Start Now: Because That Meaningful Job Is Out There, Just Waiting For You

by Reynold Levy

Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author, “a compelling guide to determine what you wish to do in life, and the best ways to build a meaningful career” (Ken Auletta, bestselling author).
 
Newcomers to the workplace. The recently fired. Those desiring to advance with their current employer, and those eager to move on. And many who have found what they do for a living deadening, disappointing, and tedious. For these reasons and others one in five Americans change jobs every year.  
 
Drawing on his extensive career in the non-profit, commercial, and public service realms, Reynold Levy will help you think about your future creatively and prepare for it resourcefully. How to network naturally and adeptly. How to interview effectively. How to perform well in your current job. He will offer you a recipe for moving up in an appealing organization or moving out gracefully to a better position elsewhere. 
 
Start Now offers concrete, actionable, practical advice: Taking fullest advantage of school, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Learning how to succeed at work without being imprisoned there. Asking others for help compellingly. 
 
“This book is about work—finding work you love, getting it, doing it well, leaving it—but it is also a book about how to live. Part memoir, part social analysis, part practical guide, it is a terrific read: wise and fun, deep and light, full of stories about people and problems, and the sheer good pleasure of a job that gives back to the world. Never moralizing, just right, Start Now is a book for us all.” —Jennifer Homans, New York Times bestselling author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780795352782
Publisher:	RosettaBooks
Publication date:	10/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

A frequent recipient of awards and honorary degrees, Reynold Levy maintains a busy schedule of public speaking and consulting to commercial, nonprofit, and philanthropic clients. His last book, They Told Me Not to Take That Job: Tumult, Betrayal, Heroics, and the Transformation of Lincoln Center,was a New York Times bestseller. In a career devoted to public service, Reynold was most recently the president of the Robin Hood Foundation. Previously he served as the president of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts from March 1, 2002, to January 31, 2014. Reynold also served as the president of the International Rescue Committee, a senior officer at AT&T and the president of the AT&T Foundation, executive director of the 92nd Street Y, and the staff director of the task force on the New York City fiscal crisis. He has taught at New York University, Columbia University, and the Harvard Business School. Levy is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a trustee of the Charles H. Revson Foundation and the American Ballet Theatre, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as the lead director of First Republic Bank. A graduate of Hobart College, Phi Beta Kappa, Levy earned a PhD in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Columbia University. Start Now: Because That Meaningful Job Is Out There, Just Waiting for You is his fifth book.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

1 Start Now: Because the Worst Time to Look for a Meaningful Job Is When You Need One 1

2 Start Now: Because the Best Time to Look for a New Job Is When You Are Securely Settled in Another One 17

3 It's Never Too Early (Or Too Late) 39

4 Persuading the Target Employer 65

5 The Interview 75

6 The Competition for Talent 87

7 Performance: Excelling at Work 119

8 Ready, Set 135

9 The Quest for Meaning 155

10 Beyond Self 165

11 Not Done Yet: Lives Unfinished 175

Notes 183

Selected Bibliography 191

About the Author 195

Index 197

Editorial Reviews

Sit down and listen to Reynold Levy. He is a wise man and in this vivid book he extracts the life lessons forged from an enviable career as CEO of a galaxy of important institutions. In clear, crisp sentences, he distills what he has learned about recruiting people and inspiring executives. Readers are treated to a buffet of anecdotes and experiences that can read as a How-To Book, a compelling guide to determine what you wish to do in life, and the best ways to build a meaningful career.” —Ken Auletta, bestselling author and writer for the New Yorker

“Reynold Levy has spent his life serving others and achieved the kind of personal and professional success that I admire. His book offers invaluable insight into charting a meaningful career path that is drawn from his experience at the helm of some of the world's most complex and consequential nonprofit institutions. Anyone who aspires to make a difference - and to do so with integrity, kindness, and humor - has much to learn from Levy's hard-won advice.” —Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University

“This book is about work—finding work you love, getting it, doing it well, leaving it—but it is also a book about how to live. Part memoir, part social analysis, part practical guide, it is a terrific read: wise and fun, deep and light, full of stories about people and problems, and the sheer good pleasure of a job that gives back to the world. Never moralizing, just right, Start Now is a book for us all.” —Jennifer Homans, prize-winning author, founder, The Center for Ballet and the Arts, Dance Critic, The New Yorker

“Reynold Levy has once again written a compelling, informative and useful book on a subject he has observed closely. How individuals can best prepare themselves to seek and acquire that meaningful job. Start Now provides a real public service. It insightfully and entertainingly offers valuable advice on how to shape a career and a life that matters.” —David M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-executive chairman, The Carlyle Group

“I hope that all of my professional colleagues—as well as friends and family members—read Start Now. Reynold Levy not only encourages you to build relationships that are enduring, to remain intellectually curious and to dive into richly rewarding professional experiences and public service endeavors, he shows you precisely how to do so. Reynold’s practical advice and personal accounts compel action, optimism, personal growth, and fulfillment. Start Now will leave you shaping your professional future more energetically and creatively. What’s more, it will cause you to reconsider what really gives life meaning.” —Kara Medoff Barnett, executive director, American Ballet Theatre

“Add to Reynold Levy’s many professional roles—CEO, salesman, teacher, author, consultant, trustee, and director—that of career counselor. Start Now is chock-full of useful suggestions and advice on how to go about finding the right job and advancing your career, at any stage of life. I’m putting some of these ideas into practice right now.” —Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation

“Managing and leading really well is rare. Writing clearly about these same subjects is almost as unusual. Reynold Levy has done both throughout his richly diverse career in public service. Start Now offers excellent advice on how to find that fulfilling job and to realize a meaningful life.” —Indra Nooyi, former chairman and CEO, PepsiCo

“From the International Rescue Committee to Lincoln Center, Reynold Levy has successfully led some of the world’s most influential nonprofit institutions and also worked as an advisor and board member to major corporations. Drawing on his extraordinary experiences, Levy has written a must-read guide for anyone seeking to build a meaningful career.” —Steven Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst Communications

“As Reynold Levy knows from his multifaceted experience in leading first-class institutions, human talent is the single best indicator of excellence. In Start Now, he brilliantly offers his perspective on how to prepare for a rewarding career. Whether you are a newcomer to the workplace, or seeking a different position, this source of value- added advice is a must-read.” —Tracy R. Wolstencroft, former President & CEO, National Geographic Society, and President, CEO, and Chairman, Heidrick & Struggles

From the Publisher