Summer reading: New additions to the business collection

via GIPHY

If you have some time on your hands and are relaxing in the sun or under a tree, how about kicking off your new year reading with one of the recent business focused additions to our collection?

You’ll find all these and much, much more in Wellington City Libraries’ catalogue

The retention revolution : 7 surprising (and very human!) ways to keep employees connected to your company / Keswin, Erica
“Build a business with relationships at the center, and you will seize the competitive edge in today’s volatile job/or talent market”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Staying the distance : the lessons from sport that business leaders have been missing / Baker, Catherine
“Business leaders are very familiar with drawing lessons from elite sport, particularly around teams, leadership and high performance. But we have all been missing a trick. Day in, day out, sport has been showing us not only how to improve, perform and achieve, but how to do so on a sustained basis, consistently delivering results when it matters. This book shines a light on these unseen lessons, and provides a clear and practical roadmap for how to deploy them in the reader’s own leadership practices. “– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Thriving leaders thriving teams / Parsons, Lauren
“Feeling flat, tired or overwhelmed? Concerned you or your colleagues are headed for burnout? Poor health and mental distress are on the rise globally. People are suffering in silence. The talent shortage makes it critical workplaces set themselves apart as desirable employers, to attract and retain great people. Not enough leaders understand how to create true workplace wellbeing. Unfortunately, too many organisations – often inadvertently – treat people as ‘assets’ or ‘resources’ to be used rather than human beings to be nurtured, motivated and celebrated. This needs to change. A complete guide, packed with the latest research, inspiring stories, and practical tools to help you boost your wellbeing, energy and vitality, even if you’re busy and “don’t have time”; be a better leader and help others thrive, no matter what your role; cultivate a positive, energised workplace culture. Thriving Leaders, Thriving Teams is for anyone, from aspiring leaders through to CEOs. Just as master gardeners create the right environment for plants to thrive, leaders must cultivate the ideal environment for their people to flourish. This book shows you how.” Publisher.” (Catalogue)

The art of winning : 10 lessons in leadership, purpose and potential / Carter, Dan
“Ten timeless truths on leadership, purpose and potential – from the unique culture of the All Blacks, and the mind of a living legend”–Publisher information.” (Catalogue)
Also available as EAudiobook Libby

 

Big bets : how large-scale change really happens / Shah, Rajiv Janardan
“Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former administrator of President Barack Obama’s United States Agency for International Development, shares a dynamic new model for creating large scale change, inspired by his own involvements with some of the largest humanitarian projects of our time”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

Team habits : how small actions lead to extraordinary results / Gilkey, Charlie
“We all know how important habits are for personal effectiveness, success, and happiness. We can apply many of the same principles and insights about personal habits to our teams. When we do, not only do we accrue the personal benefits for ourselves, but we accrue them with and for our team. If small habit changes lead to powerful results for individuals, imagine what it can do for teams. Focusing on improving how people work together at the team level means there’s no need for a top-down initiative or sign-off by the higher-ups to start making our working lives better…Gilkey offers tips on Communication (“What needs to be communicated NOW versus what can wait”), Meetings (“The ultimate question to determine whether your meeting was worth it”), Belonging (“Why getting your teammate coffee isn’t about the coffee”), and much more”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Python for data science / Mueller, John
Python for Data Science For Dummies lets you get your hands dirty with data using one of the top programming languages. This beginner’s guide takes you step by step through getting started, performing data analysis, understanding datasets and example code, working with Google Colab, sampling data, and beyond. Coding your data analysis tasks will make your life easier, make you more in-demand as an employee, and open the door to valuable knowledge and insights. This new edition is updated for the latest version of Python and includes current, relevant data examples”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Faking it : artificial intelligence in a human world / Walsh, Toby
“A prescient analysis of what makes artificial intelligence so … artificial. The brave new world of faking it … Artificial intelligence is, as the name suggests, artificial and fundamentally different to human intelligence. Yet often the goal of AI is to fake human intelligence. This deceit has been there from the very beginning. We’ve been trying to fake it since Alan Turing answered the question ‘Can machines think?’ by proposing that machines pretend to be humans. Now we are starting to build AI that truly deceives us. Powerful AIs such as ChatGPT can convince us they are intelligent and blur the distinction between what is real and what is simulated. In reality, they lack true understanding, sentience and common sense. But this doesn’t mean they can’t change the world. Can AI systems ever be creative? Can they be moral? What can we do to ensure they are not harmful?” (Catalogue)

The key to creativity : the science behind ideas and how daydreaming can change the world / Østby, Hilde
“In The Key to Creativity, Østby takes readers on a deep-dive into why we are creative and what conditions must be present in order for us to make our best work: whether that be a painting, a piece of writing, or simply a good email. Using characters from Alice in Wonderland for inspiration, Østby investigates why we have ideas that seemingly come out of nowhere, like the Cheshire Cat, and how we can quiet our inner critic, like the rule-obsessed Queen of Hearts. Along the way, she speaks with artists of all stripes and interviews psychiatrists and neurologists who specialize in understanding what happens in the brain when we are at our most creative…This engaging and ground-breaking book debunks the myth that you need to be a genius in order to be an artist or inventor. All you need is an idea and the tools to make your creative dream come true”– Provided by publisher.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Hidden potential : the science of achieving greater things / Grant, Adam
“This book illuminates how we can elevate ourselves and others to unexpected heights…Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. Adam Grant weaves together ground-breaking evidence, surprising insights, and vivid storytelling that takes us from the classroom to the boardroom, the playground to the Olympics, and underground to outer space. He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess-it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the character skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The art of explanation : how to communicate with clarity and confidence / Atkins, Ros
“Do you worry about holding people’s attention during presentations? Are you unsure where to start when faced with writing an essay or report? Are you preparing for an interview and wondering how to get all your points across? Explanation – identifying and communicating what we want to say – is an art. … BBC presenter and journalist Ros Atkins, … shares the secrets he has learned from years of working in high-pressure newsrooms, identifying the ten elements of a good explanation and the seven steps you need to take to express yourself with clarity and impact. Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Why listen to, work with and follow you? : the 3 qualities of true leaders / Robertson, Larry
“Whether setting out on your career or already ensconced in the boardroom, you will not succeed on your own. You need others to choose to listen, buy into and come with you.  Global leadership expert Larry Robertson highlights communication as the most critical yet least well practised aspect of leadership, using his 3 Qualities of True Leadership: Authenticity (AQ), Empathy (EQ) and Intent (IQ).  WHY YOU? is packed with stories, examples and tools to help you lift your game holistically, both as a true leader and a better person”. –Publisher.” (Catalogue)

