15 Must-Read Before you Start Your First Job in 2023

Before you start any job, there are certain must-read books you must move through to gain the right background understanding that will help you excel in the job and your career in general.

According to Oregon State, proper orientation encourages employee confidence and helps the new employee adapt faster to the job; contributes to a more effective, productive workforce; improves employee retention and promotes communication between the supervisor and the new employee.

A crucial part of your orientation process is when you are given books to read. Although some organizations might offer you specific books, others will allow you to make your research regarding the best books in a particular area, such as management.

What is a Must-Read?

A must-read can be described as resourceful material that can help you achieve a goal easily or be ready to take on certain responsibilities efficiently.

When it comes to books, certain books clearly help you develop your understanding of principles guiding different areas of life.

Why You Need These Must-Read Books

Before you can get comfortable in a new position or organization, you need to learn basic universal practices adopted by many companies like the one you work for.

In addition to the long list of knowledge benefits you can gain from reading these books, some crucial merits include:

  • Improved knowledge base
  • Better communication skills
  • Better human and capital resource management
  • Improves your ability to empathize
  • Increases your thinking capacity

Further Reading: 12 Best Books for Investors | Must read Investing books

15 Must-Read Before you Start Your First Job in 2023

Your first entry role will come with many new things that may seem foreign. If you are an introverted person, you will find yourself in the company of people more often than not.

Before you get into the system, reading any of these must-read books will be helpful to you:

1. ‘What Color is Your Parachute?’ by Richard N. Bolles

Bolles documents in the first chapter of this book, “In today’s world, he or she who gets hired is not necessarily the one who can do that job best; but, the one who knows the most about how to get hired.”

The book’s first half discusses different ways to create an eye-catching résumé and cover letter and how to grow your networking, interviewing, and negotiating skills — while the second half addresses how to find your perfect career.

2.’Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi’

“Never Eat Alone” is about leveraging relationships to attain success. In other words, it’s about who you know, not what you know.

Ferrazzi, a master networker, discusses in detail how he used his connections to get into Yale for his undergraduate degree, Harvard for his MBA, and later, to get many top executive positions.

Based on his experiences and additional research, Ferrazzi understands that networking is the difference between average and super-successful people. To help others achieve their dream life, he brings out his core strategies for reaching out to people in his network and networking tips from the most well-connected individuals in the modern business and political world.

These tips have helped him connect with Washington power players and Hollywood A-listers, so they should be vital to you.

3. ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

This book will tell you the secret to getting people to say “yes.”

It doesn’t matter the field you choose; you need to know how to get others to agree and help you.

Cialdini understands that the science behind doing is just because of his 35 years of research and his three-year study on things that make people change their behaviour.

This book teaches not only how to become a powerful negotiator but also how to resist and beat one in a proper negotiation. Indeed, it is one of the must-read books for anyone in the corporate industry.

4. ‘Lean In’ by Sheryl Sandberg

If you’re a woman and you lack the desire to push for greatness in what you seek, this book will motivate you to get on your feet and do what needs to be done.

Sheryl Sandberg’s manifesto urges women to move beyond professional challenges — external and self-imposed — and tap into their crude abilities. The book covers everything from balancing family and career to addressing sexism in the workplace.

5. ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

As the title states, Covey has distilled the behaviours of efficient individuals into seven habits he believes are the key to success. He highlights some as being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, and always seeking a win/win agreement.

Everyone should read this bestseller, and if you don’t have the time to read through the whole material, you can find many reviews on this best-selling material. Arguably, one of the must-read books for any professional finding their truest self.

6. ‘You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

Many times, talented people look down on their gifts, making it look like they’re not competent in any area. This must-read book explains a whole lot for you.

In this book, the author seeks to disprove the notion that you must live your life in a box, moving from your job to home. It holds a range of suggestions for improving yourself and starting a fantastic life.

7. ‘Secrets of a Hiring Manager Turned Career Coach’ by Lisa Quast

Quast posits that her simple job-searching tactics have efficiently pulled through 100% of the time with her clients. Hence, this book can be characterized as a coach you didn’t put on a retainer.

This book can assist everyone, from young professionals seeking positions and mid-level professionals seeking to switch careers to higher positions in the organization.

8. ‘Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Having quality “Flow” is essential for anyone seeking to get in the zone and achieve a state of energized focus in their work and life.

By ingesting this must-read, you will master Csikszentmihalyi’s thesis, enabling you to get fantastic at your role by getting into the flow of work rather than moving from one task to another.

9. ‘A Whole New Mind’ by Daniel H. Pink

If you’re an investor, scientist, storyteller, or any other “right-brain” thinker, this book actually sells the belief that the future belongs to you.

To prepare you for an established career in a world filled with “knowledge workers” like doctors, lawyers, and accountants, the author outlines skills essential to success and fulfilment and the routes to help you develop them.

10. ‘Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

The title stems from Mark Twain’s famous tip: eat a frog first thing in the morning. Essentially, instead of putting off difficult or unpleasant tasks, it’s better to tackle them immediately.

In the whole book, he puts all the conversations into perspective, outlining all the important conversations a person must have within them to ensure they always attack their biggest tasks before they go after others.

11. ‘Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Success is not instantaneous. And this is what Malcolm Gladwell seeks to prove in this book that has sold millions of copies.

In the Canadian journalist and bestselling author’s book “Outliers,” he explains that to understand why some people attain the highest levels of success in sports, academia, or other pursuits, attention must be given to their backgrounds, in addition to their culture, family, generation, and individual experiences growing up.

12. ‘The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha

This book teaches you how to hurriedly progress in your career by adopting the many lessons from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

Hoffman, LinkedIn’s co-founder and chairman, and Casnocha believe every professional should identify as a startup business that they are in charge of managing.

To push your brand to higher levels, you must network, invest in yourself, and take risks like startup founders in Silicon Valley.

13. ‘Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck

Beck posits that the ideal life for everyone is synonymous with the North Star, guiding them through tough decisions.

“I believe that a knowledge of that perfect life sits inside you just as the North Star sits in its unaltering spot,” the author writes.

This book will help you master and tick clearly what you want your life to look like and what moves you must make to get there.

14. ‘Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott

Communication is tough, especially if you need to have a hard one with your colleague or boss.

“It’s no secret that communication is key to working with other people, but one of the hardest things to do is have a tough conversation with a coworker, a boss, or a direct report,” Liang agrees.

Scott offers readers valuable advice for dealing with life’s toughest conversations.

15. ‘Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or, How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything by Ulrich Boser

In this material, the author introduces clear, accessible language and backs up all his examples with data from unique experiments.

About six methods outlined in this article can take a professional from not understanding herself to completely mastering and using all their skills and abilities.

Conclusion

Reading is an important part of living. When you continually read, you build your knowledge base, making it easy to perform certain activities that will ensure you do your work better and live a powerful life.

As an entry-level professional, you must complete certain must-read books to get you up-to-speed with the right organizational practices.

References

  • themuse.com – 10 Must-Reads Before Starting Your First Job
  • businessinsider.com – The 28 best books for someone just starting in their career
  • quora.com – What book should you read when starting a new job?

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