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Reinventing You, With a New Preface: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future

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A step-by-step guide to reinventing you... Are you where you want to be professionally? Whether you want to advance faster at your present company, change jobs, or make the jump to a new field entirely, the goal is clear: to build a career that thrives on your unique passions and talents. But to achieve this in today's competitive job market, it's almost certain that at some point you'll need to reinvent yourself professionally. Consider this book your road map for the next phase of your career journey. In Reinventing You, branding expert Dorie Clark provides a step-by-step guide to help you assess your unique strengths, develop a compelling personal brand, and ensure that others recognize the powerful contribution you can make. Mixing personal stories with engaging interviews and examples from well-known personalities—Mark Zuckerberg, Al Gore, Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, and others—Reinventing You shows how to think big about your professional goals, take control of your career, build a reputation that opens doors for you, and finally live the life you want.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

409 people are currently reading
3697 people want to read

About the author

Dorie Clark

28 books301 followers
Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.

She is the author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine.

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.”

She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.


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5 stars
276 (20%)
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469 (35%)
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450 (33%)
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115 (8%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
Profile Image for Kara.
769 reviews384 followers
September 22, 2013
This book is written for: people well-established in their careers looking to change roles or fields altogether, people who know what their dream job is, young people starting out who want to make sure they get to the top

This book is not written for: people for whom work is "just a job," people who have no idea what they want to do with their lives, people who perform at a mediocre level

Feel free to call that snobby--it is what it is, and you need to know that upfront. I don't think it's snobby; I think it just has a specific audience. If you're not that audience, this book isn't going to be able to do much for you.

The book's only one star review on Amazon says, "The book speaks only to the multi-degree'd and fully funded reinvention- not the 'lost my job at 45 with a few months savings and one degree to my name' - I would hope if I had degrees from Harvard and Stanford and was a CFO, I'd be savvy enough to figure out what's next without Dorie Clark. But no, I made the mistake of thinking she'd address the real issue of the middle-waged and middle-aged needing to carve a niche in the new employment market of unpaid internships." The reviewer has a point (one I don't wholly disagree with) which is why I'm posting it here. If that is what you want out of this book, you will be disappointed.

This book is also not written for: people who have studied branding. This is a primer, not an in-depth, next level discourse.

Now, ALL OF THAT SAID, I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I devoured it on a plane ride and finished it feeling inspired. I'm going to lend this to everyone I mentor (I generally mentor people just starting out who haven't yet gotten to the place they want to be yet). I'm going to use twitter more effectively. I'm going to ask HR for a 360 evaluation. Hell, my new big goal for 2014 is to get myself a speaking engagement. I finished this book ready to go.

I would highly recommend it to any ambitious folks out there. Dorie Clark is kind of my new hero.
Profile Image for محمد حمزة.
350 reviews133 followers
May 20, 2018
كانت الترجمة ركيكة..
لكنني بدأت أدرك أن أمثال هذه الكتب لا تكمن مشكلتها في الترجمة وحسب، وإنما تتضافر الترجمة الركيكة مع بُعد المحتوى عن بيئتنا يعني حتى لو اطلعت على النص الأصلي إلى جانب المترجَم -وهذا ما فعلته مع كتاب آخر- فستلاحظ سطحية هائلة في مثل هذه المؤلَفات وكلها تدور حول أمثلة ونماذج سطحية وباهتة لا تشفع لها أصالة النص.

لا أنصح به.

