Thirsty Thursday: fun reads for corporate newbies

July 9, 7:47 AMBoston Entry Level Careers ExaminerJanet Aronica

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At one of my public relations internships, I worked with a guy whose career path I admired. Hired after interning his senior year, he climbed the agency ranks and went from entry-level peon to senior account executive in about two years. That’s impressive.

I took note of certain things he did, looking for ways he possibly stood out from others, looking for traits I might want to emulate. I noticed that he dressed up, was friends with the boss, yet achieved what in my book qualifies as an astounding feat—he took his job very seriously without coming off like a self-important teacher’s pet.

What stood out to me most was that when he discussed clients and projects, he really seemed to know what he was talking about. He used industry-specific terminology and could eloquently explain relevant issues and trends in public relations. His desk was really neat, and it was lined with lots of books about business, entrepreneurship, and success. Sure, he has the occasional drunk-at-a-wedding Facebook picture just like the rest of us, but he always posts links about some awesome news article he read.

Is this person successful because he reads a lot?

Possibly. He constantly consumes new information. His learning curve hasn’t hit the proverbial plateau. He keeps improving. He gets promoted.

I know. You graduated. You’ve spent 90% of your life writing essays about books you didn’t give a rip about and you think you’re already smart and stuff. But sorry, kiddo, Plato won’t help you get a raise.

I think we need to keep learning, not only with professional experience—but by consuming new information that is relevant to our careers.

So every Thursday, I’m going to share a cool book, blog, column or article that I think we can learn from. A happy bonus: You’ll have something to distract you from all that discouraging, depressing, plentiful crap out there about the recession. Instead of feeling all hopeless and downtrodden you’ll feel motivated about your job search—and your career.

Deal? Cool.

This week’s pick:

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

I’m excited to read this. It’s teaches you how to network, how to develop and leverage relationships for success.  I think a lot of well-meaning people tell young adults about the importance of networking, but not a lot of people explain what the means.  We know we should attend conferences and collect business cards.  But exactly how do you turn a one-time meeting into a mutually beneficial relationship?  This book helps explain that.

Furthermore, to pull from the title of a High School Musical song, we're all in this together.  Millenials, let's network with eachother and encourage eachother and succeed together.  I like competition.  I like collaboration even better.

Cheers!