Leave Your Mark

Easy to read and great advice. I originally bought this for my young daughter, then had to buy one for myself! It’s time for me to shine, too. Glad to have this book on my shelf.

Aliza Licht goes far beyond career guidance, she mentors her readers with modern day out of the box ideas to achieve a HAPPY & SUCCESSFUL career... there is a HUGE difference between the two! Within the first day of reading, I found myself thinking in ways I had not done before and taking active steps towards my dream job. This book isn't just for the high school or college grad entering the work force, it is for person looking for a second career, it is for the individual already working in the field of the dreams, but not the position they desire. Essentially, this book is for any man or woman of any age looking to achieve career goals and continue killing it professionally once there! Her personal journey and stories are wikedly entertaining! Aliza successfully uses a tone that feels as though she is talking WITH you not AT you. Leave Your Mark is a MUST READ that has the potential to CHANGE YOUR LIFE... if you let it! Thank you Aliza for taking the time to write this book and sharing your knowledge, experience, passion and advice!

Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht is part memoir, part advice book, and part much needed kick in the rear end. Aliza, formerly known as DKNYPRGIRL across social media, was the Senior Vice President of Global Communications for Donna Karan International. After rising to success on Twitter and inspiring other brands to place Public Relations on the front lines, Aliza answered the many inquiries for advice from young Fashion and PR professionals and students with this book, which she terms a sort of written mentorship. Throughout its pages are sprinkled stories from her life, ranging from early career woes to the challenges of anonymous stardom. Her advice is great, and the flow of the book is mostly fantastic, but the formatting could use some work. By the end I was growing increasingly annoyed by the interruption of a perfectly good paragraph by an "insider tip" that was usually pretty common sense, yet made to feel so secret that it might as well be the identity of Gossip Girl. Occasionally, Licht would go on a rant (something that, IMO, should be saved for opinion columns and reviews, not used in memoirs or advice books, although I can understand the urge.) and it would feel like she was yelling at the reader for something they hadn't done, but that there was a small chance they might do in the future. I found myself feeling slightly upset and bewildered after these parts and having to put the book down in order to remind myself that I hadn't done whatever it was before I was able to pick the book back up and try to get back into it. Although I know Licht was just trying to be thorough and professional and when she announced in the beginning that she would be altering names and even genders of people she would refer to so that their identities would say secret and the reader, whether they be a man or a woman, would feel equally represented, the whole concept rang through my head like a song on replay whenever I was reading the book and ended up making it feel somewhat contrived and slightly less than genuine. However, the overall tone of the book was pretty good, and it carried a lot of solid advice for only 288 pages. I think it was a bit of a cautious beginning for Licht in the literary world, but I get the feeling that she will probably publish more, and that she will improve with each publication. I definitely enjoy her social media presence, sass and all, and look forward to reading anything else she decides to print. I would recommend the book in its entirety to anyone looking for advice on a career in social media, fashion, or PR specifically, and the resume section to every person I have ever met or will meet in the future. Curio Street Reads Rating: 3.5 Stars [...]

Wise and much needed advice for every person. I ordered multiple copies so I could share with my kids and friends. And a fun read!

This book is nothing short of fantastic. I accidentally stumbled upon it on a very low time of my soul searching process, career wise. This book gave me a completely different perspective on everything. It was also an eye opener for what it really means to be a go getter and work for your success without any excuses. I had never heard of the author before, and my career has nothing to do with fashion, but I am so thankful that she took the time to share all this valuable information with people through this book. I read it in one day. It didn't even feel like a self improvement book. It felt like a conversation with an amazing friend who pumps so much confidence in you, that you may end up spending the day creating an entire mood board and list of the things you need to do and change in order to go after your goals and succed. I am incredibly aware of building my personal brand now, and also being a strong asset and give my 100% best at everything I do. This book is a must read. It was extremely worth it, and I will probably re-read at some point.

I laughed. I cried. I would have bought the t-shirt if there was one. Leave Your Mark is the book I wish existed when I was embarking on my career and the book that almost 20 years into it still spoke to me. I first met Aliza when I was a PR assistant. Actually, page 41 and the tale of the "near death experience with a broken heel" was the exact day we met! We reconnected via Twitter many years later and I have been in awe of her ever since. She is a mold-breaker, a respected colleague and a trusted friend -- not only to me, but to her over half-a-million Twitter friends alike. This book is a mentorship in its truest form and speaks to anyone looking to be inspired, supported, or needs a good swift kick in the &#@! It will reside on my desk, as all my best reference and inspiration items do, as I know I will be going back to it time and again.

The book is extremely helpful and educational.

Aliza Licht, SVP of Communications for Donna Karan writes this book in a friendly, witty style and it has a fair amount of useful information. I liked her "insider tip" recommendations and her chapter summaries. She, under the secret guise of twitter handle @DKNYPRGIRL, was one of the first fashion brands to leverage twitter to drive awareness and ultimately revenue for her brand. She also created a following of over 500,000 from scratch before the "how to build your twitter brand" books existed. Which is rather impressive. This worth reading if you enjoy either a glimpse of behind the scenes fashion information, or need to brush up on your career "soft skills" of networking and managing your personal brand, with a healthy dose of navigating office politics. Her advice regarding strategic networking at cocktail parties (business or personal) and other functions was a particularly good refresher course. The biggest networking take away was a to reminder to google images of the key players at any event so you know who you are seeking out in the room and have something short and relevant prepared to say to them. Be it a senior level business contact, or the chair of a social event. Another great reminder was to follow up with both senior people, peers, and those just starting out. Never forget many people helped you along the way, and the gracious thing to do is help others out when they are trying to break into the industry of their dreams (providing they are smart enough to realize you are willing to help them)! This a quick read and worth the time. If you have read other career/leadership books there will not be any shockingly new ideas here, but she presents all the basics in an engaging way. If you have not read any career/leadership books this is well worth the time investment and will leave you filled with confidence and new ideas.

The book is great--Aliza gives good advises to embrace your personal branding that eventually will reflect on the way you want your company's brand to evolve (or the other way around).

Aliza shares her experiences and lessons she learned along the way in the fashion industry. I love her casual writing and authenticity. I wish I would have read this book when I was younger, it inspired me so much!!

A leitura é super divertida e gostosa. Livro daqueles para devorar, com a história interessante de uma mulher que criou o seu caminho no meio da moda. Muito gostoso conhecer o behind the scenes da carreira de Aliza Licht. E, vale lembrar, ele é ótimo mesmo para quem não é da área de moda. Muito interessante também para quem curte mídias sociais!

liked the book. love to read more books from the author

This book is for people graduating from college and getting a job. It's not for someone who's looking for inspiration to study and get into a good college. It's definitely not that kind of book. The people who have given reviews saying that it's must read for teens it's totally false information. Only read it if you are going into fashion industry. Disappointed by the fake reviews giving out false information about this books content.