3-رمضان-1439
Profile Image for Andy.
2,033 reviews601 followers
Read
May 11, 2019
DNF
Profile Image for cellomerl.
625 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2017
Sometimes the principle of rebranding oneself might feel a bit calculating. It sounds a bit like smarmy corporate-speak. This unfortunate association is actually acknowledged in this book. Perhaps "reinvention" is a more accurate and appealing term. In no way should anyone feel that they are set on a specific, singular path for life; regardless of the sunk cost of your formal education or past career, follow your passions and use your unique abilities to find happiness. Jump right in. Set an example. Learn every day, and share your learning. Show other people what you're up to; you will inspire them. This book is a nice guide to the concrete actions that anyone can take to effect a self-reinvention.
Profile Image for Jay French.
2,155 reviews86 followers
August 16, 2016
Author Dorie Clark reminds the reader of the incredible amount of work that is needed to change your career path. As an introvert, I find what she describes borders on the overwhelming. There’s the solitary work to figure out what you should be doing. Then there’s the work involving others – building a board of advisors, asking for the information interview, looking for a mentor, building a marketing strategy that involves blogs, tweets, articles, speeches, committee work and the like. I’d love a book that made this easier, but I don’t expect this problem is one for easy solutions. As I went through this, I found the suggestions made a lot of sense, although were pretty much what I already knew. I did mostly enjoy the examples sprinkled throughout – these added to the understanding, especially some of the really odd career moves people have made.

A few points: -- Parts of this are really a follow-on of Tom Peter’s “The Brand Called You”, which was published in Fast Company Magazine almost 20 years ago. I remember reading that and taking it to heart at the time. This might be why parts of this book seems pretty familiar.
-- The author worked on the Howard Dean presidential campaign. This came up quite a few times in the book, with extended description, but wasn’t the best illustration for the concepts the author was covering. She even explains the "Dean scream". The tangent and the repetition was unnecessary.
Profile Image for BookAddict  ✒ La Crimson Femme.
6,917 reviews1,436 followers
April 26, 2021
I received this book as a prize from my former day job. Since I needed to switch to a brand new company, I decided to work on my reputation and rebrand myself. This book is easy to read, easy to follow and gave good tips on how to reinvent myself. Most of this information is common sense but as we all know, common sense has gone out of style.

This book is helpful because it breaks down the steps into easy to understand actionable tasks. In addition, it provides references and examples of how to follow the steps. There is no one right way. There are suggestions based on what you are looking to achieve. In a way, it is a choose your own adventure book because your choices build upon one another to bring you to your final destination. Only to find out that your final destination is not the end. I liked how Ms. Clark reminds us that this reputation requires continued maintenance and that doing this all in a silo is not going to cut it. Basically, build your wingmen/women, hold each other accountable and revisit when you want to see if your brand is still right for you.

Recommended to readers who are looking to make a career change or position change - no matter how small or large.
696 reviews19 followers
May 24, 2022
2.5 Stars. This book gives pretty basic step-by-step instructions to rebrand your career image - adapting your resume language to your new career direction, re-writing your plan/resume, how to gain benefit from mentors, creating a "branding team"/focus group, trying a new career, etc. Most of this I've heard in other similar career branding articles or books. She seemed to have a definite marketing slant toward writers, politicians, public-facing roles. She had a few good tips about the use and shaping of social media branding and sharing your "new" brand via social media venues. Quick read, but not engrossing.
Profile Image for Gabrielle.
495 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2018
The main thing about this book is that it is validating - it is possible to have a massive or even mid sized career change and there are things you can do to make it more likely to be successful. Some of this is just basic common sense. Lots of it feels like thirstily asking your friends to spend time on you and your ambitions. And one example had a friend telling another friend she should have a kid. So she did. I may never recover from that nightmare story.
Profile Image for Nadya Ichinomiya.
151 reviews20 followers
November 10, 2020
I follow Dorie Clark on LinkedIn and find her work to be very impactful, genuine and credible. This book is a very practical, lots of great recommendations for reinventing yourself, in small ways or large.
Profile Image for Maha Nagi.
96 reviews5 followers
February 25, 2022
I thought it's a marketing book related to business owners, but realized that it's interesting book about career transition if you are thinking of.
I like some of the advices.
Profile Image for Kat872.
76 reviews
October 17, 2025
I don't think I am the target audience for this book. I don't have the same goals of reinvention this book seems geared towards and found the examples un-relateable.
Profile Image for Kandrika Pritularga.
6 reviews2 followers
August 18, 2020
This book is a how-to book and gives me a clear way to prepare for job market. I am a PhD student and branding myself is important for my career. This book helps me to understand the importance of not only merits but also rebranding as being good is not enough.
Profile Image for Mimi Bishop.
115 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2017
While this book is all about personal branding -- the real concept is the idea that you can change your life, pretty dramatically. While change isn't easy, this book gives solid stepping stones from beginning (Recognizing Where You Are Starting) to middle (Test-Drive Your Path and Develop Your Skills) to end (Reintroduce Yourself and Prove Your Worth).

If you are seriously ready to make a change, pick up this book.
Profile Image for Jesse Langel.
60 reviews7 followers
May 27, 2019
Dorie Clark is one of those authors who will always earn my five stars. That's because her stuff is concise, pragmatic, and current. She strikes a great balance between explanatory and anecdotal.

She's a "how-to" author. This book is "how to" execute a smart reinvention. Her other book, Stand Out, is a "how to" use various platforms to establish ourselves as thought leaders. Her latest book, Entrepreneurial You, is a current snapshot of the different ways to monetize our expertise. All three are similarly researched and displayed. All three are compact, easy reads.

Ten key takeaways from Reinventing You:

1) Demonstrated expertise matters more than academic credentials.
2) In this information environment, your competitive advantages will be curating valuable information and explaining its implications.
3) Convey your uniqueness memorably to others but don't toot your own horn (let others do that).
4) Make connections NOW. When you need them, you won't have time to make them.
5) Developing valuable expertise can help produce the "Halo effect" (the presumption that you're credible in all areas).
6) Crystallize a working theory of your direction first so people will want to invest their social capital in you.
7) Monitor your content to ensure that it reflects the right tone and impression (wake up call for me).
8) It's ok to take a step back to go two steps forward when reinventing yourself.
9) Use job shadowing as a form of informational interview. For example, unless you tried working at a flower shop, you may not otherwise know that that a) the room is always cold; b) the floor is always cement; and c) you're always on your feet.
10) Leverage your points of difference. Different skills and backgrounds identify with certain people.

Enjoy this, and see I'll see you on the other side of your reinvention.
Profile Image for Rajiv Chopra.
709 reviews16 followers
November 13, 2018
I am going to say upfront that this is a good book, and Dorie does a good job in laying out a methodical road map that you can follow towards reinventing yourself.

The whole process is indeed methodical and, if done properly, will help you to reinvent yourself properly.

From my side, the one niggle that I have, is that the book does not address one fundamental issue - you don't always have the luxury of such a detailed approach. What would you do then?

Is there an alternative, or is it possible to mix and match the various steps. It would have been nice also, to read one detailed case study.
Profile Image for Ryan B..
67 reviews3 followers
May 13, 2015
Dorie shares some tremendous insights, and crystallizes many aspects of success into a simple action plan. Each chapter though left me feeling more and more alienated, thinking 'That's a whole lotta work'. For someone wholeheartedly into the title, it might change their life. For someone, like me, who enjoyed hearing Dorie on a podcast and curious about what this is all about, it might seem like a uni textbook or workbook. It holds some interest, I got something from it, but I'm feeling I'm fine without following it completely.
Profile Image for Anna Lundberg.
Author 3 books14 followers
November 7, 2014
Nothing really new or concrete to help you here. One important point was made early on: while you judge yourself on all of the potential you have and all that you're capable of, others will judge you on what you've done in the past, your actual results. If you want to take your career in a different direction, therefore, you'll need to make a concerted effort to create a new and consistent image as seen by the external world.
Profile Image for Johnie.
4 reviews2 followers
October 12, 2016
Listened on Audible after attending a webinar by Dorie. Great information and great writing. I'm ordering the book to read as well. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Thang Tran.
51 reviews12 followers
June 27, 2020
Imagine one day you suddenly lose your job. Or one day you're tired of the same job you'd been doing for years and thus you give up your job, or move on from a 9-to-5 job to entrepreneurship, or a free-lance life. It's gonna be turbulent, uncomfortable, crazy, bewildering and perhaps continuing like that for a very long time. What will you do to reinvent yourself? to change the perception of others about you, if you want to move into a new field? This book is personal to the author in that she herself went through similar situations. Clark considers this circumstance transforming, risky but full of opportunities. You can find some practical advice in the book: keep your eye open for emerging opportunities; research and build transferable skills; build a portfolio to demonstrate the results of those skills; build audience; seek mentors; learn to tell your story; and build and manage your brand. Brand building is one of the most important things in freelancing. However, after so long people have known you as or associated you with "you name it", re-branding yourself is even more critical and challenging. This book is a good source of guidance for you if you're in such sensitive stage of your life (or considering entering it). On YouTube you can find author interviews, speeches, and seminars in which Dorie Clark further explained her book to the wider audience. My favorite author interview is on HBR iDeaCast podcast. I choose reading the book because it's more in-depth and includes two self-assessment panels and further reference list at the end of the book.
Profile Image for Natalie E. Tolliver.
19 reviews
September 3, 2018
This was an Ed Wells Book Club book.

