Reading list for the rest of your life
Some great books to foster lifelong learning
Adopting a student mindset is one of the most important things you can do as an older job seeker. It can open doors and bring on possibilities in more ways than you can imagine.
I’ve come up with a syllabus of some of my favorite books that I think can give you an edge in the challenging job market of today.
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
A timeless classic for a reason, it has remained relevant since it was first written nearly a century ago. Empathy and active listening can get you further than you might expect. This is one to absolutely read and absorb.
Influence, Robert Cialdini
Cialdini’s text is another classic. I first read it in college and I come back to it again and again. I wrote a piece for this newsletter about how it applies to job hunting. It’s getting people to say “yes” to you, after all.
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
A beautiful book that can open your eyes to the importance of design in all our lives. A fascinating trip through the design of things we take for granted. Maybe the least directly practical book on this list. But a mind expander.
Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller
I have talked about using storytelling in your application materials and interviews. Miller lays out how to construct a story with impact. Written for business, the techniques are eminently translatable to selling yourself and your abilities.
Super Mentors, Eric Koester
The newest book on this list, it revolutionized how I look at networking, one of the most important skills in job hunting. It’s all about asking people to collaborate with you, instead of just asking for advice. For more, check out “You Need a Project.”
Show & Tell, Dan Roam
All of Dan Roam’s books are fantastic. But I picked this one because it deals with presentations, another skill I recommend that you develop. Presentations help us think through problems and solutions, and communicate them simply and effectively.
The Non-Designers Design Book, Robin Williams
No, not that Robin Williams. 😁 This unassuming little book jumpstarted my education on print design. Just brilliant. Perfect for someone with no background in design to get the basics down.
There are important areas this list doesn’t cover. A.I. and social media, in particular, are topics I think it’s crucial for us to understand going forward. But I don’t have book recommendations for those topics. I will probably try to come up with an online syllabus for those things, because they change so quickly.
I want to hear from you
What books on your bookshelf would you recommend everyone read and why? Let me know in the comments or by replying to this email.
See you next week.
Interesting. When I worked at a college bookstore, I saw some of these books on course book lists. I will have to look into some of them. One I've seen on book lists for years is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. I haven't read it myself, but I know some of the tenets inside it (such as "ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness" - meaning that's how long you need to put into something to gain a certain level of expertise). I don't know if the book would apply well to the job market, but it hopefully helps students as they're trying to gain their feet about something.
Me? I'm nearing middle-age myself, so I know my time of investing 10,000 hours into something to "get great" at it are over. Oh well!
Looks like I have a lot of reading to catch up on!
I'd add a wonderful (and not too long) book I read recently, Four Thousand Weeks — a sort of anti-time management book that provides great insights and tips on how to really use your time well. More here: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/making-time