Impactful Resources for Professional Growth

I was invited to speak to a ULI Partnership Forum earlier in the week, where I answered questions about changing careers, improving resumes, impressing potential employers, dealing with challenging situations at work, and overall professional development.

Their questions were thoughtful, the dialogue was dynamic, and the group was an absolute pleasure!

I compiled the below list of some of my favorite resources/recommendations in follow-up to share with event attendees, and also wanted to share them with my community. I hope you enjoy them -

85 Powerful Action Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome – this is the article that I referred to that I use constantly in revising resumes/LinkedIn profiles/firm BIOs for candidates

TheMuse.com Career Advice Section – the above article is from this website, and I absolutely love the content they put out. 

15 Ways to Offer Truly Constructive Feedback – I love these insights. Simple and easy to implement!

For readers – 

Goodreads is an amazing app– you can create a reading goal for yourself, discover new books based on your interest, see what your friends are reading, get/give recommendations, track what you’re reading, etc. It’s free!! If you’re into e-books, sign up from BookBub – they send a daily email with low-cost and free e-books. I’ve built a substantial library for a fraction of the price of normal e-books. I also highly recommend Audible for commutes/road trips.

7 Books for Becoming an Exceptional Public Speaker (Plus 7 Tips) – This is a great list from Medium.com.

My favorite books that have business/professional development applications:

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, on establishing a morning routine

Start With Why and Find Your Why by Simon Sinek, on identifying your purpose (I’d read anything he wrote…)

High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard, on taking your habits/daily practices to the next level (You can find the audiobook for free in older episodes of his podcast)

Option B by Sheryl Sandberg, on grief and resilience

Grit by Angela Duckworth, on resilience

Braving the Wilderness by Brene’ Brown - I’d also highly recommend her Ted Talks on vulnerability and shame, and her Netflix special The Call to Courage. (I’ve read all of her books.) 

Work Rules! by Lazlo Bock, best practices from Google

Originals by Adam Grant, on challenging the status quo/disruption

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins, what to do in your first 90 days to get off to a brilliant start

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk, on a paradigm shift in business (I’ve read all of his books, and also recommend his podcasts, and following him on social)

In the Company of Women by Grace Bonney, stories of inspirational women (Makes a great gift!)

That’s What She Said by Kimothy Pikor, stories of inspirational women (Also makes a great gift – and fun fact, I went to high school with the author!)

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland, agile methodology

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss (I also recommend his podcasts, and weekly email on Fridays), advice for entrepreneurs but ANYONE can extract value from this book

Deep Work and So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport, first is on focus, the second is self-explanatory

The War of Art by Steve Pressfield, on overcoming resistance/blocks to creativity

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, talent vs. training and the research to support the argument for training

Presence by Amy Cuddy (I also recommend her Ted Talk that was the basis for the book)

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, how habits work and how to make them work for you

Who’s Got Your Back, and Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi, on relationship building

To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink, on the universality of sales

Linchpin by Seth Godin, on becoming indispensable (I read everything he writes, and I also recommend reading his blog)

Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley, strategies of design thinking

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, on what makes high achievers different (I read everything he writes)

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, on how to live a more creative life (I read everything she writes including her fiction)

What are your favorite resources to recommend?