Now What, Grad?

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.

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, Washington Post columnist

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.