Careers
Last updated: October 10, 2023
The world of work has never been more competitive or anxiety-inducing as it is now. The rewards of success can be great, but the costs hard work, in terms of physical or mental exhaustion can be serious. Here we have a range of interviews recommending books to help you manage the highs and lows of your career.
Cynthia Johnson, a US-based marketing professional and author, chooses her best books on personal branding as an aid to career development. She explains that we all have a personal brand; what we need to do is focus on building a good one. Meanwhile David Allen, author of Getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity, chooses his best books on personal productivity. Michael Gervais chooses his best books on high performance psychology, arguing that, to reach your full potential you must put as much effort into building mental resilience as you do into work or training. Josh Cohen chooses his best books on burnout, its symptoms and its causes and why relentless activity is at its core.
Elsewhere Jessica Pryce-Jones chooses her best books on happiness at work and Emma Gannon talks about creating a career you love. Carol Dweck looks at mindset and success.
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1
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
by Marshall McLuhan -
2
How Google Works
by Eric Schmidt & Jonathan Rosenberg -
3
Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat.
by Sarah Robb O'Hagan -
4
Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, & the Economic World
by Kevin Kelly -
5
Propaganda
by Edward Bernays
The best books on Personal Branding, recommended by Cynthia Johnson
The best books on Personal Branding, recommended by Cynthia Johnson
We all have a brand, whether we want to or not, says Cynthia Johnson—the digital marketing expert and author of Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding. Here she selects five of the best books to help you build a better personal brand, and thereby boost your career.
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1
The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
by Daniel J Levitin -
2
BrainChains: Your Thinking Brain Explained in Simple Terms
by Theo Compernolle -
3
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
by Atul Gawande -
4
The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future
by Kevin Kelly -
5
The Antidote
by Oliver Burkeman
The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen
The best books on Productivity, recommended by David Allen
If you feel like you lose whole days to procrastination or indecision—or simply have too much to do!—you probably want advice on how improve your productivity. We spoke to David Allen, creator of the perennial bestseller Getting Things Done, about the best books on the subject: why we waste time, and what we can change to be more productive.
The best books on High Performance Psychology, recommended by Michael Gervais
To reach your full potential you must put as much effort into building mental resilience as you do into work or training, advises high-performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais. Here, he selects five titles to help you find the right mindset—whether you dream of sporting stardom, artistic achievement or business success.
The best books on Burnout, recommended by Josh Cohen
Overwhelmed, exhausted, yet unable to relax when you have the chance? You are not alone. Josh Cohen, psychoanalyst and author of Not Working: Why We Have to Stop, discusses the symptoms and causes of burnout—and why relentless activity is at the source.
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1
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
by Seth Godin -
2
The Artist's Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self
by Julia Cameron -
3
The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking
by Mikael Krogerus & Roman Tschäppeler -
4
How to Not Always Be Working: A Toolkit for Creativity and Radical Self-Care
by Marlee Grace -
5
My Creative (Side) Business: Turning your Side Projects into a Full-Time Creative Business
by Monika Kanokova
The best books on Creating a Career You Love, recommended by Emma Gannon
The best books on Creating a Career You Love, recommended by Emma Gannon
If you are fed up and burnt out, it’s time to take concrete steps towards building a better life, based on a job you love. Bestselling business author Emma Gannon tells Five Books about the career advice books that have inspired her most.
The best books on Mindset and Success, recommended by Carol Dweck
If you’ve stepped inside a school recently, you’ve probably heard teachers talking about the importance of a ‘growth mindset.’ Here psychologist Carol Dweck, who pioneered research into this key concept, explains what it’s all about and recommends books—other than her own—that shed light on it.
The best books on Happiness at Work, recommended by Jessica Pryce-Jones
The CEO of iOpener, a human asset management consultancy, explains how you can increase happiness and thus productivity in the workplace. She picks five essential reads for bosses and employees.