Now What, Grad?: Your Path to Success After College

by Chris Palmer

Overview

Many soon-to-be graduates are worried about their future. They stress about whether they’ll find a job, if it will be fulfilling, whether they will earn enough to pay off their student loans, and whether they will fail and disappoint their families. Young people need to learn many things that colleges don’t teach, including how to behave professionally, how to collaborate, how to be life-long learners, and how to be resourceful, resilient, and ethical. This book will teach students the things they need to succeed in the real world, such as how to organize a job search, how to ace job interviews, how to manage time effectively, how to manage and reduce stress, how to be an effective leader, how to run a meeting well, how to survive a bad performance review, how to become a powerful speaker, how to network, and many other skills that are the keys to success and fulfillment.

New topics in this 2nd edition include the habits of successful people; eliminating bad habits; dealing with criticism; email etiquette; making a good first impression; the importance of gratitude; how to listen; job hunting mistakes; managing conflict; how to overcome obstacles; the importance of professionalism, punctuality, and thank you letters; creating a powerful online presence; how to crowdfund; necessary life skills; and sample cover letters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475838954
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	08/16/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	204
File size:	932 KB

About the Author

Chris Palmer is a professor, speaker, author, and wildlife film producer who has spearheaded the production of more than 300 hours of original programming for prime-time television and the giant screen IMAX industry. He founded the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at American University School of Communication in 2005, a year after joining AU’s full-time faculty as Distinguished Film Producer in Residence. He regularly gives speeches and workshops on a variety of topics, including how to radically improve one’s success and productivity, how to give effective presentations, how to network effectively, how to raise money, and how to motivate and engage students.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Reflect on Your Life
Chapter 1. Launch the Transition to Life after College
Chapter 2. Align Your Actions with Your Values
Chapter 3. Develop Your Personal Mission StatementPart II: Land a Job
Chapter 4. Organize Your Job Search
Chapter 5. Create Your Skill List
Chapter 6. Be Super Employable
Chapter 7. Spruce Up Your Online Presence
Chapter 8. Ace Your Interviews
Chapter 9. Avoid the Worst Job Search Mistakes
Chapter 10. Think Outside the Box
Part III: Maximize Your Productivity
Chapter 11. Manage Your Time Well
Chapter 12. Make Your To-Do List Work for You
Chapter 13. Use E-mail Effectively and Efficiently
Chapter 14. Manage and Reduce Stress
Chapter 15. Increase Your Vitality
Chapter 16. Boost Your Productivity Even More
Part IV: Hone Your On-the-Job Skills
Chapter 17. Be an Effective Leader
Chapter 18. Run Meetings Adeptly
Chapter 19. Become a Powerful Speaker
Chapter 20. Use Stories Effectively
Chapter 21. Moderate Panels Successfully
Chapter 22: Be a Good Listener
Part V: Embody Professionalism
Chapter 23. Foster Civility and Courtesy in the Workplace
Chapter 24. Show Gratitude
Chapter 25. Demonstrate the Qualities of a Pro
Chapter 26. Make Punctuality a Priority
Chapter 27. Manage Workplace Conflicts the Right Way
Chapter 28. Overcome Bad Performance Reviews
Chapter 29. Turn Criticism into Opportunity
Part VI: Forge Meaningful Connections
Chapter 30. Have Your Elevator Speech Ready
Chapter 31. Build Relationships through Networking
Chapter 32. Make a Winning First Impression
Chapter 33. Send a Thank You Note
Chapter 34. Raise Money Successfully
Chapter 35. Capitalize on Crowdfunding
Part VII: Mold Yourself into a Successful Person
Chapter 36. Adopt the Habits of Successful People
Chapter 37. Don’t Waste Time on ...
Chapter 38. Eliminate These Bad Habits
Chapter 39. Make Weekends Count
Chapter 40. Overcome Obstacles
Afterword
Appendix A: Examples of Personal Mission Statements
Appendix B: Fifty Tips for Success: A Quick Roadmap to Achieving Your Goals
Appendix C: Examples of Cover Letters
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Chris Palmer’s Now What, Grad? helps students and recent graduates answer the title question with practical tips and useful stories drawn from his own rich career as well as from the lived experience of many of his students. Any new graduate reading this book with not only learn the nuts and bolts of finding a job and how to be an effective professional, but also how to live one’s life with meaning and purpose.

Cornelius M. Kerwin

Chris Palmer is a devoted mentor to his students who graduate as much more than wet clay. Through a treasure trove of pragmatic tips, Palmer dispenses wisdom to all graduates to launch their adult lives with confidence and integrity. While encouraging big dreams, Palmer backs up his college grad manifesto with sensible guidance about how to achieve them. Meaningful career planning is just part of his alchemy. At its heart, this is a book about the architecture of a balanced life. The Palmer plan preaches healthy living, good eating, playful time, and dedication to family and friends. It’s all integrated into the challenge of a career that plays up individual strengths and passions. This book is a gift to all of us who want to tune up our lifestyles to be fully present for all the wonders of a well-lived life.

Roberta Baskin

I remember the panic that gripped me my senior year of college when I realized I had to find a job that would start my adult life. The complexities of the modern economy have made that search even more frightening, but Chris Palmer’s Now What, Grad? is a wonderful confidence booster. The book takes readers by the hand and guides them step-by-step through the most difficult parts of that transition. I love the emphasis on thinking first about what you really want and identifying those happy parts of your life that already hold clues to what you should be doing. Get out a note pad as you read the book and by the end you will have a to-do list that will get you up every morning, ready to move forward.

Jay Mathews

Chris Palmer has written a fabulous must-have for anyone graduating, or embarking on their next steps: He manages to entertain, while providing not only practical tips for making important decisions, but a profoundly important moral framework for navigating the modern world. An inspiring contribution for this generation’s leaders-to-be.

Pamela Meyer