The best 30 Job Hunt books

How can you find a job that you are good at and enjoy? This book advocates the "craftsman mind-set" of patiently developing skills instead of the typical "follow-your-passion" advice, and offers practical solutions to acquiring and maintaining job satisfaction.

The Long View (2016) is a solid guide to building a lasting and meaningful career. Put yourself on the right path by assembling a useful skill set, developing a dynamite personal network and, most importantly, finding a good work-life balance. Work doesn’t have to be miserable and it’s not too late to find a career that can be both emotionally and financially rewarding.

The Squiggly Career (2020) covers research and tips on how to best navigate a career full of frequent transitions and modern-day challenges. If we learn to identify our own strengths, values, goals, and motivations, we can apply them more often at work – and notice when they’re being neglected. The authors reveal how to network by helping others, the merits of starting a side project, and how to make the most of the newfound control we have over our careers.

60 Seconds & You’re Hired! (1994) is your guide to nailing your next job interview. These blinks are packed with actionable advice on how to grab a potential employer’s attention, sell yourself and land the job of your dreams.

Now, Discover Your Strengths (2004) provides insight into what strengths are, where they come from and why we should focus on them. These blinks outline tips and techniques for detecting natural talents and using them to put yourself or your employees on the path to excellence.

Get Hired Now! (2021) provides a step-by-step guide to finding a job and getting hired. It covers how to find the right job vacancies, write a first-class résumé that gets past the robots, dress and perform well at interviews, and how to negotiate that job offer!

What Color is Your Parachute? (2017) is a practical guide to help you land the job you’re looking for and change your career. Since it was first published in 1970, this book has been a go-to guide for any job hunter, complete with tips on how to sharpen your interview skills and negotiate a solid salary. This newest edition also has invaluable suggestions for how to succeed in today’s digital world.

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021 (2021) is a fresh edition of a book that’s widely regarded as the job-hunter’s bible. It’s packed with classic exercises and time-tested strategies that empower prospective employees to find, and secure, the role they want. This new edition contains essential updates that speak to the contemporary job market.

The Career Playbook (2015) is based on interviews with top professionals as well as a survey of thousands of graduates and young professionals. It offers valuable advice for launching and building a strong career; by acquiring the right skills, building the right network and presenting yourself well, you’ll be on your way in no time.

Catalyst (2018) is the ultimate A to Z guide to navigating one of life’s trickiest journeys: your career. Jam-packed with actionable insights rooted in author Chandramouli Venkatesan’s years of first-hand experience with today’s most successful corporate go-getters, these blinks shed light on key topics from picking the right boss to the value of taking it slow and becoming an effective leader.

Maximize Your Potential (2013) is about making the most of your skills, talents and ambition. It offers action-oriented tips and tools that will help you execute your ideas and create an amazing career. Discover the traits and mind-sets of the most productive people and how to unlock your maximum potential.

Do What You Are (1992) is a classic career guide, updated in 2014 to even better suit today’s constantly changing job market. By becoming more aware of their unique personality types, millions of people have found more fulfilling and satisfying careers doing work that better coincides with their natural strengths, interests and temperaments.

If you feel trapped in your job or long for more fulfilling work, you’re not alone. How to Find Fulfilling Work (2012) explores the core components of what makes work meaningful and full of purpose, detailing exactly which steps you need to take to find work that brings out the best in you and keeps you truly happy.

Becoming the Boss presents the potential hurdles for leaders in our modern era and some useful tips on how to tackle them. Pollak explains some fundamental principles that will help anyone to, not only become a leader, but to excel in their new role. Pollak also summarizes some new best practices for managing employees and advises on professional networking and personal growth.

Case Interview Secrets (2013) is a practical guide to nailing your interview at a big consultancy, such as Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey or Bain and Company. These blinks offer a crash course on the questions you’ll be asked and how you should answer them.

Best Job Ever (2016) is a guide to making the career change you need to be happy with your professional life. These blinks walk you through the difficult process of switching jobs, changing fields and trying something you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t know how to start.

Pivot (2016) defines the four-step approach for navigating personal career changes and growth. In addition to demonstrating the basic elements of this method, author Jenny Blake shows how it can also be incorporated by managers into their day-to-day business practices.

The Lost Art of Connection (2021) is about building more authentic relationships at work and in life. It shows how professional networking doesn’t always have to be transactional, and offers the three-step Gather, Ask, Do method for building meaningful relationships and breaking down the technological barriers to deeper human connection.

The 2-Hour Job Search (2012) empowers job seekers with a step-by-step, prescriptive approach that simplifies the matter of finding work. Author Steve Dalton leverages modern technological tools, like LinkedIn, Google, and Microsoft Excel, as well as alumni lists, to help you narrow your search and find internal advocates at your target employers.

The Purpose Myth (2020) dispels the idea that what you do to earn a living should also be your life’s driving purpose. Although many job offers are posted as fulfilling opportunities, the reality of office life remains banal. This book offers clear guidance on how to find the joy and satisfaction that’s too often lacking at work. 

Do Over (2015) explains why drastic change in your career is hardly something to be afraid of – that is, as long as you’ve got the tools you need. These blinks guide you through building up your own Career Savings Account filled with tips and tricks to turn your dead-end job into an opportunity to do something totally new.

Career Fear (and how to beat it) (2020) sounds the alarm on how jobs are rapidly changing due to technological advancements. Taking a historical perspective on the evolution of work cultures, it brings to light the necessary mindset and uniquely human skills to thrive in a future defined by artificial intelligence. 

Stretch (2015) is about the art of growing your career in ways that will make you an in-demand force in an increasingly unpredictable economy. There’s very little you can take for granted in these chaotic times, but there are reliable methods you can use today to help ensure work for you tomorrow. No one wants to be left behind. Be proactive and make yourself indispensable no matter what the future has in store.

The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention (2010) teaches you the career survival skills you need for the twenty-first century economy. No matter what industry you’re trying to break into, this book will help you create a successful roadmap to your goal.

The Job-Ready Guide (2019) is a helpful roadmap for anyone seeking to get themselves on the first rung of the career ladder. In addition to offering advice on job-searching, writing a compelling resume, and performing well in interviews, it provides insight into what modern employers are really looking for.

Future Fit (2019) is a guide to remaining relevant and employable in the future. As technological change and new employment models shape the workplace in often unpredictable ways, we risk being left behind if we don’t keep up. This book provides key insights into what the employees and leaders of the future must do to stay ahead.

Mastering the Game (2018) aims to level the playing field for women and people of color in the world of business – the traditional purview of white men. This book lays bare the unwritten rules of the game and outlines strategies diverse professionals can use to get unstuck at work.

The New Rules of Work (2017) is the definitive handbook for navigating the modern workplace. Authors Cavoulacos and Minshew recognize that the way we work has changed in tandem with the advancement of technology and that the way we think about career paths has evolved accordingly. Modern workers expect a job to do more than just pay the bills – work has to be fulfilling, too. Their New Rules will help you discover the career that fits you best and give you the tools to succeed in the modern job market – from application to promotion.

Stretch (2017) is your guide to discovering your true creative potential. These blinks will teach you how to identify the resources, both internal and external, that you need to unlock new possibilities, reach for the stars and excel at life.  

The Professor Is In (2015) lays out the challenges faced by graduate students seeking employment and offers pragmatic advice on how to better the chances of landing an academic position in an increasingly competitive market.