assholes rule clearly stated on paper and embraced by everyone in the company and I highly agree. It is the only way to insure that you, your fellow workers and your company can reach your highest productivty.

There is so much in this book that rings true with my own experience “in the trenches” of corporate life. This is especially true of the times I watched, from the outside, the extremely disfunctional entertainment business where my wife worked. The entertainment industry seems a haven for assholes of all sorts and I have seen some of the worst in action.

Too sum up the book in a few lines — don’t hire assholes in the first place, get rid of them if you have them and use some of the coping mechanisms in the book to survive them, if you cannot escape them. These might be the most important steps you can take to protect and extend your own career.

You can hear Moira Gunn’s Tech Nation interview with the author over at IT Conversations – Listen Here

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #14 Books by Malcolm Gladwell
• #13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large
• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

Career-Op Gift Guide #15: The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton, PhD is a post from Career Opportunities

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# 14 Books by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcom Gladwell’s books always generate a lot of thoughts as I read through them, and I consider this to be one of the hallmarks of a good book. From The Tipping Point to Outliers, I have made a point of reading each of his books, often twice.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large
• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

Career-Op Gift Guide #14: Books by Malcolm Gladwell is a post from Career Opportunities

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# 13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large

Even in this digital age (and while also carrying an iPhone) I still carry a paper notebook everywhere I go. There are times when writing on paper is the only way to break through to new thoughts. It also facilitates the easy capture of every great idea that shows up in your life. Booting up a computer or even unlocking your phone can get in the way of capturing your thoughts and cause you to miss it.

The are many types of Moleskine notebook including lined, sketch, square-ruled, reporters notebooks and even a storyboard notebook. You can find a complete collection using the link below.

Complete list of Moleskine Notbeooks

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

Career-Op Gift Guide #13: Moleskine Notebook is a post from Career Opportunities

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#12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

While some might read a book like this for tips on manipulating others to do what they want, I found some great insight into what drives people to make the choices they do. As an organizer of events like CareerCampLA and others, finding ways to persuade people to sponsor and attend these events is critical. Yes! has many great ideas on how to use people’s own desire to be persuaded to work in your favor, and hopefully their favor as well.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

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#11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

With interests in both art and business, it seems only natural to combine them in my mind. “Art & Fear” addresses the all-to-common issues with creating art and I believe there are a lot of parallels to any career. Most art is about overcoming fear and it is the same with your career. You need to work through the fear in order to create something wonderful, not matter what you do.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

Career-Op Gift Guide #11: Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking is a post from Career Opportunities

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