The Career Tool Kit: Skills for Success (4th Edition)

The Career Tool Kit is designed to especially help community college and vocational school students of all ages develop the skills and attitudes needed to successfully complete their educational program: search for, find, and win the job they want; transition smoothly from school to work or successfully re-enter the workforce; and build a long, happy, and successful working life, all in a user-friendly and visually appealing design. 

Coverage of important topics includes developing and maintaining a positive self image, managing time, budgeting and organizing finances, avoiding or reducing credit debt, and tracking down the resources available at school, in the community, and online. A focus on self-awareness teaches readers how to get to know themselves better so that they understand what kinds of jobs might best suit their unique talents and qualities, how to network and locate job opportunities, and how to present themselves in the best possible light on a resume as well as in an interview, and how to handle both failure and success. Additional topics discuss workplace communication with managers, co-workers, clients, and customers; qualities and skills that employers look for in their employees; rights on the job; critical thinking at work; improving and maintaining mental health and social intelligence; motivation, and more.

Carol Carter was a C student in high school. During her senior year, she got a wake-up call when her brother told her that she had intelligence, but she wouldn’t go far in life unless she believed in herself enough to work hard. She began college knowing she was “behind the eight ball” in terms of her skills. What she lacked in experience, she made up for with elbow grease and persistence. She maximized her strength as an interpersonal and intrapersonal learner. The work paid off and she graduated college with honors and a desire to help other students.

Carol is committed to helping students of all ages turn on their brains, get motivated, and discover their abilities. As President of her own company, LifeBound, she teaches study, interpersonal, and career skills to middle school,  high school students and college students to help them become competitive in today’s global world. She trains and certifies coaches in academic coaching skills, and focuses on at-risk students with her volunteer teaching at the federal prison and her LifeBound work in the Denver housing projects. “All students are at-risk for something, whether it is academic, emotional, social, or economic,” says Carol. “If each of us is allowed to be human and accept our flaws, we can overcome our limitations and be the best for ourselves and others.” 

Carol also speaks on educational topics nationally and internationally, and is pictured here with some students at the Aziza Schoolhouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Her first book, Majoring in the Rest of Your Life, launched her writing career and opened the door to her work on the Keys to Success series and The Career Toolkit.

Gary Izumo is an educator and consultant for the University of California, Davis ― The Center for Human Services, where he has been honored for excellence in teaching and outstanding service.  Gary conducts workshops and executive coaching focusing on Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness and has worked as a consultant for both major corporations and entrepreneurial firms in the private sector. 

In addition, Gary has authored a number of books, including Keys to Career Success, The Career Tool Kit, Keys to Workplace Effectiveness, and Stop Parenting – Start Coaching: How to Motivate, Inspire, and Connect with Your Teenager  and has written a business column for the Los Angeles Times, Ventura County Edition and CareerBuilder.  He is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company, Practice Leader of Strategic Management Consulting for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and has been a full-time business professor at both two and four-year colleges.  

In his consulting work, Gary has coached individuals on a diverse set of issues - from tactical challenges such as effective communication and resolving workplace conflict to more strategic ones like vision, leadership and efficiency versus effectiveness.  The following are selected examples of topics he has coached and written on:

Difficult Talk May Also Be the Most Important

Learning In a Demanding World

Keeping Promises

Knowing How to Disagree

Sustaining Success

Re-Building Trust

Risk-Taking

Tough Decisions

Next Steps

Networking

Personal and Professional Balance

Gary is an enthusiastic swimmer and reader, but most of all he enjoys spending time with his family and friends.  He believes in contributing to the community and he is an active volunteer to local schools on curriculum and technology matters as well as working with human service organizations in areas such as welfare to work and children and family services.  Gary is a graduate of Occidental College with a degree in economics and received his MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles.