One practical way to improve your CV and future career prospects is to publish a book.
When you add a publication to your list of achievements, it can boost your CV and enhance your professional profile.
It also adds credibility and commitment to your professional background.
Linkedin is a ‘go-to’ platform for employers, HR companies, and headhunters, and it provides for the addition of publications to your online profile.
Self-publishing makes it easy
Self-publishing is a simple process that allows you to publish both in ebooks and paperback. Writing a book is the only hurdle in adding a publication or two to your professional achievements.
However, this is not as daunting as it first seems.
If you select a nonfiction topic that is either closely related to your profession or a subject you are passionate about, the words will flow quite easily.
Take a look at some books on Amazon in your area of interest and read a few previews to get some ideas.
Find an idea
Consider your interests when trying to decide on a topic for your book.
But business topics such as marketing, communications, or real estate are always popular.
You might choose one of many lifestyle subjects like food, wine, cooking, gardening, or vintage car restoration.
How-to or self-help themes are other possibilities. It could be parenting, job interviews, or self-confidence.
There are sure to be many topics that you have a passion for and can write about.
The right length
You don’t need to write a tome of one hundred and fifty thousand words.
Somewhere in the region of twenty to thirty thousand words is perfectly acceptable to be considered a published book.
Perhaps you have a blog, so why not use the posts you have published as the basis for your book?
Dig out your university thesis and look at whether it gives you some clues.
There are many starting points from which you can get ideas and the motivation to write a book.
A few hours per week spent writing for a month or two could be time well invested in your future career prospects.
And if you are in between jobs right now, what better way to use your time?
Add your books to Linkedin
For those who are already self-published, have you added your titles to your CV and Linkedin profile?
Self-publishing has many uses and benefits apart from writing fiction and hoping to become the next international bestselling author.
In this case, you can use it to enhance career opportunities or to promote a business.
Some self-published authors make a side income from speaking engagements, which is much higher than their book sales income, due to their book giving them credibility on a particular topic.
For others, it is a way to pass on family history to future generations in the form of an autobiography or memoir.
So, are you ready to write and publish a book to improve your CV?
Related reading: How To Self-Publish Very Short Books In Print And Ebook
