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Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career

Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career

List Price: $26.95
Your Price: $17.79
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally - a career advice book that offers real advice
Review: Even after completing an MBA and spending 12 years in marketing in various companies, I still had no real sense of what I wanted to do with my life (career-wise). I undertook many so-called career tests (Myer-B, etc) and completed many exercises in loads of books (Parachute, etc), but none seemed to offer any plan or guidance as to what to do next. It was nice to know what I enjoyed doing, what skills are preferred and so on - but that really offered little in practical advice as to what to do next. This book offers practicality, and interesting case studies that I could directly relate to, thus providing a reference map of what to do next. So many of Herminia's people profiled in this book had similar career issues as me, and it was nice to know I wasn't alone. But better still, it was nice to know there was a way out too. I particularly related to the person in the book who had so many interests (like me) but no clear singular passion, so he built a portfolio of jobs and activities to satisfy his interests. It was nice to know that such a choice can be made in today's world, where specialisation in corporate environments appears the only way to get ahead, at least financially and status of position. But sometimes being a generalist can be even more satisfying, as you're doing what you really want to do, not what others think you should do. I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good exploration but too narrow
Review: I agree that this is for someone who has established a status or certain degree of success in their career. The advice offered by the author will be limited to those who are career starter OR without advanced-degree OR foreign professionals (such as me, got MBA at age of 26, ( from a prestigious east coast B-school), found there are so little I can experiment in this country due to the status I have as a foreigner) .Those advices sound very nice to me but not very practical...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Essential For Anyone Even Thinking About Career Change
Review: I am going through a second career change. I was an electrical engineer, then a lawyer, and now I am in business school considering a transition into entrepreneurship or private equity. I have done many self assessments and a lot of reading on career change but this is a unique book that I could not more highly recommend for anyone who even suspects that they might want to explore a career change.

The common wisdom as described in What Color Is Your Parachute is to do self assessments to identify your ideal job and industry and then target that for a job change. I used those techniques. Parachute is a great book and the exercises there (and other assessment tests) are helpful in getting a better understanding of self and thinking outside the box as to where you might find career satisfaction.

But I found that for me it was not the 1-2-3 process that Parachute suggests. It was a much slower process because I needed to experiment, assimulate my experiences, build networks in different areas, let go of my old identity and build a new one.

Giving up my investment in a law career was psychologically difficult. First, I had to try starting a solo practice on my own to convince myself that I would not find more satisfaction there than I did as a corporate attorney. Those close to me did not understand what I am going through. Even though they said that they supported my search for a satisfying change, I found they subconciously keep you from change. As Prof. Ibarra suggests, this is another reason why it is important to build networks of people that are better able to see you in the new identity.

The process has taken years from the time when I decided that I was not satified. I thought that was unusual. But Prof. Ibarra suggests it typically take on the order of 3 years. This book helped me see that this process that I was going through was how people successfully implement substantive, long term satisfying life changes. It was exactly what I needed to continue the process with confidence that I am going about this in the right way.

Good luck with your career change!

Alex

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very encouraging, very useful.
Review: I had my doubts, but Herminia Ibarra gives scholarship in the career-advice field a good name. Excellent research, good organization, relevant stories, concise writing, and a winning attitude of authority and verisimilitude make this a wonderful book. I'd love to buy a copy for Po Bronson.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Well researched insight on finding the "next phase" of work.
Review: I have read the "What Color is you Parachute"- types of career management books and, as Ibarra says in Working Identity, while books such as these provide useful, introspective exercises for inventorying your skillsets and interests, they have never provided me with the magical answer I was looking for in terms of what I want to do with my life. If anything I actually became more frustrated, because I had invested all of this time doing the exercises and still only had a few faint ideas for careers that might interest me.

Working Identity provides a very refreshing perspective, and one that I agree with. That while introspection is good and necessary, it is doubtful that introspection alone will provide us with the answer of what we want to do. Rather, only through new experiences and relationships will we begin to "think out of the box", so to speak, and get a true sense for what we enjoy and for what motivates us.

I highly recommend this book to anybody who feels stuck in a professional rut and is not quite sure how to get out of it. Not only will you be able to empathize with some of the individuals in the case studies, but I believe the book will help you to begin thinking in a new way, in terms of how to initiate change in your life.

However, I do have a few criticisms of the book. At several times I had to ask myself who was Ibarra's intended audience, career changers or her fellow professors? Many times it just sounded unnecessarily "academic" in tone, particularly in the beginning of the book where she uses several pages to form "models" for her particular theories. Again, it is as if her audience at this point are her fellow professors and academians, rather than simply the frustrated individual who is trying to create a career change. It is not difficult to understand, but she just makes it sound much more complicated than it needs to be, when in reality the theory/model is just common sense: Make a list of things you're interested in, go explore them a bit, and then go with the flow based on how that experience makes you feel.

Another criticism I have is that all of the individuals highlighted in her case study examples are very highly educated, and seemingly have done very well for themselves financially. In and of itself this is not a problem, in that the case studies are still interesting. The subjects she uses are most likely a product of the circles in which she runs, as Ibarra is, after all, a professor. However, I really would have liked to see more diversity in the subjects that she chose, as I think the book could really have spoken to a lot more people who are struggling with career change.

