These resources and books help you to change your mindset about any area of your life and include some specifically about career change. They help you to get clear about yourself and what you want from your work, then explore your options to find the career that’s the best match for you. This is the same approach as my career coaching programme
Books on overcoming fear and improving confidence
Taming your Gremlin, A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way – Rick Carson
Your gremlin is your inner critic – the voice which chatters away telling you you’re not good enough/can’t do something etc. Left unchecked, it can run your life and sap your confidence. It might look whacky, but this book shows you how to deal with it. Available on Amazon and World of Books.
Learned Optimism, How to Change Your Mind and Your Life – Martin Seligman
For anyone whose glass is more half empty than full, this is an essential read. It includes exercises that identify your “explanatory style” and help you to see that it’s possible to change how you respond to whatever life throws your way.
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers
Upbeat self-help classic which helps you understand that you have a choice in how you deal with feelings of fear.
Career change books and resources
These online resources and books are based on the same premise as the career coaching programme I use – start with getting clear about what you want from your work, explore your options and then you can judge which career direction is the best match for you.
Personality assessment
A free but detailed report on your personality type, using the grand-daddy of all personality profiles, Myers Briggs www.16personalities.com
Do What You Are – Tieger and Barron-Tieger
Details what each of the Myers Briggs personality types needs for their work to be fulfilling. Also includes interesting case studies of people explaining why their work feels like the right match for their type.
Strengthsfinder
A paid for online assessment which feeds back your key strengths. You can opt for a shorter or longer report www.strengthsfinder.com
Designing Your Life – Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Uses design thinking to help you decide on career choice and reframes the tendency most of us have to think there is one perfect solution, when there are multiple routes to career fulfilment. Equips you to take a test and learn approach.
What Colour is your Parachute? – Richard N Bolles
The career change classic, packed with exercises to help you know yourself better. It’s also strong on networking tips and tells you how to carry out “informational interviews” to explore possible careers.
How to Get a Job You Love – John Lees
Combines exercises which get you thinking about what career satisfaction looks like for you, with practical tips on creative job search and how to give your best in interviews.
What should I do with my life? – Po Brosnon
A mix of inspiring stories about people who have changed career at different stages of their lives. Reassuringly honest about overcoming obstacles.
Screw Work Let’s Play – John Williams
If you’ve had enough of corporate life and want to be self employed, earning a living from what you love, this could give you the inspiration to do it. John’s a former management consultant now doing exactly that.
Career development
The Squiggly Careers Podcast
You’ll find a whole host of helpful career development tips on everything from managing stress to making presentations and how to know when you’re ready for a career change, in this excellent podcast from the women behind Squiggly Careers.
The New Leaders – Daniel Goleman
Of the myriad leadership books out there this is a great starting point if you want to understand more about your natural leadership style and how you can flex it into other styles when you need to.
Dare to Lead – Brene Brown
Brown’s well known for her well researched work on leadership. This book includes defining your values and using them to guide you as a leader, what it means to be more vulnerable at work, why you should overcome perfectionism and how to create an empathetic and honest team culture.
Take Control of Your Career – John Lees
Includes tips on how to carry out a career audit and negotiate with managers to improve your existing role. If you feel you’re drifting, this helps you do what it says on the tin.
The Inner Game of Work – Timothy Gallwey
Explains how you can enjoy work again and approach it from a calm feeling of focus, if you tune into the real you and stop listening to the judgmental you. Gallwey’s approach began with the “Inner Game of Tennis” and has been widely used by top sports people.
© Michelle Bayley
Find out more
Michelle Bayley is a Certified Professional Life, Career & Executive Coach based in Twickenham, South West London.
Read about Michelle’s career, life and executive coaching services, or contact Michelle to arrange a free consultation.