My brain has too many tabs open : untangle your relationship with tech / Goodin, Tanya
“Digital detox expert and tech therapist Tanya Goodin is on a mission to help us have a healthier relationship with our electronics. Here, she collects hours of conversations to form a fascinating compendium of everyday problems we all struggle with, plus solutions to stop them taking over lives.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

 

McKinsey on Books : Author talks (3)

Global management consultancy McKinsey and Company offers a regular online series called Author Talks in which they present interviews with authors of newly published business books.

Through these interviews readers are able to gain more insight into the author’s experiences and knowledge on their topics.

In today’s blog we continue our series of linking some of these interviews with the books available in the Wellington City Libraries collection.

Click on these links to access earlier blogs : Author talks (1) and Author talks (2)

The inclusive organization : real solutions, impactful change, and meaningful diversity / Jenkins, Netta
“DEI is an 8-billion dollar industry that is not yet accessing its full potential through real solutions and results. However, through a powerful formula of policies and practices that motivate employees to be more socially and self-aware, The Inclusive Organization provides a revolutionary yet practical resource for individuals at any stage of their career. Employees across all levels and organizations are looking to drive actionable impact, but unfortunately lack the knowledge and support in doing so. This book will help any organization improve their DEI initiatives and create the sustainable and scalable change employees want to see within their workplace. Readers will be able to utilize worksheet examples and toolkits out of this book to build their own customized DEI roadmap. The Inclusive Organization is a must-read for any workplace committed to real and lasting change.”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Author Talks: Is there a seat at the table?
Aerodei CEO Netta Jenkins explains why shortfalls in inclusion efforts can impact your company’s bottom line, and what you can do to create a more inclusive workplace.

Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot / Abrahams, Matt
“Stanford lecturer and host of the #1 business podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams, reveals the secrets to finding the right words when it counts. Communication is crucial to success in life and business. However, it is not just big speeches that matter: it is also those critical, spur-of-the-moment situations for which we cannot prepare.” (Catalogue)   Also available as Ebook Libby

 

Read more : Author Talks: How to speak confidently when you’re put on the spot
If you dread public speaking, small talk, or delivering feedback, you’re not alone. Matt Abrahams shares tips for mastering communication in spontaneous situations.

The case for good jobs : how great companies bring dignity, pay & meaning to everyone’s work / Ton, Zeynep
“Imagine you are a leader in a large company, and you volunteer at a local soup kitchen, helping the needy who can’t afford warm meals. On your way out, the director stops you and says, “I just need you to know that many of the people visiting our services are actually your employees.” This really happened. The leader was shocked. He assumed that because the company paid market rate, the company was doing right by its employees. But market rate isn’t a living wage. Market rate doesn’t make good jobs. Many leaders want to provide good jobs. They want to pay more, provide dignity and meaning in people’s work, and give them opportunities for growth. But they don’t know how to start, or they don’t think it can be done without hurting the bottom line. Most want to win with customers but are hobbled by a host of service and operational problems largely driven by high employee turnover–and that is partly driven by the low pay. It is indeed a vicious cycle, and Zeynep Ton is here to show the way out: why good jobs combined with strong operations always lead to good outcomes for the business. And why, more than ever in a post-pandemic world, failing to provide good jobs will catch up with you and threaten your business. Ton, the preeminent voice of the good jobs strategy, lays out plainly what most companies and leaders are doing wrong–and how to get it right. She shows that by choosing good jobs, companies are positioning themselves for future success. Practical, prescriptive, and often provocative, Leading with Good Jobs is essential reading for leaders of any company that wants to-needs to-choose excellence”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Read more: Author Talks: Empower employees, reduce turnover
Zeynep Ton, professor at MIT Sloan, highlights an operating model that improves customer and employee retention, fosters resilience, and drives purpose.

Scaling people : tactics for management and company building / Johnson, Claire Hughes
“A leader at both Google and Stripe from their early days, Claire Hughes Johnson has worked with founders and company builders to try to replicate their success. The most common questions she’s asked are not about business strategy—they’re about how to scale the operating structures and people systems of a rapidly growing startup. Scaling People is a practical and empathetic guide to being an effective leader and manager in a high-growth environment. The tactical information it puts forward—including guidance on crafting foundational documents, strategic and financial planning, hiring and team development, and feedback and performance mechanisms—can be applied to companies of any size, in any industry. Scaling People includes dozens of pages of worksheets, templates, exercises, and example documents to help founders, leaders, and company builders create scalable operating systems and lightweight processes that really work. Implementing effective leadership and management practices takes effort and discipline, but the reward is a sustainable, scalable company that’s set up for long-term success. Scaling People is a detailed roadmap for company builders to put the right operating systems and structures in place to scale the most important resource a company has: its people.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Read more: Author Talks: Scale your people, not just your company
A corporate officer explains the role that self-awareness and partnership play in driving performance.

Next! : the power of reinvention in life and work / Lipman, Joanne
“The profound disruptions of recent years have sparked a collective reckoning. We reprioritized our lives, and reordered how we envisioned the future. Businesses were forced to pivot, while leaders scrambled to rethink their roles. There has been an unprecedented global reset. But in truth, almost everyone goes through this kind of reappraisal at least once in their life—and probably more often than that. Whatever the catalyst, it prompts in us the urgent need to pivot, to ask the question: What’s next—and how do I get there? In Next!, bestselling author and journalist Joanne Lipman distills hundreds of personal interviews along with the latest scientific research to answer just this question. Through irresistible storytelling, she takes us inside successful career reinventions (ad executive to bestselling novelist; stay-at-home mom to CEO) and astonishing business transformations (wait until you hear what Play-Doh and Viagra have in common). From the laboratories of neuroscientists to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, to the frontlines of the social justice movement, Lipman explores how and why these transformations succeed. At its heart, Next! offers a thrilling argument: by harnessing the science and understanding the process, we can better understand how to reinvent that new career, change the direction of our lives, or inspire innovation in our organizations. This book provides a toolkit that shows how to make meaningful transitions—large or small—and to figure out for ourselves what’s Next!” (Catalogue)
Available as EBook Libby and EAudiobook Libby

Read more: Author Talks: Create your ‘reinvention road map’ in four easy steps
In her latest book, Joanne Lipman dispels the myth of abrupt transformations and outlines a concrete path to reinvention.

The Art of Explanation: How To Communicate With Clarity And Confidence / Atkins, Ros
“Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills.” (Catalogue)

 

Read more:  Author Talks: Am I making myself clear?
Feeling misunderstood? A BBC journalist shares the communication blunders that keep you from getting your point across and what you can do to avoid them.

If you would like further information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

 

Accessing the Harvard Business Review

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) has long been a popular business magazine.

Wellington City Libraries offers HBR in both hard copy (magazine) format and online via our databases.

In this blog we will show you how to access both.  All you need is a current Wellington City Libraries registration.

HBR as a hard copy magazine

Magazines (published bi-monthly) are held at the Te Awe Brandon Street branch of Wellington City Libraries and displayed with the magazines on the ground floor.

 

Only copies for the current year are held in the library but the last ten years of magazines are held in our storage facililty.  To request an older issue not held at Te Awe all you need to do is bring up the record for the HBR record on the catalogue and then click on the red [Place Reserve] button. Log in using your library card number and password, then click which issues you would like to see.  

 

Click on the issues you would like to see and select the branch most convenient for you to pick up from.  Submit your request and your chosen items will then be dispatched.  An email will be sent to tell you when they have arrived (usually within 48 hours).  There is no charge for this service but a 50c charge for each magazine borrowed and the loan period is for a week.  

HBR online

The Harvard Business Review is available fulltext online via Business Source Premier.

Business Source Premier is a business research database offering information in nearly every area of business including management, economics, finance, accounting and international business.

It can be accessed here.

Sign in with your library card number and pin.  You will then see a page that looks like :


 

You can then proceed to search in several different ways.

1.  Along the top menu is an option for Publications.  This provides a full list of all the publications indexed in this database.  Enter Harvard Business Review into the search box and you will get a screen that looks like : 


 

Select the Harvard Business Review option and you will then be taken to a screen that breaks down the entries into years.  Make your selection for a particular issue from the listing on the right hand side.

 

A full listing of all the articles will appear with the option to open as HTML full text (plain) or pdf (as it appears in the magazine).  You can also select and email articles to yourself.

 

2.  The second way to search is if you know a title of an article or are looking for works by a particular author.

Return to the first search screen.

If you are looking for HBR articles on burnout, for example, enter burnout into the first box and select “Title” from the dropdown menu.  In the second box enter “Harvard Business Review” and then select Source from the drop down menu.  This will then give you a list of article published in the HBR with burnout in the title.  You can use other features on this screen to narrow or expand your search.


 

 

From here you can either read selected article from the list or add them to a folder to email to yourself.

 

You can also keep up to date with new content at Harvard Business Review – Ideas and Advice for Leaders (hbr.org)  

The HBR site offers a range of newsletters that can be freely subscribed to.  This will draw attention to new content.  Social media options are also available.

If you would like further information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

 

Chinese business resources

This week marks New Zealand Chinese language week in which Mandarin, Cantonese and other Chinese dialects are celebrated!

Our colleague Xinxin has put together a wonderful blog outlining some of the resources within the Wellington City Libraries collections and events being held in the library during this time.

Specifically for the business community there are a number of journals and newspapers available through different platforms and in Chinese language formats or English.  If you do business in a Chinese speaking part of Asia you may find these resources helpful.

Press Reader


This list provides entry to some of the many magazines and newspapers that cover China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Taiwan.

China
Beijing Review
(English)
Capitalweek
(Simplified Chinese)
China Business News
(Simplified Chinese)
China Economist (English)
China Newsweek (Simplified Chinese)
China Today (English)
The Global Times
(English)
Harvard Business Review (Simplified Chinese)
Jiefang Daily (Simplified Chinese)
Manager (Simplified Chinese)
National Business Daily (Simplified Chinese)
Shanghai Daily (English)
United Times (Simplified Chinese)

Hong Kong
China Daily English
(English)
Economic Digest (Traditional Chinese)
Hong Kong Economic Journal (Traditional Chinese)
Oriental Daily News (HK) (Traditional Chinese)
South China Morning Post  (English)

Macau
Macau Daily Times (English)

Singapore
The Business Times (English)
The Edge (English)
Lianhe Zaobao (Simplified Chinese)
Shin Min Daily News (Simplified Chinese)
Straits Times (English)
Vuapo (English)

Taiwan
Business Weekly
(Traditional Chinese)
China Times
(Traditional Chinese)
Commercial Times (Traditional Chinese)
Economic Daily News(Traditional Chinese)
The Merit Times
(Traditional Chinese)
Taipei Times (English)
United Daily News (Traditional Chinese)

DragonSource

 


DragonSource has over 3000 Chinese magazines online that include many popular magazine titles, such as Reader’s Digest, Elle Chinese, Vogue Chinese, photography, Xinmin Weekly and much more.
Updated monthly, read online for free.

Book collection

Encountering China : New Zealanders and the People’s Republic
“This collection of 50 texts, written by diplomats and poets, politicians and academics, students and businesspeople, reflects on personal experiences of China over the last half century”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)
Also available in EBook Libby

 

Party of one : the rise of Xi Jinping and China’s superpower future / Wong, Chun Han
Party of One shatters the many myths and caricatures that shroud one of the world’s most secretive political organizations and its leader. Many observers misread Xi during his early years in power, projecting their own hopes that he would steer China toward more political openness, rule of law, and pro-market economics. Having masked his beliefs while climbing the party hierarchy, Xi has centralized decision-making powers, encouraged a cult of personality around himself, and moved toward indefinite rule by scrapping presidential term limits-stirring fears of a return to a Mao-style dictatorship. Today, the party of Xi favors political zeal over technical expertise, trumpets its faith in Marxism, and proclaims its reach into every corner of Chinese society with Xi portraits and hammer-and-sickle logos. Under Xi, China has challenged Western preeminence in global affairs and cast its authoritarian system as a model of governance worthy of international emulation. As a China reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Chun Han Wong has chronicled Xi Jinping’s hard-line strategy for crushing dissent against his strongman rule, his political repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and his increasingly coercive efforts to reel in the island democracy of Taiwan, as well as the domestic and diplomatic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic. When the Chinese government refused to renew Wong’s press credentials and forced him to leave mainland China in 2019, he moved to Hong Kong to continue covering Chinese politics and its autocratic turn under Xi. Now, Wong has drawn on his years of firsthand reporting across China-including conversations with party insiders, insights from scholars and diplomats, and analyses of official speeches and documents-to create a lucid and historically rooted account of China’s leader and how he inspires fear and fervor in his party, his nation, and beyond”– Dust jacket.” (Catalogue)

City on the edge : Hong Kong under Chinese rule / Hung, Ho-fung
“For decades, Hong Kong has maintained precarious freedom at the edge of competing world powers. In City on the Edge, Ho-fung Hung offers a timely and engaging account of Hong Kong’s development from precolonial times to the present, with particular focus on the post 1997 handover period. Through careful analysis of vast economic data, a myriad of political events, and intricate networks of actors and ideas, Hung offers readers insight into the fraught economic, political, and social forces that led to the 2019 uprising, while situating the protests in the context of global finance and the geopolitics of the US-China rivalry. A provocative contribution to the discussion on Hong Kong’s position in today’s world, City on the Edge demonstrates that the resistance and repression of 2019-2020 does not spell the end of Hong Kong but the beginning of a long conflict with global repercussions”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Alibaba’s world : how a remarkable Chinese company is changing the face of global business / Erisman, Porter
“What is as powerful as Google, more popular than Facebook, and more economically disruptive than Amazon and eBay combined? Alibaba operates the world’s biggest online shopping mall, with 600 million registered users (Amazon has roughly 200 million). It executes about 80% of China’s e-commerce transactions and generates nearly 70% of all packages in China, making up close to 2% of China’s GDP. And its marketplaces include another 60 million small and medium-size business users spread over 200 countries. This Chinese company is poised to make its global debut with an IPO that could be the largest in history. But what is Alibaba? How does it work? And why should we be paying attention? Porter Erisman shows how Jack Ma, a charismatic Chinese schoolteacher, rose from obscurity to revolutionize commerce in China, and now the world. He shares stories of weathering the dotcom crash, facing down eBay and Google, negotiating with the Web-phobic Chinese government, and enduring the misguided advice of foreign experts, all to build the behemoth that’s poised to sweep the ecommerce world today. And he analyzes Alibaba’s role as a harbinger of the new global business landscape–with its focus on the East rather than the West, emerging markets over developed ones, and the nimble entrepreneur over the industry titan. As we face this near future, the story of Alibaba–and its inevitable descendants–is both essential and instructive”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

The Shenzhen experiment : the story of China’s instant city / Du, Juan
“A rural borderland just forty years ago, today Shenzhen is a city of twenty million and a technology hub. This success is attributed to its status as a Special Economic Zone, but no other SEZs compare. Juan Du looks to the past to understand why. It turns out that Shenzhen is no prefab “instant city,” but a place influenced by deep local history.– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Starting out or moving on : job hunting resources at WCL

Is 2023 the year you step onto the career ladder?

Are you returning to work after a break?

Maybe you’ve had time to reflect over the summer break and feel it’s time to move on and are looking for a new job?

Let Wellington City Libraries and our extensive job-hunting resources assist you.  We have many, and varied, resources that may help you.

If you are new to job hunting you might find this blog piece aimed at Job seekers helpful.

There’s plenty of other resources too, regardless of what stage you are at in your career or job-hunt.

