Bøker av Curtis Odom

Many believe that grades are all that matter for admission to graduate school or to land a good entry-level job right out of college. That thinking is dead wrong. Colleges are the first to say that you need more than a degree. As a former hiring manager and current college professor, I can confirm that prospective employees with work experience are more attractive than those without.The current job market has created a demand for those with paid internships or structured cooperative learning (co-op) work experience while in school. Those with it rise to the top. That is why such experience is now an essential graduation requirement. Gaining a hands-on understanding of the industry you're interested in impresses a potential employer. Many students find their chosen industry so compelling that an internship or co-op cements their college major and career decision. Some, however, find the industry so boring that it leads them to change their plans. But it's better to learn that lesson during a one-semester internship, or six-month co-op, than after a year or more as a full-time employee.Whether it is a paid or volunteer status, a co-op or internship will increase your confidence and savvy while exhibiting dedication and responsibility. Finding the right placement can be tricky, and planning your effort is vital to getting it right from the start! The advice and guidance I give in this book will improve your opportunities and help you create your personal career strategy to go from college campus to corner office in today's workplace.--Dr. Curtis Odom

Part of making things happen as an individual, in your career, or as a company is taking a hard look at things and saying, "These are my flaws. These are my shortcomings. These are the self-defeating actions where I've shot my success in the foot." Any person or company who says they've never done those things is hindering their success, ruining their achievement, and unwittingly keeping themselves stuck in the middle. The unwillingness to do a hard current state assessment is a barrier between getting what you want and continuing to lack what you need. Finding that progress gap is the secret ingredient in the magic formula for understanding what it is that you need (not necessarily what you want) and then taking the steps to get that result (which leads to what you want). Talent management is indeed a business imperative to build and grow a successful organization ... but more importantly it is also a personal imperative for professionals to build successful careers.When people don't employ personal talent management in the way of owning their own succession plan; when companies and organizations don't build and sustain an integrated talent management strategy; they remain stuck in the middle; somewhere between who they are and who they want to be. How to get unstuck, how to break free from the middle is what individuals and organizations often don't understand. That critical understanding (and ability to take action on it to improve your situation) is what you'll find in this book as told through the eyes of a member of Generation X.