Career books remain a constant regarding reliable resources for improving personal and professional growth. After all, employee upskilling and the need to be intentional about our careers have never been more critical than today, as many white-collar workers face an increasingly competitive and rapidly changing job market.
AI has already begun replacing specific jobs (a survey of Fortune 500 CHROs showed that 72% predict AI will replace roles at their organizations within three years). Layoffs continue, and the job market remains cool as ever.
In addition to these external factors, there are countless other reasons to upskill. Beyond the benefits to the bottom line, companies see that when they develop talent from within, employees report being happier and more fulfilled when learning new skills. In particular, human skills—i.e., soft skills—become increasingly important.
So, here are some key career books to read in 2025 to help you adapt to change, take charge of your career, and continue growing and thriving this year and beyond.
1. Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career — by Lorraine K. Lee
Being great at your job isn’t enough. In today’s competitive workplace, ambitious professionals must master how and where they show up to stand out and receive recognition.
Lorraine K. Lee knows this journey firsthand. As a shy, overlooked introvert who became a sought-after keynote speaker, she discovered that success comes not from working harder but from being intentional about your professional presence. Through her role as a founding editor at LinkedIn and her work with Fortune 500 companies, she’s helped millions of professionals develop an intentional, powerful presence that takes them from invisible to unforgettable.
Drawing from research-backed principles, personal anecdotes, and insights from interviews with dozens of industry leaders, including bestselling author Daniel Pink and Radical Candor’s Kim Scott, Unforgettable Presence introduces practical frameworks to help you build influence and be seen as a leader so that you can increase your impact immediately. You’ll learn to communicate with confidence, build strategic relationships, and advocate for yourself and your team effectively.
2. Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It — by Jenny Wood
Wild Courage is described as “a rebellion against conventional career wisdom.” Jenny Wood, formerly a Google executive and a leading career coach who chased a good-looking stranger off the NYC subway (who she later married), has extensive experience with courage. In Wild Courage, Wood motivates you to push past your fear while boldly and unapologetically chasing your desired career and life.
What if the traits you need to get ahead are the exact opposite of what you’ve been told?
In total, Wild Courage teaches you how to maximize nine key traits, with a few of them being:
- Weird: Be authentic, or as Jenny puts it, “Win as you, or lose as ‘who?’”
- Selfish: Tap into your self-advocacy and be your own champion.
- Shameless: Ditch the imposter syndrome and easily promote yourself.
- Manipulative: Craft lasting relationships through empathy.
- Reckless: Take calculated risks and focus on taking action.
Wood takes these notable traits and repurposes their negative connotations into positive ones, teaching you how to maximize each creatively and yield success. These strategies can be very beneficial whether you use them to make a great first impression on a new boss, get a promotion, or land a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
3. Managing Up: How to Get What You Need From the People In Charge — by Melody Wilding
In Managing Up: How to Get What You Need From the People in Charge (March 2025), human behavior professor and award-winning executive coach Melody Wilding reveals the ten essential conversations professionals need to master to earn more freedom, authority, and confidence at work.
Wilding draws from her background in psychology and years coaching top performers at companies like Google, Amazon, and other Fortune 500 companies. Through this experience, she provides science-backed strategies to decode your boss’s behavior, navigate workplace politics gracefully, and turn complex relationships into strategic partnerships.
You’ll discover precisely what to say to get buy-in on your ideas, resist unrealistic demands, and advocate for the resources and recognition you deserve while maintaining strong relationships. Whether you’re dealing with a micromanager, navigating a reorganization, or trying to get noticed by senior leadership, this practical guide shows you how to stop overthinking and start influencing to get ahead.
4. Civil Unity: The Radical Path to Transform Our Discourse, Our Lives, and Our World — by Shola Richards
In his award-winning book Civil Unity, Shola Richards uses his knowledge and experience to reimagine civility. He offers a practical strategy for transforming our understanding, lives, and world.
Richards’ mantra, “We are defined by how we treat each other,” is a powerful battle cry for our divisive times. Unfortunately, how we treat each other these days is far from ideal. Whether it’s families divided along political lines, toxic workplace cultures, or bigotry and intolerance in our communities, our society seems to have collectively forgotten how to coexist respectfully. This book aims to reverse this trend by bringing a modern version of civility to the forefront.
This isn’t a book about turning the other cheek when dealing with harmful behavior. Richards wrote Civil Unity to provide a personal and practical guide for navigating the most complex social challenges imaginable. So, if society’s inability to disagree without disrespect has disillusioned you, and you’re ready to join the movement to repair our broken discourse, look no further.
5. Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI — by Ashley Faus
This book outlines the need for brands to establish more meaningful personal connections with their customers. Traditional authorities—journalists, federal government officials, or business leaders—have become less trusted by the general public, especially in the last few decades. The trust people have in others is often dependent on how well they can relate to them. With the increasing use of tools like AI, distribution channels, and customer touch-point tracking to drive revenue, people have a challenging time trusting others. Simply put, this has created a demand for brands to prioritize more impactful customer connections. In addition, it’s highlighted the need for brands to create a more pleasant and streamlined customer journey.
This book includes three key frameworks to build trust, create a human-centric journey, and drive business impact:
- Firstly, re-imagine the funnel as a playground to map the audience’s journey.