If you’re starting out;
Looking for a job;
Assessing your skills;
Getting your cv (resume) prepared;
Brushing up on some work skills;
Gaining confidence for an interview;

Read on to learn more.

Assess your skill set
If you are a school or university leaver, not certain about your skill set, or maybe someone thinking of changing careers, a good starting site is Careers New Zealand.  Here you will find tools that can assist you figure out what roles your skills and experience may be a good match for.  There is also guidance on cv preparation and other useful information.

Find a vacancy
To apply for a job you need to first know what companies are seeking workers and what roles are being advertised.

If you know what you are looking for and already have a cv prepared you can create a profile and upload your documentation to Seek or Trademe jobs.  Both these sites allow you to create alerts so that you are emailed a listing whenever a job in your area of interest is advertised.

For an experienced worker, looking to change roles or companies, there are a variety of recruitment agents in the Wellington CBD.  Some specialise in certain roles such as labour, IT, professional or executive recruitment.  Others have a more general approach.  Link here for a brief alphabetical Recruitment agents listing

Don’t forget the power of networking.  See our blog listing networking groups in the Wellington region or the one about using Linkedin for effective networking.

Prepare your CV/resume
Your cv and covering letter are what will attract a prospective employer to you.  Or not.  So how do you get noticed in among all the other applications?  Like everything, there are trends to how to present your cv and this article outlines some of the resume trends you should be aware of while this one suggests some things that should be on your cv.  If you are uncertain about some information, ask a trusted friend or colleague to check it over.  There are also professional companies that will work with you to produce a standout cv.

Acquiring or brushing up on skills
If, as you read through a job description, you feel you need some new or additional skills to be appropriately qualified for a role then there are many courses available to help you upskill.  Our blog on Professional development looks at some of the online options including Linkedin Learning courses available free with your library registration.

In person courses are offered throughout the year from Wellington High School‘s Community Education Centre or Victoria University‘s short course options.

Acing interviews
You’ve done all the above, and now you have an interview.  What next?  If, like many people you get nervous when faced with a panel of interviewers asking you questions then preparation is the key.  Look for the company website and brush up on your knowledge of their structure and people.  For a senior role, check to see if the company Annual Report is available and have a read.  Sometimes you may be questioned on how much you know about an organisation, for example, how it may be funded.  This is when your research will pay off.  There’s also the chance of an “awkward” question.  Have a look at the advice offered in this HBR article  How to Answer “Tell Me About a Time You Failed” in a Job Interview.

On the Wellington City Libraries website enter “Employment interviewing” in the catalogue search box to find resources that can help you prepare answers for those sticky questions.  And don’t be afraid to go into an interview with a list of questions you want to know about the company.

So that’s some of the many ways we can help your job search succeed.  You’ll also find more resources listed on our Aramahi/Careers Information page.

Within our broader library collection we also have resources like those listed below, that library users are welcome to borrow.  Or contact your friendly and helpful library staff for further suggestions.

The new rules for job hunting : changing jobs in a changing world / O’Neil, Tom
“The rules have changed! With economic uncertainty after COVID 19, as well as redundancies and unemployment on the rise, it has never been more important in New Zealand to secure strong and long-lasting employment. You may already have (or maybe think you have) the skills to gain a new career or win a dream job but if you are unable to sell yourself to a prospective employer. In reality, that potential is unrealised with most people. With sections on resumes, social media, preparing and sending impactful covering letters, the do’s and don’ts in an interview, interviewing tips (both ZOOM and traditional), networking, direct marketing, salary negotiation and career goal-setting, this book is packed with information. The book also includes up-to-date tips and information about social networking, online resources and long-term career planning. Discover how you can stand out from the competition and receive more job opportunities and better value job offers than ever before. ‘THE NEW RULES FOR JOB HUNTING’ will help you to discover and identify personal key career highlights and assist in marketing your skills to potential employers. New Zealander Tom O’Neil has been a professional recruitment and human resources consultant for over twenty years. He is sought after for Interviews for television and radio commentary regarding employment and has articles about career development printed in a wide range of magazines and newspapers. He is a significant contributor to the bestselling career guide ‘What Color Is Your Parachute?’ which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide. Tom has also been the author of the bestselling book ‘You’re Hired’, (published by New Holland) and is in demand globally for his workshops and public speaking. Gaynor O’Neil is a senior recruiter and works with Tom in their international personal development and resume writing businesses”–Publisher’s website.” (Catalogue)

What color is your parachute? : your guide to a lifetime of meaningful work and career success / Bolles, Richard Nelson
“In today’s challenging job-market, as recent grads face a shifting economic landscape and seek work that pays and inspires, as workers are laid off mid-career, and as people search for an inspiring work-life change, the time-tested advice of What Color Is Your Parachute? is needed more than ever. This completely updated edition features the latest resources, strategies, and perspectives on today’s job market, revealing surprising advice on what works–and what doesn’t–so you can focus your efforts on tactics that yield results.”– Publisher’s description.” (Catalogue)  Available as EBook Overdrive

