,CONTENTS
1. Introduction: What Does It Mean to Have a Career?
2. And why you should be thinking about it.
3. by Mimi Aboubaker
4. SECTION 1
5. What Kind of Career Do I Want?
6. 1. Values, Passion, and Purpose
7. Which one should guide your career?
8. by Irina Cozma
9. SECTION 2
10. How Do I Actually Build a Career?
11. 2. Create a Career Portfolio (Not a Career Path)
12. A new way to think about your professional growth.
13. by April Rinne
14. 3. How to Build a Career You Won’t Hate
15. Be intentional about your future.
16. by Michelle Gibbings
17. 4. Five Ways to Figure Out If a Job Is Right for You
18. Take these steps before accepting an offer.
19. by Roxanne Calder
20. 5. Why You Should Take on More Stretch Assignments
21. They can take your career in a positive, unexpected direction.
22. by Jahna Berry
23. SECTION 3
24. Who Can Help?
25. 6. Want to Advance in Your Career? Build Your Own Board of Directors
26. It’s not the same as having multiple mentors.
27. by Susan Stelter
28. 7. What to Say When You’re Reaching Out to Someone on LinkedIn
29. Conversation starters and sample messages.
30. by Kristi DePaul
31. 8. Five Questions to Ask During an Informational Interview
32. The discussion could help you land your next role.
33. by Sean O’Keefe
34. 9. Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Network?
35. Networking should be more than just a means to an end.
36. by Deborah Grayson Riegel
37. 10. How to Talk to Your Boss About Your Career Development
38. Don’t leave your professional growth to chance.
39. by Antoinette Oglethorpe
40. SECTION 4
41. How Do I Decide What’s Next?
42. 11. How to Make Better Decisions About Your Career
43. No, it doesn’t involve a Magic 8-Ball.
, 44. by Timothy Yen
45. 12. The Right Way to Make a Big Career Transition
46. Think about the why, the what, and the when.
47. by Utkarsh Amitabh
48. 13. Thinking of Quitting Your Job?
49. Ask yourself these questions first.
50. by Priscilla Claman
51. 14. Should You Go to Graduate School?
52. The pros and cons.
53. by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
54. SECTION 5
55. What If I Don’t Want a Traditional Career Path?
56. 15. Four Pieces of Career Advice It’s OK to Ignore
57. These tips don’t always hold up.
58. by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
59. 16. You Don’t Have to Become the Boss to Grow in Your Career
60. You can become a leader, even if you’re not a manager.
61. by Anne Sugar
62. 17. Should You Really Be Indispensable at Work?
63. Short answer: No.
64. by Liz Wiseman
65. 18. The Case for Making Terrible Career Choices
66. Learning what you don’t want can bring you closer to what you do.
67. by Ruchika Tulshyan
68. Notes
69. Index
70. About the Contributors
, What Kind
SECTION 1
of Career Do I
W1Values, Passion, and
Purpose
by Irina Cozma
When it comes to developing your career, you’ve heard the advice: Define your values, follow
your passion, and find your purpose. But we all know following this advice isn’t as easy as it
sounds.
Identifying and understanding our values, passion, and purpose takes introspection and self-
discovery. It requires us to examine our beliefs and motivations to gain clarity on what truly
matters to us. And that’s only the first step.
Once you understand what you actually want, it’s another challenge to apply those aspirations to
your career. Should you follow your passion or purpose? What if your values clash with your
dream job? Is there a way to align your vision of a fulfilling career with the job market?
The only way to answer these questions is to truly understand the concepts of values, passion, and
purpose, clarify your own perspective on each, and reflect on what they mean for you and your
career.
Values
Think of your values as the foundation for your passion and purpose—they define what is
important to you and thereby can influence the passions you pursue and the purpose you seek to
fulfill.
1. Introduction: What Does It Mean to Have a Career?
2. And why you should be thinking about it.
3. by Mimi Aboubaker
4. SECTION 1
5. What Kind of Career Do I Want?
6. 1. Values, Passion, and Purpose
7. Which one should guide your career?
8. by Irina Cozma
9. SECTION 2
10. How Do I Actually Build a Career?
11. 2. Create a Career Portfolio (Not a Career Path)
12. A new way to think about your professional growth.
13. by April Rinne
14. 3. How to Build a Career You Won’t Hate
15. Be intentional about your future.
16. by Michelle Gibbings
17. 4. Five Ways to Figure Out If a Job Is Right for You
18. Take these steps before accepting an offer.
19. by Roxanne Calder
20. 5. Why You Should Take on More Stretch Assignments
21. They can take your career in a positive, unexpected direction.
22. by Jahna Berry
23. SECTION 3
24. Who Can Help?
25. 6. Want to Advance in Your Career? Build Your Own Board of Directors
26. It’s not the same as having multiple mentors.
27. by Susan Stelter
28. 7. What to Say When You’re Reaching Out to Someone on LinkedIn
29. Conversation starters and sample messages.
30. by Kristi DePaul
31. 8. Five Questions to Ask During an Informational Interview
32. The discussion could help you land your next role.
33. by Sean O’Keefe
34. 9. Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Network?
35. Networking should be more than just a means to an end.
36. by Deborah Grayson Riegel
37. 10. How to Talk to Your Boss About Your Career Development
38. Don’t leave your professional growth to chance.
39. by Antoinette Oglethorpe
40. SECTION 4
41. How Do I Decide What’s Next?
42. 11. How to Make Better Decisions About Your Career
43. No, it doesn’t involve a Magic 8-Ball.
, 44. by Timothy Yen
45. 12. The Right Way to Make a Big Career Transition
46. Think about the why, the what, and the when.
47. by Utkarsh Amitabh
48. 13. Thinking of Quitting Your Job?
49. Ask yourself these questions first.
50. by Priscilla Claman
51. 14. Should You Go to Graduate School?
52. The pros and cons.
53. by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
54. SECTION 5
55. What If I Don’t Want a Traditional Career Path?
56. 15. Four Pieces of Career Advice It’s OK to Ignore
57. These tips don’t always hold up.
58. by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic
59. 16. You Don’t Have to Become the Boss to Grow in Your Career
60. You can become a leader, even if you’re not a manager.
61. by Anne Sugar
62. 17. Should You Really Be Indispensable at Work?
63. Short answer: No.
64. by Liz Wiseman
65. 18. The Case for Making Terrible Career Choices
66. Learning what you don’t want can bring you closer to what you do.
67. by Ruchika Tulshyan
68. Notes
69. Index
70. About the Contributors
, What Kind
SECTION 1
of Career Do I
W1Values, Passion, and
Purpose
by Irina Cozma
When it comes to developing your career, you’ve heard the advice: Define your values, follow
your passion, and find your purpose. But we all know following this advice isn’t as easy as it
sounds.
Identifying and understanding our values, passion, and purpose takes introspection and self-
discovery. It requires us to examine our beliefs and motivations to gain clarity on what truly
matters to us. And that’s only the first step.
Once you understand what you actually want, it’s another challenge to apply those aspirations to
your career. Should you follow your passion or purpose? What if your values clash with your
dream job? Is there a way to align your vision of a fulfilling career with the job market?
The only way to answer these questions is to truly understand the concepts of values, passion, and
purpose, clarify your own perspective on each, and reflect on what they mean for you and your
career.
Values
Think of your values as the foundation for your passion and purpose—they define what is
important to you and thereby can influence the passions you pursue and the purpose you seek to
fulfill.
