Too often when we have a conflict or a complaint at work we either say nothing or say the wrong thing.  This book offers us a constructive third alternative.

The author, Richard S. Gallagher, calls it the CANDID approach. This acronym provides us with a strategy (Compartmentalize, Ask questions, Normalize, Discuss, Incentivize, and Disengage) for opening difficult conversations without putting other people on the defensive.

With some tough talk followed by clear-headed, straight-forward advice, Andrea Kay will help you deal with whatever it is dragging you down at work. Her first  bit of advice? Face facts, lower your expectations and quit believing that everything should  be perfect. Kay begins by dealing out the 12 Naked Truths of the workplace and follows with pragmatic solutions for making the best of  an imperfect and unfair world. 

Two words: Skilled trades. If you’re looking for a solid alternative to a four-year college degree, if working with your hands is more satisfying than sitting at a desk, if you want good pay and plenty of job opportunities, this is the answer you’re looking for.

This book details the opportunities for blue collar workers, including the old standbys such as builders, electricians, mechanics and technicians but also includes new opportunities such as the emerging green-collar opportunities in farming and alternative energy.

This pragmatic and practical book lists career opportunities in dozens of the most obviously green occupations from alternative energy to sustainable agriculture.  But it goes a step further and offers up suggestions for traditional careers with a green twist. If you’re looking for a way to turn your talents toward a cleaner, more sustainable future, this is the book for you.

Alpha Books

Rebound offers timely and pragmatic advice for anyone facing job loss. Author Martha Finney acknowledges that losing a job feels awful,  but it also can lead to new – and better – opportunities for those who are willing to shake off their self-doubt, embrace a little insecurity and think hard about their next move.

Surviving a Layoff, subtitled A Week by Week Guide to Getting Your Life Back Together, is organized around  an 10-week plan for job hunting (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an unemployed person in this recession will remain jobless for about five months.) followed by the less wildly-optimistic chapter “Long Term Unemployment” which deals with the pressures of keeping motivated and solvent if unemployment last longer than expected.

What’s the secret of dealing with your quirky co-workers? It’s simple: Control your own reactions to people who annoy, irritate or aggravate you. Notice I said simple, not easy.  The authors of this book – a psychotherapist and a business consultant – offer sound, sensible strategies for relating to difficult co-workers without sacrificing your sanity.  The key is something they call “unhooking.”  That’s their term for changing your emotional and physical reactions to the challenging interactions you inevitably find yourself in at work.

It’s clear that the world is changing and along with it the world of work is changing too. More people want work that is in synch with their passion and values and fortunately these kinds of opportunities are growing.  This book will show you where to find these jobs and how to get one. The author explains that a career based on your values is “Self-employment” with a capital S, as in employment that engages your highest self and your most important values.

If you plan to join the corporate culture after college, this is the book you should read. Megan Hustad is the smart, funny, tell-the-truth big sister who college grads need to show them the ropes before they take their first job. She knows what it takes to schmooze, dodge, and finesse your way through the social maze of today’s corporate world.