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Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work
Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work – A Synopsis
Anyone who has faced the challenge embarking on a new career knows how important is to have someone cheering you on and guiding you in developing effective strategies. In her new book Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work, Halimah Bellows, MA, MS, CCC, CPC draws on more than twenty years of experience as a career counselor/coach to bring readers the tools for championing their own careers.
With empathy and enthusiasm, Bellows encourages readers to delve deeply and honestly into their experiences to determine an appropriate career path. She provides a wide range of self-assessment tools to enable individuals to explore their personal passions and values and recognize the strengths and skills they can bring to the workplace. Then she offers sound strategies for decision-making, goal setting and networking to move forward on the chosen career path. Special advice is provided for college students, retirees and those changing careers in mid-life.
After developing a clear idea of their career goals, readers are ready to examine the existing job market. Ms.Bellows provides both time-tested and up-to-the-minute suggestions for identifying and researching potential employers. The book includes solid advice on resume writing, interviewing skills and utilizing internet-based tools. The book's Appendix offers a wealth of additional resources.
The path to a fulfilling new career is a journey of many steps. Champion Your Career has been written to serve as a helpful guide and companion on every step of that journey.
Anyone who has faced the challenge embarking on a new career knows how important is to have someone cheering you on and guiding you in developing effective strategies. In her new book Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work, Halimah Bellows, MA, MS, CCC, CPC draws on more than twenty years of experience as a career counselor/coach to bring readers the tools for championing their own careers.
With empathy and enthusiasm, Bellows encourages readers to delve deeply and honestly into their experiences to determine an appropriate career path. She provides a wide range of self-assessment tools to enable individuals to explore their personal passions and values and recognize the strengths and skills they can bring to the workplace. Then she offers sound strategies for decision-making, goal setting and networking to move forward on the chosen career path. Special advice is provided for college students, retirees and those changing careers in mid-life.
After developing a clear idea of their career goals, readers are ready to examine the existing job market. Ms.Bellows provides both time-tested and up-to-the-minute suggestions for identifying and researching potential employers. The book includes solid advice on resume writing, interviewing skills and utilizing internet-based tools. The book's Appendix offers a wealth of additional resources.
The path to a fulfilling new career is a journey of many steps. Champion Your Career has been written to serve as a helpful guide and companion on every step of that journey.
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First published February 12, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 4, 2017
Reviewed by Josh Cramer for Reader Views (12/16)
I have to admit I did not think I would like this book at first. I took one look at the cover and sighed, thinking, “Really? This looks like some cheesy 80s self-help book;” however, I was surprised by what I found on the inside. In “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work” Halimah Bellows has, in a sea of career development books, provided a pretty succinct guide to developing one’s career that really sets itself apart by asking, “Who am I?”
Thus, if you are looking for a guide to your career journey that takes you step-by-step through your career, then this is the book for you! Halimah provides advice and activities to help you consider your interests and even pick a college major! She then takes you through your entire career, including (as she puts it) retiring with fire! Halimah Bellows provides a concise guide to finding your career, growing in your career, and ultimately retiring from your career. This is not an easy feat!
She begins by asking several questions the purpose of which is to #1 help you determine the value you would find in pursuing your dream career, and to #2 determine your purpose and values. This leads to one of my favorite sections of this book: 10 Reasons for Pursuing Your Ideal Career (and the real reasons why someone might buck against their current job or career—especially if these needs are not being met):
1. Doing what you love to do allows you to be yourself.
2. It is perfectly integrated into your lifestyle.
3. It “reflects and incorporates your values.”
4. It’s the perfect fit.
5. It’ll give you energy (and maybe wings!)
6. You are aligned with the things for which you are passionate.
7. You are able to make a difference to the things that matter to you.
8. It’s enjoyable.
9. Your life is arranged so you can live a meaningful life.
10. You are fulfilled.
Bellows then asks the reader to imagine that work is more than just a paycheck. What would the workday of your dreams look like? How would it begin? What time would you wake up? What would your clothes look like? What would you do? What are you paid? Is it quiet? Is it busy? To whom do you report? We’ve all asked ourselves these sorts of questions before. The rest of the book builds on this foundation, offering exercises to help you answer each of these questions for yourself. If you want to make the most out of this book, like the others’ I’ve reviewed, you need to do your best in answering the questions. I recommend finding a good journal to take with you—this will make answering these questions easier (having the right tools for the job always makes it better).
