How is it possible that both university graduates and unfilled job openings are both at record-breaking highs? Our world has changed. New and emerging occupations in every industry now require a combination of academic knowledge and technical ability. With rising education costs, mounting student debt, fierce competition for jobs, and the oversaturation of some academic majors in the workforce, we need to once again guide students towards personality-aligned careers and not just into college. Extensively researched, (Re)Defining the Goal deconstructs the prevalent "one-size-fits-all" education agenda. The author provides a fresh perspective, replicable strategies, and outlines six proven steps to help students secure a competitive advantage in the new economy. Gain a new paradigm and the right resources to help students avoid the pitfalls of unemployment, or underemployment, after graduation.

'A beautifully told story of courage, determination and, above all, magnificent defiance' Alan Johnson 'Bracing and inspirational' Nigella Lawson 'A wonderful writer... life-affirming' Jon Snow 'There are lots of reasons to read this book, which has the fineness of detail, sharpness of humour and grace of a novel by Penelope Lively. But it's this business of changing one's mind - the thing most of us least like to do - that I admired the most' Observer 'I am immersed in a new world that feels a long way from my old one. Though I've not been re-invented, what has happened is just as radical and a lot more interesting: I am being re-educated.' Lucy Kellaway had a comfortable life. For years she had the same prestigious job, the same husband, and the same home. To the casual observer, she was both happy and successful. But one day, Lucy began to realise that the life she had built for herself no longer suited her. Was it too late to start again? The answer was no - so she proceeded to tear down both marriage and career, and went back to school. Retraining as a teacher, Lucy discovers there is a world of new possibilities awaiting her - and learns that you can teach an old dog new tricks (providing they are willing to un-learn a few old ones along the way). A witty and moving story of one woman's pursuit of a new life, Re-educated is a celebration of education's power to transform our lives at any age, and an essential companion for anyone facing the joy - and pain - of starting again.

How Successful Career Changers Turn Fantasy into RealityWhether as a daydream or a spoken desire, nearly all of us have entertained the notion of reinventing ourselves. Feeling unfulfilled, burned out, or just plain unhappy with what we’re doing, we long to make that leap into the unknown. But we also hold on, white-knuckled, to the years of time and effort we’ve invested in our current profession.In this powerful book, Herminia Ibarra presents a new model for career reinvention that flies in the face of everything we’ve learned from "career experts." While common wisdom holds that we must first know what we want to do before we can act, Ibarra argues that this advice is backward. Knowing, she says, is the result of doing and experimenting. Career transition is not a straight path toward some predetermined identity, but a crooked journey along which we try on a host of "possible selves" we might become.Based on her in-depth research on professionals and managers in transition, Ibarra outlines an active process of career reinvention that leverages three ways of "working identity": experimenting with new professional activities, interacting in new networks of people, and making sense of what is happening to us in light of emerging possibilities.Through engrossing stories—from a literature professor turned stockbroker to an investment banker turned novelist—Ibarra reveals a set of guidelines that all successful reinventions share. She explores specific ways that hopeful career changers of any background can: Explore possible selves Craft and execute "identity experiments" Create "small wins" that keep momentum going Survive the rocky period between career identities Connect with role models and mentors who can ease the transition Make time for reflection—without missing out on windows of opportunity Decide when to abandon the old path in order to follow the new Arrange new events into a coherent story of who we are becoming A call to the dreamer in each of us, Working Identity explores the process for crafting a more fulfilling future. Where we end up may surprise us.

This powerful guide for new employees provides proven strategies to succeed in the first 90 days in a new job. You will learn valuable tactics that can be applied by any new hire in any career path.

Draws on dozens of interviews to counsel young workers on how to navigate today's challenging employment arenas to reinvent their careers, providing anecdotal coverage of such topics as selecting compatible work, maintaining income and transitioning smoothly. Original.

Plot out your path to a rewarding work life. The world of work is changing with head-spinning speed. Now more than ever, you need to find your footing—and design your personalized road map to job satisfaction and career success. Career Mapping offers a template for figuring out who you are and what you can offer to the work world. Inspired by the author’s own experiences as a college recruiter and executive recruiter, as well as a woman who broke through to the executive ranks in two male-dominated industries, it addresses an array of situations, from just starting out to navigating the corporate maze to launching a new business or anticipating retirement. It offers case studies of people at different stages of their careers, and provides a step-by-step process for customizing your own job hunting and career management strategies. With thought-provoking questions; candid revelations from her own inspiring journey; and vital advice from Ginny Clarke’s experiences interviewing, recruiting, and coaching thousands of professionals and executives, Career Mapping explains the oft-misunderstood executive search process, demystifies how you can make yourself a more desirable job candidate, and reveals how to avoid the devastating pitfalls that have derailed careers.