When at professional networking events, these are the books I recommend the most. So, it’s high time I share them in a post. You’ll find out why these are the best books for young professionals.
I’m not sharing dense and technical books. For example, I passed one of the hardest exam series in the world – the CFA exams. That included 6,000 pages of base study material for three exams. Instead, you’ll find books that are more enjoyable to read. On top of that, they can help you advance in any career.
You’ll find many cross-disciplinary concepts. Whether you’re a young professional or further along in your career, these books can help you improve starting today…
Best Books for Young Professionals
With any business or industry you land in, understanding how people think is paramount. Whether it’s with a client or a coworker, improving communication leads to less stress and better results. On top of that, it can help you be more successful when asking for a raise or promotion.
That’s why these books focus on psychology. Although, you’ll find many useful topics. And I’ve also included one of my favorite professional tips below.
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People
Author: Dale Carnegie
This is a must-read for young professionals. First published in 1936, it’s an old book… but it stands the test of time. With these pages in hand, you’ll find timeless wisdom that you can apply today.
The title alone is a good guide on what you’ll learn. So, instead of giving an overview, here’s a lesser-known fact about the author. One of the world’s best investors, Warren Buffett, took a Dale Carnegie public speaking course early in his career. And he considers it one of the best investments he’s made.
Here’s a link to this book on Amazon.
This book and the others below include Amazon affiliate links. If you click and buy any of these books, I might receive a small commission. That helps me as a small content creator 😊. Also, I’ve tracked down the lowest cost listings I could find on Amazon. If I was rebuying these books today, these are the ones I’d pick up.
2. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Author: Nir Eyal
Jumping to a newer book, this builds upon many of the same lessons. However, it applies them directly to our digital world. You’ll learn how overlooked design choices have a huge impact on our behavior.
We’re all caught in feedback loops, some good and some bad. However, few people pay attention to how these patterns work. By reading this book and seeing many real-world examples, you’ll start spotting the signs everywhere.
Here’s a link to this book on Amazon.
This is one of my favorite young professional books for business builders, developers and marketers. We all live part of our lives in the digital world. Whether personal or for business, this book can help you learn how to better spend your time and effort (and reach larger audiences).
3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Author: Robert Cialdini
This is another classic book for young professionals that focuses on psychology. And more so, sales psychology. Even if you aren’t customer facing or in a sales role, this is one of the best books for career development.
Here’s a link to this book on Amazon.
You’ll find six core ideas for building more influence. And with just a few of these rules, you can have better back-and-forth with coworkers and managers. That’s helpful if you’re looking for a raise or promotion. On top of that, this book can improve how you work with project managers and people across different departments.
Favorite Tip for Young Professionals
Early in my career, I got an email response from a successful copywriter. He responded with “WIIFM.” I had to look up the acronym and I’m glad I did. This lesson has stuck with me over the years, and it stands for “what’s in it for me?”
When reaching out to anyone, it’s good to keep this in mind. What benefit is there for the other person? If you can’t provide something the other person values, why should they respond? And a key here is being able to imagine yourself in their shoes…
For example, a high-profile person might get hundreds of people reaching out each week. So, how can you stand out from the crowd? What’s the value you can provide up front that makes them more likely to respond. Also, what’s the best channel for getting your words in front of them?
With this approach, I’ve had executives from billion dollar companies respond to my questions. I’ve even had a few responses from the CTO of a trillion-dollar company. We’re far from best friends 😂 and doubt he remembers my name, but it’s proof of outreach that gets attention.
Whether you’re reaching out to an executive, coworker or customers, a few simple rules can deliver better results. And the books above can help you learn what works.
Best Way to Read Books
It’s easy to get excited about a new book and other ventures. Buying a book is easy. Click on the links above 😊. You can learn a lot more than from most college classes, at a small fraction of the cost. However, following through is the hard part. With most goals, breaking them down yields better results…
For example, reading 10 pages in one day doesn’t take much time. This bite-sized approach is more manageable. And by making it a daily habit, your knowledge compounds. This is a key concept in finance and professional development.
Over the course of a year, you’ll have read 3,650 pages. And that’s way more than the total page count for these young professional books. With this small daily reading goal, you could even read them four times each within a year. Re-reading one great book is better than reading 10 average books. This approach can help you reinforce (spacing effect) key concepts and connect more ideas.
That’s why I’ve re-read the books above. And unlike lots of books featured online, I’m a real reader of all these books. They’ve helped me advance in my career and with other relationships. Hands down, these are some of the best books for young professionals. That’s why I continue to recommend them at networking events, and to friends and family.
Thanks for stopping by my small blog. Feel free to click on the links above for more book info.