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Work it out: reading on the job
REVIEWS BY ELLEN R. MARSDEN Whether you're just starting out, re-entering the workforce or simply wanting to make some changes in your work life, these four new books will show you how to succeed in getting where you want to go.
Day by day, week by week, the authors show you what to think and do to ensure you're at your professional best. With their help, your new job won't be just a blur of new people and new responsibilities: you'll be strategically reviewing, planning, reacting and revising. Whether you're an entry-level employee, middle manager or head honcho, this book offers sound techniques for making you a stand-out in those critical first 12 weeks and beyond.
By Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell, Ph.D. Adams Media, $14.95 320 pages ISBN 1593375409
Making a change
Kay shares insights on thinking about and overcoming some of the factors that can inhibit you as you seek your new career, be they fear of change, the nagging inner voice asking "what if I fail?" and "what will others think?" or financial issues. If you're looking for the energy infusion to get going, this book may be it.
By Andrea Kay Stewart, Tabori & Chang 272 pages, $15.95 ISBN 1584794879
Although the authors devote much of the book to helping you manage workplace changes, including boss and co-worker expectations, they also discuss the impact on your personal life. They deal squarely with uncomfortable issues such as possible spousal resentment when you're not working, dealing with friends and relatives who might question your decisions and sorting out your self-definition, desires and goals as you make the transitions. Delivered in a friendly style, the book draws on experiences of working mothers from many professions, and provides insights from career counselors, economists and employers. The authors discuss the range of options for going back to work: full- or part-time, changing careers and becoming an entrepreneur.
By Monica Samuels and J.C. Conklin Morgan Road Books, $23.95 304 pages ISBN 0767922425
Charm school
By Brian Tracy and Ron Arden AMACOM, $15 144 pages ISBN 0814473571
Ellen R. Marsden writes from Mason, Ohio.
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New on the job? As they say, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. One in four employees won't make it through their first year. In Sink or Swim! New Job. New Boss. 12 Weeks to Get It Right, authors Milo Sindell and Thuy Sindell, Ph.D., business and leadership consultants, assert that you lay the groundwork for success or failure in the first three months on the job. Their book helps the new employee make the most of the opportunity by applying the five sink or swim skills they've identified: setting goals; learning time management skills; developing a network of knowledge resources; learning how to be a team player and crafting the appropriate professional image through your appearance and actions.
Support your 
If it's time to be moving on to a new career, yet you can't seem to get going, advice from career consultant Andrea Kay may be what you need. Enter Life's a Bitch and Then You Change Careers: Nine Steps to Get You Out of Your Funk and on to Your Future. This workbook will help you find work that's more fitting for the person you are. Guiding you through systematic self-reflection, exercises and checklists, Life's a Bitch will enable you to find challenging and meaningful work that will use your strengths and fit your values, personality, life and future.
If you are thinking of quitting work once you have a baby, or have already quit to have a baby and wonder how to get back in the workforce, attorney Monica Samuels and journalist J.C. Conklin have you in mind. In Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Jumpstart Your Career Even if You Haven't Had a Job in Years they dispense good advice for making a graceful exit from work when you're taking time off to be a full-time mom, and sound strategies for a smooth re-entry into the workforce.
It's not only who you know and it's not only what you know. How you interact with people is a key component to success, both personal and professional. For some, it is innate; others can learn it. "It" is the ability to be charming, to be regarded as interesting, likeable and most importantly, interested in others. Business consultant and author Brian Tracy, along with Ron Arden, a coach of professional speakers, share stories and techniques in The Power of Charm: How to Win Anyone Over in Any Situation. Reminiscent in aspects to the classic How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, the book delves into the details of becoming and being charming, including eye contact, body language, vocal and verbal reassurances, and guiding the conversation.