Love + work : how to find what you love, love what you do, and do it for the rest of your life / Buckingham, Marcus
“We’re in the middle of an epidemic of stress and anxiety. A global pandemic has wreaked havoc on our lives. Average life expectancy in the United States is down. At work, less than 16 percent of us are fully engaged. In many high-stress jobs, such as distribution centers, emergency room nursing, and teaching, incidences of PTSD are higher than for soldiers returning from war zones. We’re getting something terribly wrong. We’ve designed the love out of our workplaces, and our schools too, so that they fail utterly to provide for or capitalize on one of our most basic human needs: our need for love. As Marcus Buckingham shows in this eye-opening, uplifting book, love is an energy, and like all forms of energy, it must flow. It demands expression-and that expression is “work.” Whether in our professional accomplishments, our relationships, or our response to all the many slings and arrows of life, we know that none of this work will be our best unless it is made with love. There’s no learning without love, no innovation, no service, no sustainable growth. Love and work are inextricable. Buckingham first starkly highlights the contours of our loveless work lives and explains how we got here. Next, he relates how we all develop best in response to other human beings. What does a great work relationship look like when the other person is cued to your loves? What does a great team look like when each member is primed to be a mirror, an amplifier, of the loves of another? Finally, he shows how you can weave love back into the world of work as a force for good, how you can use your daily life routines to pinpoint your specific loves, and how you can make this a discipline for the rest of your life. Today, too often, love comes last at work, and we are living the painful consequences of this. Love + Work powerfully shows why love must come first-and how we can make this happen”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Career remix / Brown, Damon
“An author, two-time start-up founder and four-time TED speaker offers testimonials, plans of action, and road-tested insight to encourage job seekers to use their existing skills and resources to change careers, manage transitions, and thrive in the current job market.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Coming back : how to win the job you want when you’ve lost the job you need / Germer, Fawn
“A street smart, inspiring, practical and utterly honest book for renewing or resuming your career. Millions of mid- and late-career professionals are wondering why our careers are dying. We’ve been fired, downsized, job-eliminated, or we’ve left work voluntarily to raise children, care for loved ones, or go to school. Our unemployment rate is more than three times the national average. It takes twice as long to get hired, usually for far less money than we were making. Is it age discrimination? Maybe. But it’s not that simple. So many of us have lagged on skills and technology, shrugged off social media, or ignored the rate of change and let younger people become the face of our profession’s future. Our “track record” really doesn’t matter. We want to come back, but we aren’t ready. Coming Back offers clear advice, including: -Make yourself visible and relevant by sharing articles and information on your field with colleagues and on social media. -Use LinkedIn to build your network in your industry and identify decision makers. -Tell interviewers about what you will do-don’t rely on what you have done. -Stop grousing about “those millennials” and start working with them. -Volunteer strategically to build leadership skills and networks. Coming Back shows how you can save a career if still employed or get one back if cast out. Fawn Germer, one of the nation’s most popular leadership experts and global motivational speakers, has personally interviewed more than 300 CEOs, senior executives, professors, lawyers, organizational experts, industry leaders and professionals. The result is a tactical, tough-love call to action: to learn, re-tool, connect, grow, and get ready to work again”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

HBR guide to changing your career
“You’re well into your career and yet you’re not where you want to be. Perhaps you’ve done everything you need to do to be named a partner, but your firm has encountered a crisis that’s put all promotions on hold. Maybe a hobby or sidegig has helped unearth a new passion you’d love to pursue full-time. Perhaps you’ve come to realize that your current role is no longer meaningful. Or maybe you’ve exceeded all of the goals you set for your current career and you’re ready for a new challenge. How do you envision possible new professional selves, explore your options, and embark on a dramatic career makeover when you have a mortgage to pay, kids to support, college and retirement funds to feed–and a full life and full-time job? Can you really set aside the years you’ve invested in your education and current industry? How can you make a radical change when there are so many demands on you? Whether you know what you want your second act to be or you have no clue–only that what you’re doing isn’t a match, this guide will help you chart a course and make the switch. You’ll discover how to: – Break free of what your career is now to consider what it could be – Get an accurate picture of the skills and abilities you bring to the table – Create experiments that won’t sabotage your current job – Assess the financial implications of making a change – Develop a compelling way to tell your story–tying even seemingly unrelated jobs into a cohesive narrative – Build expertise in a new field – Land a new role– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Rethink your career : in your 40s, 50s and 60s / Maxwell, Joanna
“Have you accumulated plenty of wisdom and experience, but others think you’re all washed up? Perhaps you’re bored with your current work but not sure what’s next. Don’t panic! Work reinvention expert Joanna Maxwell shows you how to refresh a current career, pursue a new direction or leverage your experience to start your own business. The practical exercises and inspirational real-life stories in “Rethink Your Career: will help you: – clarify your strengths, talents and skills – find creative new ways to think about your work future – take stock of your finances and deal with your fears – make your best decision and put your new plans into action.” (Catalogue)

Ultimate job search : master the art of finding your ideal job, getting an interview and networking / Williams, Lynn
“A one-stop shop for all job hunters, this fifth edition of Ultimate Job Search takes the stress out of job hunting and provides advice on every stage of the process including: preparing a poweful CV that will get you noticed ; sample cover letters and emails that are really persuasive ; making a great impression at interviews ; dealing with offers and rejections in a positive manner.”–Back cover.” (Catalogue)

How to write an impressive CV & cover letter : a comprehensive guide for jobseekers / Whitmore, Tracey
“Your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile are your first communication with a prospective employer. As the job market is more competitive than ever, grabbing an employer’s attention and making the right first impression has never been more important. If you compromise on the quality of your CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, you reduce your chances of winning an interview. This book, which will appeal to anyone from entry level to board level, is a step-by-step guide on how to approach job hunting and achieve a killer competitive advantage by producing an impressive CV, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Invaluable views and advice from senior HR and industry professionals, who are often the first point of entry, are provided throughout the book. How to Write an Impressive CV and Cover Letter will support jobseekers through the entire job-hunting process. It offers access to practical, real-life examples of CVs and cover letters that have secured interviews and helped individuals win their dream job. Readers will gain access to these documents, together with valuable templates, as part of the book.” (Catalogue)

