Friday, September 15, 2017

By Far the Best Career Guide Ever



What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles is by far the best career guide for those entering the workforce for the first time as well as experienced employees who are thinking about changing jobs. The guide, which is updated annually is written in clear and detailed language and thus very easy to understand. At more than 300 pages, the book deals with anything from how to effectively search for jobs to salary negotiations and career changes. It is filled with helpful tips as well as exercises that can be helpful in securing your dream job.

What I found about this book is that it can, and is intended to be, read in any order. For example, if your interviewing skills are lacking, you can read the chapter on interview tips. Likewise, if you need tips on how to write a resume that will get on the hiring manager's desk, you can read the corresponding chapter. If you are a looking for your dream job, this book is definitely for you.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Humorous Story About Life in Modern India



Diksha Basu's debut novel The Windfall is a poignant and humorous set in modern India. At the heart of the novel, the Jha family live in a working class neighborhood in New Delhi while their adult son is a business school student in America. When Anil Jha, the patriarch of the family sells his IT company, he practically becomes $20 million richer overnight. Almost immediately, he and his wife move to an upper class neighborhood in New Delhi. Being the newly minted millionaires, the Jhas realize the immense power of money and try to make the most of it. They mingle with other millionaires and billionaires, hire private security, and buy outrageous things, they have a sofa infused with Swarovski crystals shipped from Japan.

Ultimately, this story is about the immense power money holds in our lives. We are so preoccupied with material things that we neglect the smaller things in life which are always free as the old adage goes.

I also liked the fact that the story was set in India and it was interesting for me to experience how a culture different from mine deals with modern life.