BOOK REVIEW: Career Contentment: Don’t Settle for Anything Less! By Jeffrey Garton
A few years ago, I came across the book Career Content: Don’t Settle for Anything Less! By Jeffrey Garton and it changed my life! . . . I know that’s a major claim. But from over 15 years talking to hundreds of job seekers and presenting career and leadership development workshops to thousands I can tell you there’s a difference between job satisfaction and career contentment.
That’s why I always start my FREE résumé consult asking potential clients to share what about a job makes them feel “life is good.” As a career coach, I know early in the conversation if a potential client needs contentment in their career. That’s why this book is so helpful to ANYONE! It provides you with tools to help you understand how to identify and find career contentment.
- The
Employment Mindset
One of the first diagrams in this book might seem overwhelming (Figure 1-1. Overview of the Employment Mindset) but I think it is a wonderful way to summarize all the principles, steps, qualities, and keys that help you start with the right attitude to find a job that’s a good fit to use your skills. The following six chapters layout how to identify a good employer in terms of the people-place-job specifics-rewards, how to be authentic, meet employer’s expectations, and demonstrate resiliency no matter what comes your way on the job.
- Managing
Career Flow
Your career flow is defined through three phases: Orientation (seeker), Acceleration (building go-to person), and Actualization (“guru”). A large part of being able to successfully manage your career flow wherever you are is to learn how to master and change your beliefs and thoughts, appropriately control the phases of your career flow, and to forget job satisfaction and seek, maximize, and be comfortable with career contentment.
- Appendices
I think Appendix A: Career Contentment–Self-Assessment and Appendix B: Self-Assessing Your Decisions to Leave should be at the front of the book. As someone who administers MBTI, FIRO-B, CCL 360 Feedback, EQ-i2.0, and is a certified Crucial Conversations presenter, I know that having self-awareness is the first step that enables growth. These assessments will help you figure out where you are in terms of enjoyment, contentment, and your career intention.
Scattered throughout the book are RECRUITER’S NOTEBOOK, stories from the author on how folks from a variety of industries and positions found career contentment. There are so many other great things in this book as well. So much . . . that I give this book away to every client who purchases a résumé package. Want to learn more? Contact me for a FREE résumé consult!
Connect and follow fedjobseekercom Facebook page, LinkedIn, and Instagram @adellejdantzler. But most importantly, subscribe for general hints and tips to “demystify the job search!”