Get that job : interviews : how to keep your head and land your ideal job
“The ultimate guide to preparing for the interview process, maintaining focus, handling difficult questions, and maximizing your chances of landing that dream job.”Whether you’re a school leaver, a recent graduate, an established professional on the move, or someone looking to return to the job market, any research and preparation will be critical in improving your performance in an interview setting – from being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses, through to knowing the questions to ask that will ensure you are remembered after the interview is over. Whether it is in person, on the telephone or via a video conference, Get That Job: Interviews will prepare you for even the toughest interview – including tips on preparation and pre-interview research, strategies for different types of interview, advice on staying calm under pressure, and ways to cope with the questions from hell.” — Amazon.com.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Business magazines via online platforms

Wellington City Libraries online collection offers 24/7 access to a range of business and current affairs magazines and daily newspapers.  Most are available through online platforms like Libby or Pressreader.
All you need to access them is a library registration.  

Here’s some that might be of interest:

New Zealand titles

NZBusiness + Management Magazine (NZ, two monthly, Libby)
A digital version of two magazines offering a feast of information, inspiration and education for business leaders from SMEs through to corporate

NZ Entrepreneur Magazine (NZ, Online)
“New Zealand’s online magazine for entrepreneurs, startups and SME business builders” 

New Zealand Listener (NZ, weekly, PressReader)
NZ current affairs magazine

NZ Marketing (NZ, two monthly, Libby)
NZ Marketing magazine provides essential marketing intelligence. It is New Zealand’s only publication targeted specifically to marketing oriented executives 

Freelancer magazine (UK, 3 monthly.  Available on Libby)
The business magazine for B2B and creative freelancers. Stories and strategies to keep you connected.

MIT Sloan management review (USA, quarterly, Libby)
Disseminating new management research and innovative ideas

This is only a few of the popular titles.  There’s something for everyone so log in and start looking.

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.



Time Management

Image of a clock held in a person's hand

A couple of weeks ago Radio NZ’s Sunday featured an interview with Oliver Burkeman, author of the newly published, and obviously very popular, Four thousand weeks : time management for mortals

Across the library network there are multiple hard copies of this title, plus e-book and audio-book copies.  However there is also a wait list of more than 80 for hard copies.

So let’s consider some alternatives by Burkeman and also on time management.

The antidote : happiness for people who can’t stand positive thinking / Burkeman, Oliver
“In an approach that turns decades of self-help advice on its head, Oliver Burkeman explains why positive thinking serves only to make us more miserable, and why ‘getting motivated’ can exacerbate procrastination. And it’s our constant efforts to eliminate the negative that cause us to feel so anxious, insecure and unhappy.” (Catalogue)
Available also as an e-book  

Also available in e-book format is:
Help! how to be slightly happier, slightly more successful and get a bit more done / Burkeman, Oliver
“How do you solve the problem of human happiness? It’s a subject that has occupied some of the greatest philosophers of all time, from Aristotle to Paul McKenna but how do we sort the good ideas from the terrible ones? Over the past few years, Oliver Burkeman has travelled to some of the strangest outposts of the ‘happiness industry’ in an attempt to find out. In Help!, the first collection of his popular Guardian columns, Burkeman resents his findings. It’s a witty and thought-provoking exploration that punctures many of self-help’s most common myths, while also offering clear-headed, practical and of ten counter-intuitive advice on a range of topics from stress, procrastination and insomnia to wealth, laughter, time management and creativity. It doesn’t claim to have solved the problem of human happiness. But it might just bring us one step closer.” (Catalogue)

In audio-book format you can access : 

The power of negative thinking : and how it can be a powerful route to joy, success and satisfaction / Burkeman, Oliver
“Oliver Burkeman explores the virtues of negativity and shows how it can be a surprisingly powerful route to joy, success and satisfaction” (Catalogue)

Why are we so angry? / Burkeman, Oliver
“Why is everyone so angry nowadays, and what is it doing to the world? In the developed world we live in a blessed epoch, a time and a place where life has never been better. Infant mortality has been all but abolished, we have greater personal choice than ever before, we have access to technology that would have been seen as the stuff of science fiction little more than a decade ago. We are safer and wealthier than at any time in human history. So why are we so damn angry about everything? Online, in the street, in the ballot box, anger is the most dominant public emotion of our age. So what are we so angry about, and how is our anger shaping our world? We know the issues that people seem to be angry about – the iniquities of globalisation, diversity, democratic disconnect – but why has anger become our default emotion when responding to the state of the world – and what is anger doing to the world we live in?” (Catalogue)

There’s a wide range of time management material across different formats.

Some of the more recent additions to the library collection are : 

Time : your journey to a slower, richer, more fulfilling way of life / Rowan, Tiddy
“Time is the one thing that is shared by all of humanity, irrespective of wealth, health, race or credo and one of the things that makes us individual is how we choose to spend it. It is one of the commodities over which we have most control, yet it is the asset we value the least. Isn’t it time we took control over how we spend it, while we still can? Time will reward readers of lifestyle quests who seek a better, richer, slower, more fulfilling way of life. For anyone who has ever pondered the paradoxes of time and who is interested in looking at their world from a fresh perspective. Whether you want the encouragement to take time out on a life-scale or simply adjust your life to accommodate a timetable that suits you, this book will have plenty of inspiration, suggestions and tips to help you get the most out of your time.” (Catalogue)

