Book Review: Promote Yourself

Promote Yourself.  I couldn't have said it better myself.  Whether you are starting your first job out of college, re-entering the workforce, thinking about starting up your own business or hoping to improve your standing with your colleagues, you have to promote yourself, and Dan Schawbel's new book: Promote Yourself:  The New Rules for Career Success does a wonderful job of explaining why you need to, how to do it across various aspects of your life, and how to continue to build your own personal brand.                            

Theoretically, Dan Schawbel's book is geared to the recent graduate who is looking to make his way in the work world.  His model candidate is part of the new generation: Gen Y, Millennials, Echo Boomers, Generation Next.  The young Gen Yer is firmly part of his generation, but needs to learn how to work across generations, including folks like me, Gen Xers as well as Baby Boomers and his younger counterparts, the Gen Zers.  The book does a good job of explaining how a younger worker sees the business world, and it is insightful to learn about Gen Y's work styles and those of the other age groups.  

Promote Yourself does serve as a field guide to the young business candidate who needs to understand the work world and how to stand out in it, but I think the information in it transcends the generation monikers and is insightful for anyone.  And the information and recommendations in the book do not just revolve around the business world.  Promote Yourself gives the reader thoughts on building your personal brand, gaining visibility with people that can be advocates for you, being a smart protege and mentor, and the idea of being an entrepreneur/intrapreneur and how to build that into your career.

Ok, so Dan Schawbel may have had me at the title, Promote Yourself:  The New Rules for Career Success, given what I write about on this blog, but his book is a smooth read, has insightful anecdotes, is well researched and gives informative data and case studies.  And I think Dan Schawbel talks the talk and walks the walk.  I get a lot of pitches about books, events, etc. and most of the time I can just send them to the trash folder and no one is the wiser.  But from day one Dan followed up with me and asked me to read his book.  He did it in a very friendly, non-confrontational way, and kept following up.  I love follow-up, think it is many people's key (or lock) to success, and was pleased to see that Dan addressed it in his book, and followed up with me.

Promote Yourself is my first interaction with Dan Schawbel, but reading his book and his website:  Dan Schawbel, now I know he already is a best selling author, successful entrepreneur and a columnist at TIME and FORBES.  I'm sure I've read some of his articles --and am glad he promoted himself to me.

I highly recommend that the Gen Y's out there read this book, and also to all my readers who want to see how to navigate today's work world and to build a highly successful personal brand.  It takes work, but it is definitely worth it.