- Secondly, use the social media spectrum to engage in conversations and foster community.
- Lastly, use the four pillars of thought leadership to find and develop thought leaders in your organization—and partner with other types of creators in the marketing mix.
This book offers practical advice if you’re a mid-senior-level marketer looking to build more impactful marketing programs. You’ll find real-world examples to help you truly focus on what matters: the humans behind the screen! When purchasing this book (using the link above), users can use the discount code KOGANPAGE20 to receive 20% off at checkout.
6. Reverse the Search: How to Turn Job Seeking into Job Shopping — by Madeline Mann
In Reverse the Search, career expert Madeline Mann introduces a revolutionary way to approach job searching: Job Shopping. Instead of tirelessly sending applications or attending interviews that go nowhere, Job Shopping puts you in control. As a result, this strategy helps you attract employers who would compete to hire you.
Mann draws from her experience as a recruiter and HR leader and insights that have helped millions of people (and counting). Through this expertise, she reveals the strategies to flip the traditional job search on its head. You’ll learn how to attract the right opportunities, ace interviews, and have a lifetime of career success.
Reverse the Search outlines actionable steps and real-world examples that teach readers how to transform their mindsets. This book helps readers move from feeling stuck to becoming confident candidates who choose the right fit. To sum up, Job Shopping isn’t just job hunting—it’s building a career on your terms.
7. We Are All Weirdos — by Nancy Luong
Nancy Luong’s #1 best-selling new release, We Are All Weirdos, is the ultimate guide to unapologetically embracing every part of yourself! She uses personal stories and easy steps to show readers how to build confidence and conquer imposter syndrome. Most importantly, she teaches readers how to feel proud of who they are—quirks and all. This book empowers you to break free from societal norms and create a life that honors your true individuality. Consequently, this can lead to more freedom, joy, and success.
This book encourages you to take up space, shine brightly, and celebrate the unique traits that make you stand out. So, no more dimming your light. Nancy encourages you to embrace your inner ‘weirdo’ and experience a newfound sense of peace, fulfillment, and confidence. After reading this book, you’ll feel pumped, empowered, and ready to make your dreams a reality simply by standing strong in who you are! In short, this game-changing book invites you to unlock your potential to live your best life!
8. Take Charge Of Your New Job — by Shveta Miglani
Take Charge of Your New Job (June 2025) by Shveta Miglani is an indispensable guide for anyone embarking on a new career journey. Miglani masterfully combines practical advice with real-life examples, giving readers a roadmap to navigate their new roles effectively. The book covers a wide range of topics, from understanding company culture and building strong relationships with colleagues to setting achievable goals and demonstrating key skills. This comprehensive approach helps readers prepare to handle the challenges of a new job with confidence and poise.
In addition to its practical guidance, Take Charge of Your New Job offers insights into personal growth and development. Miglani emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and continuous learning, encouraging readers to take charge of their career trajectories. Her engaging writing style and expert advice make this book a must-read for professionals at any stage of their careers. Miglani provides readers with the resources to stay ahead of the curve and achieve lasting success in their new roles.
9. Big Asian Energy — by John Wang
Big Asian Energy uncovers the overlooked strengths of Asian Americans in a world that often celebrates Western ideals of individualism and loud self-promotion. John Wang uses humor and witty insights to tackle stereotypes like the “model minority,” for instance. He also breaks down barriers like the “bamboo ceiling.” In other words, this term refers to how some people see Asian Americans as hardworking people but not as leadership material.
Wang divided this book into three key categories: inner growth, assertive communication, and community building. These act as a guide for building confidence, mastering communication, and stepping into authentic leadership. Wang shares personal stories and relatable experiences, like growing up in a traditional Asian household (yes, including those long afternoons at Kumon). Using his combined humor and expertise as a speaker, coach, and host of the Big Asian Energy podcast, he delivers actionable strategies to readers. These strategies help readers thrive in their careers, relationships, and personal lives.
Funny, heartfelt, and practical, Big Asian Energy calls you to own your voice and end your self-sabotaging patterns. Most importantly, this book calls you to know your full potential and seek recognition for it.
10. The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses — by Mita Mallick
This book is a must-read guide on how “not to” become that lousy boss. With powerful storytelling and practical advice, Mita shares how bad bosses aren’t born but that people create bad bosses. Therefore, she offers a perspective on why bad bosses are a product of their circumstances.
She shares hilarious and heartbreaking stories of the bad bosses she once endured and survived. Similarly, she challenges us to avoid the pitfalls of bad boss behavior. For instance, poor leadership behaviors like never having time for your team (except at midnight), micromanaging, being completely disengaged, gossiping, talent hoarding, stealing credit, and more are all behaviors she discusses. She reminds us that a good leader makes a difference by recognizing and valuing the contributions of their organizations. So, remember that the devil emails at midnight. Let’s make sure that the devil doesn’t become you.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by George Milton; Pexels; Thank you.
Deanna Ritchie
Editor-in-Chief at Calendar. Former Editor-in-Chief and writer at Startup Grind. Freelance editor at Entrepreneur.com. Deanna loves to help build startups, and guide them to discover the business value of their online content and social media marketing.