Start Now

Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author, “a compelling guide to determine what you wish to do in life, and the best ways to build a meaningful career” (Ken Auletta, bestselling author). Newcomers to the workplace. The recently fired. Those desiring to advance with their current employer, and those eager to move on. And many who have found what they do for a living deadening, disappointing, and tedious. For these reasons and others one in five Americans change jobs every year. Drawing on his extensive career in the non-profit, commercial, and public service realms, Reynold Levy will help you think about your future creatively and prepare for it resourcefully. How to network naturally and adeptly. How to interview effectively. How to perform well in your current job. He will offer you a recipe for moving up in an appealing organization or moving out gracefully to a better position elsewhere. Start Now offers concrete, actionable, practical advice: Taking fullest advantage of school, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Learning how to succeed at work without being imprisoned there. Asking others for help compellingly. “This book is about work—finding work you love, getting it, doing it well, leaving it—but it is also a book about how to live. Part memoir, part social analysis, part practical guide, it is a terrific read: wise and fun, deep and light, full of stories about people and problems, and the sheer good pleasure of a job that gives back to the world. Never moralizing, just right, Start Now is a book for us all.” —Jennifer Homans, New York Times bestselling author