Books that help you prepare great CVs and impressive interviews

New year, new job? Have recent events encouraged you to (or made you) reassess and change your career plans? Or do you know someone who is starting out in the workforce? Team Booko knows that the job application process can be daunting, whether it’s your first time, or first time in a while. So we have gathered some resources to help you write that high-impact CV and nail that interview. Good luck!

Write a Brilliant CV by Lucinda Becker
Write a Brilliant CV is a great beginner’s guide to résumé writing, perfect for students and young people applying for their first jobs. It offers focussed tips and strategies that shows you how to write a persuasive CV, how to target your CV to particular roles and careers, and how best to showcase your skills and experience. Write a Brilliant CV is part of the Super Quick Skills series of pocket-sized guides, which offers practical, positive advice on a range of core academic and life skills.

The Job-Ready Guide: How to Set Yourself Up for Career Success by Anastasia de Waal
Anastasia de Waal looks at the bigger-picture of job-readiness, with a guide that starts with researching different roles/employers, goes into CV and cover letter writing and interview skills, then moves onto further career development, including networking and developing professionalism. This is a very practical guide, with interactive exercises to help you in your real life, and enlivened by insider advice from employers, and tips from professionals at different stages in their careers who reveal ‘what they wish they’d known’. A must for anyone wanting to enter a professional career.

How to Write an Impressive CV and Cover Letter: A Comprehensive Guide for Jobseekers by Tracey Whitmore
In a competitive job market, making a great first impressions is critical. Let Tracey Whitmore show you how to grab a prospective employer’s attention by crafting a compelling CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. How to Write an Impressive CV and Cover Letter is a practical and accessible guide that highlights the Dos and Don’ts, with specific advice for both new graduates and mid-career jobhunters. It includes useful “CV Makeover” examples where common mistakes are identified then corrected. For a more personal touch, there are also real-life examples of CVs and covering letters, as well as employers’ perspectives from a number of senior HR and industry professionals.

It’s Who You Know: How to Make Networking Work for You by Janine Garner
Janine Garner is an acclaimed entrepreneur and Fortune 500 mentor who has made networking her passion and expertise. It’s Who You Know is her guide on how to build or improve our networks so that it helps transforming our thinking, challenging our behaviours and push us to achieve more. Janine Garner’s approach is strategic, having identified 12 key roles that together will provide the strength, diversity and opportunities to help you achieve your personal and professional goals. She also offers advice on how to nurture relationships and make networking mutually beneficial. This latest edition is published as part of Wiley’s Be Your Best series, of bestselling personal development books by Australian authors.

So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport
Not sure what career to pursue? Worried you might have “missed your calling”? Cal Newport – Computer Science Professor and successful author about work and study habits – turns conventional wisdom on its head to help us get more fulfilment out of work. Cal argues that “follow your passion” is bad career advice which can lead to anxiety and jobhopping; instead, he recommends we focus on acquiring “career capital”, such as mastery of job-specific skills and autonomy within our roles – which will help us grow our passion for our work over time. Based on interviews with a variety of successful professionals, and established research on workplace motivation, So Good They Can’t Ignore You encourages us to radically rethink our career development strategy.

Expert Resumes & LinkedIn Profiles for Managers and Executives by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise M. Kursmark
Expert Resumes & LinkedIn Profiles for Managers and Executives was written specifically to address the requirements for senior-level recruitment. What’s more, this fourth edition includes extensive advice on how to build a compelling LinkedIn Profile – nowadays an essential tool for both recruiters and candidates. Learn how to use LinkedIn to establish your personal brand, showcase your skills and experience, and offer a more comprehensive view of yourself than what resumes would allow. Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark each have over 30 years’ experience writing, teaching and speaking about resume writing, and this book can help all mid-career professionals (not just those in senior roles!) with tips on how best to write and present extensive career information for maximum impact.