<p style="text-align: left"><em>Black Enterprise’s career experts from the July 2010 <a href="http://www.blackenterprise.com/careers/2010/06/15/job-seekers-readiness-guide/" target="_blank"><strong>Job Readiness Guide</strong></a> offer resourceful books for professionals looking to advance their careers. </em> NETWORKING:</strong> Networking guru <a href="http://diversity.nbcuni.com/bios/debra-langford.php" target="_blank"><strong>Debra Langford</strong></a>, vice president of Inclusion & Business Diversity at NBC Universal, recommends the following books to help you connect better with people:</p> <em><a href="http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html" target="_blank">Outliers</a></em> </strong>by <a href="http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/" target="_blank"><strong>Malcolm Gladwell</strong></a> (Little, Brown and Company; $27.99) – Gladwell examines the factors that lead to high levels of success. He asserts that one of the keys to success is the number of hours you work toward your goal, which he refers to as the “10,000 Hour Rule”.
<a href="http://www.drloisfrankel.com/books_office.html" target="_blank"><em>Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers</em></a></strong> by <a href="http://www.drloisfrankel.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Lois P. Frankel</strong></a>, Ph.D (Business Plus; $19.95) – Dr. Frankel, an internationally recognized executive coach, reveals why some women advance in their careers while others don’t. She helps readers eliminate unconscious mistakes by identifying social behaviors that women learn in childhood that sabotage their careers as adults.</p>
<p style="text-align: left"><strong>PROFILE:</strong> Leadership coach <a href="http://www.patriciaperkins.com" target="_blank"><strong>Patricia E. Perkins</strong></a> recommends the following books to enhance your profile:</p> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Click-Truths-Building-Extraordinary-Relationships/dp/0071489819" target="_blank"><em>Click: Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships</em></a></strong> by <a href="http://www.wp.frasernet.com/?page_id=3" target="_blank"><strong>George Fraser</strong></a> (McGraw-Hill; $24.95) – Fraser details 10 simple principles that will help people network effectively both in and out of the office.
<a href="http://www.timsanders.com/books/likeability-factor.html" target="_blank"><em>The Likeability Factor</em></a></strong> by <strong><a href="http://www.timsanders.com/" target="_blank">Tim Sanders</a> </strong>(Crown; $12.95) – Sanders teaches you how to raise your likeability factor by enhancing your friendliness, relevance, empathy, and realness.</p>
<a href="http://www.twistimage.com/book/" target="_blank"><em>Six Pixels of Separation</em></a></strong> by <a href="http://www.twistimage.com/blog/" target="_blank"><strong>Mitch Joel </strong></a>(Business Plus; $26.99) – This book integrates digital marketing, social media, personal branding, and entrepreneurship to empower you to reach a global audience and consumer base.</p>
<p style="text-align: left"><strong>SKILL SET:</strong> Career expert <a href="http://www.spencerstuart.com/consultants/5514/" target="_blank"><strong>Sharon Hall</strong></a>, partner at executive search firm <a href="http://www.spencerstuart.com//global" target="_blank"><strong>Spencer Stuart</strong></a>, says the best way to assert your skill set is by reading:</p> <a href="http://www.strengthsfinder.com/113647/Homepage.aspx" target="_blank"><em>StrengthsFinder 2.0</em></a></strong> by <a href="http://www.gallup.com/speakersbureau/18562/tom-rath.aspx" target="_blank"><strong>Tom Rath</strong></a> (Gallup Press; $24.95). – Author Rath offers strategies and assessment tools to help you evaluate your skills, yourself, and the world around you.</p>
<p style="text-align: left"><strong>FLEXIBILITY:</strong> Career and life coach <a href="http://www.myworkbutterfly.com/profile/CoachDeeMarshall" target="_blank"><strong>Dee Marshall</strong></a>, president of <strong><a href="http://www.goraisethebar.com" target="_blank">Raise The Bar</a></strong>, recommends the following books to enhance flexibility and pursue a better career and/or work life:</p> <a href="https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php" target="_blank"><em>Seven Habits of Highly Effective People</em></a></strong> by <a href="https://www.stephencovey.com/" target="_blank"><strong>Stephen Covey</strong></a> (Free Press; $15.95) – Covey challenges you to think about what your overall goals are for your career and life.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Thinking-Big-David-Schwartz/dp/0671646788" target="_blank"><em>The Magic of Thinking Big</em></a></strong> by David Schwartz (Fireside; $14.95) – Schwartz helps you expand your thinking about the possibilities.</p>
<a href="http://shop.simontbailey.com/product/release-your-brilliance-the-4-steps-to-transforming-your-life-and-revealing-your-genius-to-the-world-1003.cfm?&width=1680&height=1050" target="_blank"><em>Release Your Brilliance</em></a></strong> by <a href="http://www.simontbailey.com/index.cfm?&width=1680&height=1050" target="_blank"><strong>Simon T. Bailey</strong></a> (Imagination Institute; $19.99) – Bailey challenges you to pursue your passion, not a job.</p>