Dates: July 9, 2018, July 23, 2018, August 9, 2018.

Consider Chick Fill-A Franchising
Apartment Manageing
Volunteering at an Air & Space Museum
Canine Companions
Commercial Real Estate
REAPS board
Monopoly Meet-Ups
Taking Real Estate Classes at UW

For my current career or teaching career, consider not only joining Toastmasters, but also classes in comedy & screen writing, choreographer for using the stage and body language, and hiring a speech coach.

Request that the owner of Chick-Fil-A in Lynwood be your mentor. Try to schedule monthly breakfast meetings. Draft my own syllabus; bring samples of my work to show him.

While I was reading through the book, I got the idea that most of it did not apply to me and I did not need to conduct any informational interviews because I was not interested. By the time I got to the 2nd half of the book, I realized that I might want to consider being the operator of a Chick-Fil-A and I set upon a journey to do the research involved to begin the journey.

As a result of reading this book, I also ordered the following books:

"Eat More Chicken"
"How Did You Do It, Truett?"

both by S. Truett Cathy and filled out the "Show of Interest" information online.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2 reviews
April 26, 2021
In an experiment with rebranding myself, I used this book to help me build a better presence on LinkedIn. Over the course of 6 months, I posted 2 articles a month to help people follow along and work on rebranding their reputation. The information in this book is helpful and provided good step by step practical applications. The anecdotes are helpful because it gives colour to an otherwise dry subject.

Whilst at the start of this experiment, I did have several of hundred of readers looking at my posts, overtime, it died off. I have a feeling it is because I dragged it out too long. In the hopes of convincing people to read a least 1 book a year. In my next experiment, I will condense it and see if a weekly post on a chapter will cause more interest.

Suffice to say, I did enjoy following the recommendations of this book and I find that my branding and reinventing myself to be easier than I thought once I broke it down and took the time to think about where I wanted to go and how I would do it.
Profile Image for Alla Khasbulatov .
38 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2024
One of the most impactful ideas in Reinventing You by Dorie Clark is the concept of creating a focus group to gain clarity on how others perceive you. The process involves gathering 8–10 people who know you professionally or personally and having a moderated discussion about your strengths, opportunities for growth, and unique qualities. You attend the session primarily as an observer, taking notes without interrupting, which allows for candid feedback and valuable insights into your personal brand.