For example, she frequently cites that "taking a sabbatical" from work is one great way to break out of the box and start looking at some new interests. No doubt, a sabbatical sounds really great to must of us, but unfortunately the reality is that there are not many people who can afford to just stop working. There are plenty of very intelligent, educated professionals who are supporting families or have other committments, and it's just not realistic for them to take a sabbatical. Of course, it would be impossible for Ibarra to address every different situation, but I would have liked to see her stretch the case studies beyond the $100K+ professional with a Master's or PhD. Again, this is just another area where I think Ibarra makes the change process sound more complicated than it needs to be. My personal suggestion to someone who is not in a financial position to "take a sabbatical" would be simply to volunteer an hour or two a week in a charity, church, or other organization that is important to you, where you have the opportunity to use and explore some different skills than what you would normally do during your work day. I have personally found this to be very valuable, but for some reason I never saw volunteering suggested by Ibarra in her book.

These criticisms aside however, this book is revolutionary in that it challenges 95% of the career change advice that is out there right now and provides a new and very refreshing perspective on how an individual will typically journey towards change. It is not a "how to" book that provides a step by step process, but rather a book that will help you "think out of the box" and come up with ideas that you can apply in your own life. Again, I highly recommend this book to anyone who 1. has been frustrated with the traditional career change books (as I was), and/or 2. who just feels they are in a career rut and isn't quite sure how to break out.

Best of luck to you!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Advice for the wealthy.
Review: The most frequent advice the author seems to give, is "Take a sabbatical". Iberra ofers little advice for the person who is ready for change, but simply can't afford to make it. If you make less than six figures a year, you'll find yourself asking "Uh... what am I going to eat while I do that?".

Beyind this, though, the book does deal with how to emotionally navigate the hurdles of being "between two worlds" while changing careers, so it's not a total loss.

Myself, I find that I fell into a career track that I never wanted, and know I want out. I need the financial and navigational help to move back towards where I wanted to be originally, or find something new. This book doesn't provide that, as much as the emotional support needed to convince yourself you really have chosen the wrong path.

If you're wealthy, this book will work for you. If not, you may want to look for another one, as this one has some items of use for you, but you'll have to work to find them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very encouraging, very useful.
Review: This is a beautifully conceived, one of a kind book. It's method is strongly scientific, based on a collection of case studies, asking how do people really change careers? This being the case, then what sort of structure or theory would best describe this process? This might sound dry or uselessly academic but it's not, it gives the quietest advice and the most assured guidance. If you are passionately working through your own career change, it's very likely you are experiencing much that is described in these case studies, and unlike the highly structured step by step guides to career change, you might find the reflection of your own experience very encouraging.

The theory itself is simply stated, easy to understand, but neither superficial nor dumbed-down. In a nutshell, this book debunks the clean sequence of career change from analysis (questionnaires, introspection, structured exercises) to action (now let's find that job). Rather, as long as you are strongly bound to your old working identity, this clarity is not possible. One learns what one wants to do by doing, by trial and error experiments in new tasks. One's working identity is also held in place by our professional relationships, by people who view you as you already appear. These relationships reinforce and support your current situation, so if you do want to explore a change, new professional relationships (new mentors and peers) will be necessary. Viewing one's working identity as involvement in professional tasks and relationships, tapping into new possibilities isn't as easy as doing a questionnaire. Rather, your working identity must be loosened before you can fully experience new possibilities and ultimately commit to a new career. Basically, it's a muddle: if you're experiencing doubt, confusion and a sense of limbo that doesn't mean you're not on the right track. You are making the harrowing crossing between identities. Embedded in the case studies--and the authors discussion--are ways in which people actively made this crossing, so this work also offers guidance about how to press on, despite the confusion. Very encouraging, very useful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Change doesn't happen overnight
Review: This well-written, thought provoking book provides reassurance and guidance for anyone considering a career change. Unlike many self help manuals it is realistic about the immense upheaval a mid-life career transition can cause. The case studies helped me understand just why changing career is so hard, especially if you have been successful and well rewarded/ respected in your 'first' career. The fact that so many of the interviewees took several years to find their new identity gives hope to high flyers who want to make a change but are unsure as to how to make the leap.

Ibarra explores career change as identity change which gives a far more intellectually driven and in depth perspective to approaching a 'new you' than other books which simply ask you to look at your strengths and weaknesses and get on with applying for a new job or reskilling yourself for a new career. Like going into a fancy dress shop Ibarra recommends trying out new career identities for size - by making new contacts, re-establishing peripheral contacts or trying new jobs unpaid or part time.

Highly recommended for all those stuck in a career rut, those en-route to career self-actualisation or who simply want to put out feelers as to what else might be out there.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thoughtful and insightful
Review: Working Identity is one of the few self-help books that I have read from cover to cover. I found Ms. Ibarra's thoughtful work extremely helpful in my personal, mid-career dilemma. It offers practical advice and approaches the topic from a different perspective. I would highly recommend it to anyone who eschews the more "touchy-feely" approach to personal change and also to anyone who yearns for more satisfaction in her/his career.


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