As a former financial journalist, City lawyer, management consultant and top trainer, Christopher Stoakes knows the business and financial worlds inside out. His engaging style and ability to explain complex concepts with surprising simplicity meant that his books played a significant role in helping me to prepare for interviews. As such, it is strongly recommended that candidates supplement their study of this handbook by reading some (or all) of the books detailed in this section

Understanding The Financial Markets (Christopher Stoakes)

Anyone who works in business these days needs to understand the financial world. Know The City is the best-selling guide that students and young professionals use to get up-to-speed quickly and painlessly. It explains the roles of banks and institutional investors, the different types of financial instrument and transaction and the impact that interest rates have on the markets and why. It also covers topical subjects such as Islamic banking, peer-to-peer lending and microfinance. Whilst this handbook focuses on commercial law, Know The City covers a broader range of topics relating to the inner workings of the City and its major financial placers, providing an excellent opportunity to supplement your knowledge. Purchase Here

Enhance Your Commercial Awareness (Christopher Stoakes)

If you want a job in the business world you need to be commercially aware. What is it and how do you get it? Commercial Awareness tells you. It explains what matters to businesses, how companies are funded, the purpose of strategy and the quest for customers. It explains how companies are organised and what they are looking for when you apply for a job. This book contextualises much of the information within this handbook, providing an excellent supplementary read. Purchase Here

Write Well at Work (Christopher Stoakes)

A majority of firms require candidates to submit written assignments as part of the interview and/or internship assessment process. Candidates are expected to write concisely and accurately and frame their words within a clear and coherent structure. However, employers complain that young people can"t write. What are they looking for and how can you deliver it? Get To The Point explains how. Writing well in the workplace is critical to your career. Words are still the principal form of communication between people in business. Write well and you will shine. Write badly and you could torpedo your career. A majority of firms require candidates to submit written assignments as part of the interview and/or internship assessment process. Candidates are expected to write concisely and accurately and frame their words within a clear and coherent structure. However, employers complain that young people can"t write. What are they looking for and how can you deliver it? Get To The Point explains how. Writing well in the workplace is critical to your career. Words are still the principal form of communication between people in business. Write well and you will shine. Write badly and you could torpedo your career. Purchase Here

Want to Become a Lawyer (Christopher Stoakes)

Articulating your motivation for wanting to pursue law, both as a degree discipline and as a potential career, is something with which many students tend to struggle. However, firms are increasingly expecting candidates to provide strong, substantial and genuine reasons to support their decision to pursue law. Is Law For You? provides a strong insight into the world of law through explaining both what lawyers do and the many avenues of specialisation they pursue. Whether or not you eventually decide to become a lawyer, law is a critical underpinning to business and thus having a basic grasp of the law will give you an edge regardless. Purchase Here

Christopher Stoakes, has also recommended the following for students interested in a career in consultancy.

Accounts Demystified: The Astonishingly Simple Guide To Accounting (Anthony Rice)

• If you"re going to be a management consultant you need to be numerate. A lot of graduates coming to consulting don"t have an accountancy background. This book will help you – especially if you"ve tried to understand accounts before and failed.

Strategy Safari: A Guided Tour Through The Wilds Of Strategic Management (Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph Lampel)

• A lot of consultancy work is about strategy and large chunks of MBAs are devoted to the subject. If you haven"t got an MBA then this will help give you the necessary models and background. Co-author Mintzberg is one of the big names in the strategy field. He invented "emergent strategy" which is particularly relevant to professional service firms, such as management consultancies.

The Witch Doctors: What Management Gurus Are Saying, Why It Matters And How To Make Sense Of It (John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge)

• A bit dated (it was written in the 1990s) but essential background – and criticism – of the world of consulting by two top journalists from The Economist. They single out Peter Drucker for praise. Even though he was in his nineties when he died in 2005, his insights are still considered the most relevant to management today. It was Drucker who coined the term "the knowledge economy".

Maverick! The Success Story Behind The World"s Most Unusual Workplace (Ricardo Semler)

• A brilliant autobiographical account of how Semler took over his father"s steel company in Brazil and turned it on its head, allowing employees to choose their salary and job title, so creating a highly profitable business in the process that does without secretaries, filing cabinets or receptionists. Every time he went away his staff reorganised the business and gave him a smaller office until eventually they told him to work from home. Investment bankers and consultants come from all over the world to see what Semco is about. Profit and employee empowerment: aren"t those the holy grails of what consultants are selling!?