Grip : the art of working smart (and getting to what matters most) / Pastoor, Rick
“We’re all familiar with the signs that things are getting out of hand. The week has barely started and already you’re playing catch-up. At the end of another busy day, your to-do list is longer than it was that morning, your inbox overflowing with other people’s asks. At times like those, no matter how hard we work, it can feel like we’re spinning our wheels. Enter GRIP: The Art of Working Smart, by Dutch entrepreneur and bestselling author Rick Pastoor. GRIP is a fresh and forgiving guide that helps you get things done and free up time for what’s important to you. In the space of one year, Rick went from being a 25-year-old engineering hire to leading a team of 30 at Blendle, the New York Times-backed journalism startup. It was clear he needed a new way of working. And fast. So, Rick started experimenting. He’d keep what worked, ditch what didn’t, and share with coworkers what he learned along the way. The result is GRIP: a flexible collection of tools and insights that helped the team do their best work. Now it can do the same for you. An overnight sensation in Holland, this bestseller has helped thousands find clarity amid the chaos of our demanding times. Now available in English, for everyone who’s looking to reclaim their sanity and add direction to even the most hectic days and week Rick’s friendly, no-nonsense approach makes it easy to dive in. The book’s pick-and-choose structure, complete with cheat sheets for each section, means you can start applying what you need straightaway.” (Catalogue)

 

I didn’t do the thing today / Dore, Madeleine
“Explores the concept of productivity guilt, which includes comparison to others, striving for perfection, and too great expectations, and explains instead how to find value in each day, rather than dwell on what the individual did or didn’t complete.” (Catalogue)

 

Value : what money can’t buy : a handbook for practical hedonism / Bayley, Stephen
“Since the industrial revolution, when everything ran by clockwork, people have understood how important it is to live in the moment. But over time our world has grown increasingly busy, and we’ve lost our ability to truly savour each unique experience and the simple pleasures the world has to offer. Cultural commentator and critic Stephen Bayley seeks to explain what real value is: it’s about taking the time and making the effort to appreciate things, of understanding the permanent charm of modest daily rituals performed with care and feeling. Of caring about appearances and meaning. Of being bold in matters of taste. Of fully understanding the source of lasting pleasure. Of making every encounter with an object or person meaningful. Value is an elegiac account of what’s recently been lost in the digital apocalypse. But also an enthusiastic anticipation of what we can regain in a post-viral, more analogue and more thoughtful world.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Business information familiarisation sessions

Person searching their phone, lots of information boxes popping up

Are you seeking business relevant information but not sure where to find it?

Would you like to feel more confident about using the library website to locate work related information?

Read on …

Throughout May you can arrange a free 40-45 minute library resources familiarisation tour with Linda, Business Development Customer Specialist.

These sessions are limited to 1-3 people and are by appointment only.
In the CBD they will take place at Te Awe (Brandon St) branch and other branches by arrangement.

If you are interested in having a tour please email prosearch@wcc.govt.nz 
and provide details of a day, time and branch preference that is convenient for you and we will be in touch to arrange an appointment slot.

Accessing material marked “Off-site storage”

Have you searched the library catalogue only to check where copies are located and then found the branch location is marked as Off-site storage?



This doesn’t mean it’s unavailable, just that it’s not available immediately.

Due to space constraints we can’t hold everything on the shelves of our libraries so a great deal of our collection, while listed in the catalogue, is held in storage at the Te Pataka library work space in Johnsonville.

What you need to do is click on the big, red Place Reserve button above the Branch location, enter your library card details at the prompt and select the library branch you would like the item to be delivered to.

When the item has been delivered you will receive a notification that it is ready for pick-up.  This process usually takes 24 hours at most.

You then have seven days to pick up your book and issue it as per normal.

So don’t be put off by Off-site storage as a branch. We have a system in place to get the item to you as soon as possible and it costs nothing to use this service.

If you want to see what it looks like, check out this great video of the process our team go through to deliver requested books to you.

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.

 

Accessing our libraries in Wellington CBD

Did you know Wellington City Libraries has three branches within the wider CBD area?

Many Wellingtonians think of the Wellington Library as being the Central Library on Victoria St/Civic Square. This building was closed three years ago. Renovation work for a new Central Library building is presently in the planning stages.

Out of the closure of the central library building came three smaller libraries.  In many ways this makes it easier to access the physical collections we offer as they are now spaced within easy access around town.

1 – Arapaki Manners Library is co-located with the Wellington City Council Service Centre at 12 Manners Street

2 – Te Whare Pukapuka o Te Awe runs between Brandon Street and Panama Street (Due to Covid restrictions access is presently from the Panama Street end.  Here there are two floors of resources.  Downstairs you will find the children’s section, adult fiction and magazines (along with a cafe), and up on the first floor you will find the music and DVD collections along with the non-fiction.  The majority of business material is located here within the 658s.

3 – He Matapihi Molesworth Library can be found at the back of the ground floor of the National Library building.  This library has been developed by the National Library and Wellington City Council as a partnership project and offers a library service and collection which complements the National Library’s collection — over 5000 items with an Aotearoa and Māori focus can be browsed and borrowed.

You can find more about these libraries and all our suburban libraries here 

To borrow material from our physical libraries or access any of the numerous resources we offer online all you need is a library membership.

Joining the library is free if you live within Wellington.

If you live outside Wellington but study, work or own a business in Wellington you can still get membership, although you will need to provide evidence of place of employment.  You can find out more here

You can also sign up for an organisational membership (or agent card)
Wellington organisations can join as a corporate library members. Small businesses may choose to take up this option to enable staff to gain access to work-related books and magazines held by the library.
For instance, you may have a team working on a short term project and the library has resources.  Instead of purchasing a pile of books, consider borrowing them from the library.
Again, you can find out more at this page

Information about conditions of borrowing and any charges that may apply are outlined on this page

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.