Another key takeaway is Clark’s perspective on education. She challenges the assumption that career reinvention requires expensive, formal education. In most cases, pursuing additional degrees isn’t necessary. However, if you decide formal education is essential, she recommends aiming for top-tier institutions to maximize the return on investment. For those who can’t afford that path, more affordable alternatives like boot camps or targeted courses on specific skills can be just as effective in boosting your expertise and credibility.
Profile Image for Alison.
752 reviews11 followers
February 25, 2024
I listened to this as a potential resource for some of my coaching clients. It did a great job outlining/summarizing the guidance I've given people over the years about how to pivot and reinvent themselves, so I found it validating in terms of my own methodology. (And a good reminder that most of us know more than we think we do about topics that are book-worthy.) If someone already has a good handle on their brand and how to craft a narrative, they'll find it too remedial, but in my experience a lot of what's in here that seems like common sense actually aren't for most people. The key audience for this is mid-career professionals who have found success, who are interested in striking out in a new direction, and who haven't really thought about their "brand" with any intentionality before. It's a succinct how-to guide that most anyone should be able to execute on.
11 reviews
March 12, 2019
It seems to me that it's more of an entrepreneur handbook than anything else, but I've still picked up some precious recommendations from it, like *spoiler alert* shadowing a person in the occupation desired by you and volunteering to get to know new specialists, make meaningful connections and such. What's amazing about the structure of the book is that it's laid out as a step-by-step guide to a new career path. And what's more, there are sections with doable tips in them. I might have failed to do some of them right away, but then would feel guilty and come back, and would never regret it!
All in all, I think I was an inspiring start for me. And you can see if there is something you could find useful.
Profile Image for Raka Adrianto.
62 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2020
I can easily imagine that this book, at the time of its release, was a blockbuster-type of reading materials. In the age of information surge, Dorie strongly proposed that our workforce has massively shifted to digital scouting and smart rebranding -- One that often is neglected by many, because we're mostly too comfortable with the old fashion of displaying and showing to the world how we want to be perceived. Of course, she can say so, because she herself experienced (or rather is still experiencing) exactly that transition, and even the occurrences in many fields she's into. I find this a simple and effective read, not only due to its usefulness in the ever-evolving era but also thanks to the actionable tasks in view of achieving that very goals.
Profile Image for Tim.
147 reviews
December 19, 2017
I started reading this book quite a while ago (I had heard Dorie Clark speak at SXSW a few years ago and really liked her message and strategies) and I've been jumping back and forth to it over several months. For someone who's trying to "leap" careers or industries, this book provides a lot of valuable information. In the end, as the book emphasizes, it all comes down to one thing: networking. Expanding your network and strategically branding yourself online (and offline) is critical if you want to jump from one professional position to the next. I enjoyed the real-world examples and the guidance given to make the jump. 3.75 stars.
2 reviews
June 5, 2019
Very informative book! It gives me an idea of how to become a better person for positions, as a mentor, and finding a new profession that I would want to study. Through the several stories that gave real life experiences to the point the author was trying to make, it further explained the point and gave examples of how to do it. It showed that other people have done it before so we would be able to. It clarified the steps that should be taken and how you should treat others in the workplace. If you are at a job and you are losing love for it, this is the book to explain how to get to that new profession.
Profile Image for Rajesh V.
7 reviews2 followers
June 13, 2021
This book is written for those who want to make a change in their careers. It contains several ideas and examples of how people have achieved it successfully. Since I have made such a change myself not long ago, I could relate to many of the examples. One big takeaway for me is having a credible story of how the change in my profession adds up to something unique. The other aspect that I found quite useful was using social media and building an online brand for oneself. Overall, I will recommend this book for all those looking for an alternate calling or those who have already made a choice and want to settle down in their new field.
144 reviews1 follower
April 3, 2022
Everyone should read this book regardless of the stage of your career. The information is incredibly insightful whether you are in the process of reinventing yourself or you are supporting someone who is embarking on this journey. This book will make you a better leader, colleague, friend, and family member by teaching you how to assess your value and maximize your contributions. The exercises are phenomenal and drive you to fully evaluate the people surrounding you and the environment you are operating in so that you can make the necessary adjustments to enhance your life. I would give this book 7 stars if possible. I will read it I multiple times and share it with my colleagues.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews

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