Ultimately, Bellows’ purpose is to make you ask, “Who am I?” As she says, “You have to know what your interests are and what you are passionate about. You need to explore your values and assess your skills, your strengths, and your talents” (72). Because this is a question that we all need to ask, I highly recommend “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work” by Halimah Bellows if you are at all unsure about what you are currently doing.
I have to admit I did not think I would like this book at first. I took one look at the cover and sighed, thinking, “Really? This looks like some cheesy 80s self-help book;” however, I was surprised by what I found on the inside. In “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work” Halimah Bellows has, in a sea of career development books, provided a pretty succinct guide to developing one’s career that really sets itself apart by asking, “Who am I?”
Thus, if you are looking for a guide to your career journey that takes you step-by-step through your career, then this is the book for you! Halimah provides advice and activities to help you consider your interests and even pick a college major! She then takes you through your entire career, including (as she puts it) retiring with fire! Halimah Bellows provides a concise guide to finding your career, growing in your career, and ultimately retiring from your career. This is not an easy feat!
She begins by asking several questions the purpose of which is to #1 help you determine the value you would find in pursuing your dream career, and to #2 determine your purpose and values. This leads to one of my favorite sections of this book: 10 Reasons for Pursuing Your Ideal Career (and the real reasons why someone might buck against their current job or career—especially if these needs are not being met):
1. Doing what you love to do allows you to be yourself.
2. It is perfectly integrated into your lifestyle.
3. It “reflects and incorporates your values.”
4. It’s the perfect fit.
5. It’ll give you energy (and maybe wings!)
6. You are aligned with the things for which you are passionate.
7. You are able to make a difference to the things that matter to you.
8. It’s enjoyable.
9. Your life is arranged so you can live a meaningful life.
10. You are fulfilled.
Bellows then asks the reader to imagine that work is more than just a paycheck. What would the workday of your dreams look like? How would it begin? What time would you wake up? What would your clothes look like? What would you do? What are you paid? Is it quiet? Is it busy? To whom do you report? We’ve all asked ourselves these sorts of questions before. The rest of the book builds on this foundation, offering exercises to help you answer each of these questions for yourself. If you want to make the most out of this book, like the others’ I’ve reviewed, you need to do your best in answering the questions. I recommend finding a good journal to take with you—this will make answering these questions easier (having the right tools for the job always makes it better).
Ultimately, Bellows’ purpose is to make you ask, “Who am I?” As she says, “You have to know what your interests are and what you are passionate about. You need to explore your values and assess your skills, your strengths, and your talents” (72). Because this is a question that we all need to ask, I highly recommend “Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work” by Halimah Bellows if you are at all unsure about what you are currently doing.
May 16, 2017
Career counselor and coach, Halimah Bellows, delivers an insightful guide designed to help lead readers through the process of both choosing and pursuing a career that is the right fit for them. Uniquely combining career coaching with career counseling, the book presents readers with intensive questions designed to help them discover their individual skills, talents, goals, and passions- showing them how they can use that knowledge to select a personally fulfilling career- along with supplying innumerable tools and strategies to then acquire a position in their desired field.
