New Books

Being a working woman in Korea isn’t necessarily easy, especially when you are in your 20s and 30s.

There are tough decisions to make between your career and family, and promotions and salaries to worry about. Being on good terms with everyone at work can be a challenge.

For any working woman who is having a hard time in her career, Kim Joo-yeon, the executive marketing director of P&G Korea, has advice to give.

Her newly-released book, “Turn Your Passion into Your Career,” offers useful career tips on how to develop effective work habits, maintaining good relationships with your boss and co-workers, managing your subordinates, and finding a good balance between work and family -- all based on Kim’s 17 years of real-life work experience.

One of Kim’s tips is to carry a notepad and pen with you whenever your superior calls you in. “It’s the number one habit to have if you want to be considered as someone who is always ready-to-go and trustworthy,” Kim writes.

For working moms, Kim advises not to become a perfectionist. “You have to let go of the things that you cannot possibly accomplish in order to be happy,” she writes.

The book also offers tips on finding the right man who will be supportive of your career, preparing to be a good mentor, and crucial leadership skills.

This is a useful self-help book for those who want to improve their career skills and expand their future opportunities.

(clairelee@heraldcorp.com) 


Enjoying an alternative weekend

Four Hours on Your Saturday
By Shin In-cheol
(Leader’s book, 13,000 won)

For most people, Saturday is a day to relax.

You get to sleep in, watch TV, and enjoy doing nothing. But author Shin In-cheol says spending at least four hours on Saturday on something you’ve never done can change your life.

That “something” can be anything. From playing guitar to training for a marathon, baking, pottery, taking pictures, learning a foreign language, your options are countless.

What’s important, according to Shin, is to develop a hobby that has absolutely no relevance to your current occupation. By doing so, one can make his life more fulfilling and exciting, even after retirement, Shin says.

So why Saturday?

Shin says it’s the only day in the week you can have all to yourself. “It’s also the best day to do something because you don’t have to work the next day,” Shin writes in the book. “People can’t help but think about work on Sundays as the next day is Monday.”

The book says one can do the following in four hours: finish a watercolor painting; master at least two chapters of a level-one Spanish textbook; take a single violin lesson and practice what you’ve learned that day.

“Four hours is the perfect time to concentrate on something and learn the most out of it,” Shin writes.

The book also provides useful information on how to get started. In areas of music, fine art, sports, cooking, science, nature, and humanity studies, Shin lets readers know which educational institutions offer the best programs and classes at a reasonable price.

Most of all, Shin says, spending Saturday in such a way is an investment. “It will improve the quality of your life,” Shin writes. “You will have a separate life that you can really enjoy aside from your work.”

(clairelee@heraldcorp.com)