The Wall Street Journal Guide to Building Your Career

Book excerpt: Are you looking for a mere job—the kind where you do virtually the same thing day after day, year after year, and spend the hours counting down the minutes until the clock hits five p.m.? Or are you looking for a career—the kind that engages your interests and passions, constantly presents new and exciting opportunities and challenges, and allows you to grow personally and professionally? If you chose the latter, this is the book for you. In The Wall Street Journal Guide to Building Your Career, former Wall Street Journal careers editor Jennifer Merritt shows you how to build the foundation for the fulfilling professional career that leads to that corner office. She'll walk you through how to: • Select and nab that important career-launching college internship • Ace your first interview—and blow them away in the second round • Navigate the unwritten rules of any office culture • Negotiate tastefully and successfully for the salary your skills are worth • Get that critical promotion when you're at the peak of your learning curve • Choose the mentor (or mentors) who can best help you achieve your goals • Leap ahead of other high achievers racing you to the top Drawing on advice from industry experts, career coaches, and ordinary people who've made the climb themselves, Merritt offers insider tips for landing and moving up in the kind of job that's not just about earning a paycheck but about realizing your ambitions and achieving the kind of success you've always dreamed of.