Champion Your Career is a fantastic resource for people of all life stages, from college students who are struggling to pick the right career path, to those who are already in the work force but feel ready for a change, all the way through the retirement stage- and I can especially see this being a great book for junior high and high school students who are beginning to plan for college and/or their future careers. The book is full of questions designed to get your creative juices flowing to discover just what exactly you are good at and passionate about, and (perhaps most importantly) also contains excellent strategies for overcoming your personal hangups by dealing with insecurities and doubts (dubbed “Gremlins”). Self-empowering, motivational, and practical at the same time, this book will inspire you to use the information presented to put together a plan and start taking the steps needed to land (or create!) your personal dream job. A well-written and informative read, highly recommended!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Check out this review on my blog, EpicBookQuest.com
Champion Your Career is a fantastic resource for people of all life stages, from college students who are struggling to pick the right career path, to those who are already in the work force but feel ready for a change, all the way through the retirement stage- and I can especially see this being a great book for junior high and high school students who are beginning to plan for college and/or their future careers. The book is full of questions designed to get your creative juices flowing to discover just what exactly you are good at and passionate about, and (perhaps most importantly) also contains excellent strategies for overcoming your personal hangups by dealing with insecurities and doubts (dubbed “Gremlins”). Self-empowering, motivational, and practical at the same time, this book will inspire you to use the information presented to put together a plan and start taking the steps needed to land (or create!) your personal dream job. A well-written and informative read, highly recommended!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Check out this review on my blog, EpicBookQuest.com
March 10, 2018
Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work by Halimah Bellows is a very hands-on book.
It is a book that you will need a notebook and a pen or a pencil to truly understand and appreciate the knowledge that is inside this fantastic book.
I believe that this book is one of the best self-help books I read thus far. It provides meaningful information, tests, questions and food for thought for people who want to know what they should do with their life on a professional level.
This book will help you pinpoint if the work you are in now is right for you or you need to change it.
If you decide to change work description, then this book will help you find your new niche. I liked this book also because it is an optimist book since it adamantly supports that changing careers is never too late.
It covers pretty much all the various age groups, and it’s plethora of useful strategies, easy-to-use tools, and questionnaires, proved on the field and reliable advice, and a fantastic number of useful resources is breathtaking, to say the least.
The author did a fantastic job by presenting numerous questions that are clearly designed to get you from point A to point B and to find out where are you good and where are you weak and do something about it.
I especially enjoyed and found really useful the chapter entitled: Nourish your network which was something I always had a problem pursuing. After reading this book’s perspective on the issue, I am going to start developing the notions and ideas that are covered in this book.
Highly Recommend it.
It is a book that you will need a notebook and a pen or a pencil to truly understand and appreciate the knowledge that is inside this fantastic book.
I believe that this book is one of the best self-help books I read thus far. It provides meaningful information, tests, questions and food for thought for people who want to know what they should do with their life on a professional level.
This book will help you pinpoint if the work you are in now is right for you or you need to change it.
If you decide to change work description, then this book will help you find your new niche. I liked this book also because it is an optimist book since it adamantly supports that changing careers is never too late.
It covers pretty much all the various age groups, and it’s plethora of useful strategies, easy-to-use tools, and questionnaires, proved on the field and reliable advice, and a fantastic number of useful resources is breathtaking, to say the least.
The author did a fantastic job by presenting numerous questions that are clearly designed to get you from point A to point B and to find out where are you good and where are you weak and do something about it.
I especially enjoyed and found really useful the chapter entitled: Nourish your network which was something I always had a problem pursuing. After reading this book’s perspective on the issue, I am going to start developing the notions and ideas that are covered in this book.
Highly Recommend it.
July 17, 2018
Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work is a fantastic book at any stage of your professional. Whether you’re still in college figuring out what you want to do, having a career crisis in your mid-forties or already a retiree, there’s something in here for everyone.
Halimah Bellows is no stranger to professional advises. She is a career coach and counselor, so she has inside knowledge on how to make changes or have a more realistic approach into the job market. It’s a very practical and informative book, with some very handy information regarding curriculum writing, preparing for interviews or simple how to find the right company for you. There’s an ongoing sense of positivity and “you can do it” that is a bit inspirational, especially for those who are going through a rough patch and may feel a bit discouraged or lost on what to do with their life.
