16 Books Every Career Gal Should Read

We all need some guidance from time to time — especially when it comes to navigating work matters. Who hasn't gotten a little lost along their career path and wondered how to make the next move? Whether you're itching to negotiate a raise, longing to quit your day job, or straight-up battling misogyny in the office, there's a book of advice from people who have been there, earned that, and lived to write their tales. Keep scrolling to level up in your career.

01
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

I Shouldn't Be Telling You This

As the editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Kate White has years of experience to back up her work wisdom, and I Shouldn't Be Telling You This includes something helpful for women in all stages of their careers.

02
Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness For the Female Entrepreneur

Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness For the Female Entrepreneur

More and more women are discovering the beautiful independence and satisfaction that comes with owning their own businesses. Life coach and author Cara Alwill Leyba's Girl Code empowers women to fulfill their dreams of entrepreneurship and "live effervescently."

03
Ask For It

Ask For It

One of the most oft-repeated reasons for why the gender wage gap exists is that women don't feel comfortable negotiating, and thus, they don't increase their salaries at the same rate that men do. The simplest way to get what you want out of your career and your salary? Literally Ask For It!

04
Leave Your Mark

Leave Your Mark

Leave Your Mark is the sassy, modern gal's guide to building your brand and making a lasting impression — even in this era of ever-changing technology.

05
Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons From Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World

Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons From Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World

Earning It is chock-full of success stories (and struggle stories!) from some of the business world's top female performers, dropping pearls of wisdom and empowering anecdotes for the next generation of CEOs and boss ladies.

06
Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual For a Sexist Workplace

Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual For a Sexist Workplace

If you're dealing with a sexist office situation, trust us: you're not alone. While women have made great strides in the workplace over the years, subtle and pervasive sexism continues to plague many offices, though nowadays it can be hard to identify — much less battle. Feminist Fight Club is a reminder that we can still band together to fight the good fight.

07
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

While not dedicated entirely to career advice, the powerful insights found within Jen Sincero's You Are a Badass will absolutely carry into your work life in the best way possible. A lack of confidence is perhaps the biggest hurdle for most women in their careers, and this book will help restore that incredibly valuable resource.

08
Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice & Build Your Dream Life

Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice & Build Your Dream Life

A list of career advice books wouldn't be complete without Power Your Happy, which tells the origin story of POPSUGAR straight from the company's very own founder and president, Lisa Sugar. Power Your Happy includes actionable tips for turning your passion into your paycheck by working hard and building lasting work relationships.

09
Good to Great

Good to Great

Speaking of building successful companies . . . Good to Great is a thorough examination of what it means for a company to go from being merely good to achieving great, long-lasting success. The insights gathered from author Jim Collins's research can be applied by anyone looking to bring their business venture to the next level.

10
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book is a classic for a reason. These 7 Habits of Highly Effective People continue to be highly effective! There are just some truths about human behavior that withstand the test of time, and it's worth learning these fundamental tactics.

11
Pushback: How Smart Women Ask — and Stand Up — For What They Want

Pushback: How Smart Women Ask — and Stand Up — For What They Want

Are you sensing a theme here? Confidence, self-advocacy, using your voice . . . these are clearly issues that many women struggle with in the workplace — and they're also the keys to women succeeding in the workplace. In Pushback, Selena Rezvani takes a look at what is holding you back in your career and how you can be your own best advocate moving forward.

12
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

Although Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In may not resonate with everyone, there are still serious nuggets of wisdom here — especially for women who aim to hold leadership roles.

13
Mistakes I Made at Work

Mistakes I Made at Work

Isn't it far more entertaining and illustrative to read about people's work blunders (and how they overcame them) than their easy successes? Mistakes I Made at Work features colorful work stories from kickass ladies like Wild author Cheryl Strayed and musician Kim Gordon.

14
Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job

Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job

And within this pile of powerful, go-get-'em guides, there's a book titled Quitter. No, it's not a defeatist how-to, but rather tips for mapping out a strategy for either leaving or transforming a seemingly dead-end job. Quitter is for anyone with a great big dream and pesky little day job.

15
Search Inside Yourself

Search Inside Yourself

As one of Google's earliest engineers, Chade-Meng Tan was tasked with teaching Google employees mindfulness techniques for the workplace. Search Inside Yourself lays out these tactics and more, promising inner and outer benefits that extend far beyond the office.

16
Thrive

Thrive

How do you define success? In Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, media mogul and all-around boss lady Arianna Huffington examines how our modern-day definition of success needs to shift from being all about a grueling struggle to achieve and more about balance and healthfulness. With our careers, we should aim not just to survive, but thrive.