Halimah Bellows is no stranger to professional advises. She is a career coach and counselor, so she has inside knowledge on how to make changes or have a more realistic approach into the job market. It’s a very practical and informative book, with some very handy information regarding curriculum writing, preparing for interviews or simple how to find the right company for you. There’s an ongoing sense of positivity and “you can do it” that is a bit inspirational, especially for those who are going through a rough patch and may feel a bit discouraged or lost on what to do with their life.
January 3, 2020
CHAMPION YOUR CAREER
Winning in the World of Work
by Halimah Bellows
BUY NOW FROM
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
LOCAL BOOKSELLER
GET WEEKLY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Email Address
KIRKUS REVIEW
This debut career guide aims to help readers who are wondering what the future holds.
A career counselor for more than 20 years, Bellows offers amiable advice for organizing a job search, interviewing, and finally landing that dream position. Most of this well-researched manual seems appropriate for readers who have little idea what career they want to pursue. But the author also devotes a couple of chapters to midlife career change and retirement. The book begins with a short explanation of the Holland Code, a system that categorizes human personalities as one of six types—realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. According to Bellows, once people figure out which personality groups best fit them, they can begin to determine their most logical career paths. For example, those who feel most drawn to the realistic group could be athletes or mechanically inclined individuals who prefer to work with their hands. Easy to read and understand—there are plenty of bulleted lists and numbered questions—this handy how-to also includes a variety of exercises for personal assessment. For example, a “Work Values Inventory” chart asks readers to place X’s next to the personal values, such as honesty, or work values—like having a flexible schedule—that are most important to them. With the soft voice of a kindly teacher, some of Bellows’ advice may especially appeal to younger job seekers. For example, in one exercise, she lists being “zany” as a personal strength for some careers (think comedian or children’s librarian). Relevant and up-to-date, this guide includes recommendations for helpful tools, such as the internet job posting and networking site LinkedIn. The book’s appendix also includes links for many compelling job search resources, including one that provides salary information for different careers. To more seasoned job seekers, several of the ideas found here will sound like the lectures they heard at college Career Day, such as the chapter on the importance of networking. And some exercises—like the “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats” or SWOT analysis—can be found on the internet. Still, having this content in one browsable book is convenient.
A gentle and useful guide for nervous job seekers.
Winning in the World of Work
by Halimah Bellows
BUY NOW FROM
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
LOCAL BOOKSELLER
GET WEEKLY BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
Email Address
KIRKUS REVIEW
This debut career guide aims to help readers who are wondering what the future holds.
A career counselor for more than 20 years, Bellows offers amiable advice for organizing a job search, interviewing, and finally landing that dream position. Most of this well-researched manual seems appropriate for readers who have little idea what career they want to pursue. But the author also devotes a couple of chapters to midlife career change and retirement. The book begins with a short explanation of the Holland Code, a system that categorizes human personalities as one of six types—realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. According to Bellows, once people figure out which personality groups best fit them, they can begin to determine their most logical career paths. For example, those who feel most drawn to the realistic group could be athletes or mechanically inclined individuals who prefer to work with their hands. Easy to read and understand—there are plenty of bulleted lists and numbered questions—this handy how-to also includes a variety of exercises for personal assessment. For example, a “Work Values Inventory” chart asks readers to place X’s next to the personal values, such as honesty, or work values—like having a flexible schedule—that are most important to them. With the soft voice of a kindly teacher, some of Bellows’ advice may especially appeal to younger job seekers. For example, in one exercise, she lists being “zany” as a personal strength for some careers (think comedian or children’s librarian). Relevant and up-to-date, this guide includes recommendations for helpful tools, such as the internet job posting and networking site LinkedIn. The book’s appendix also includes links for many compelling job search resources, including one that provides salary information for different careers. To more seasoned job seekers, several of the ideas found here will sound like the lectures they heard at college Career Day, such as the chapter on the importance of networking. And some exercises—like the “Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats” or SWOT analysis—can be found on the internet. Still, having this content in one browsable book is convenient.
A gentle and useful guide for nervous job seekers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews