9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, practical advice for young women in the work force, June 19, 2007
This review is from: New Girl On the Job: Advice from the Trenches (Hardcover)
Although I'm clearly not in the demographic that this book has targeted -- young women just entering the work force -- I work in an industry that is, by many estimates, 75 percent female.
I found this book to offer good, solid advice that in many cases would apply to new employees of both genders. There is a good chapter on how to deal with a bad boss. Seligson is especially strong when she advises her readers to be unafraid to be self-promoters at the right moment and to "always be thinking beyond your job title."
Seligson tailors some of her advice to specific stereotypes and issues that can disproportionately beset young women. How to fend off romantic advances by a superior is an obvious one; other, less obvious issues include how to stay away from harmful office gossip and how to avoid being "assistant-ized" -- unconsciously placed into a pigeonhole as a useful assistant rather than someone with substantive solutions to business problems.
This book is easy to read and written in a clear, workmanlike style. I can't give it five stars, though, because of some occasional grammatical errors and because of some tone-deafness in matters of language. Seligson recommends that instead of telling a boss that "I'm feeling like I might have trouble meeting my deadline," an employee could say, "I have reassessed my project deliverables." Well, no, don't say that -- not if you want anyone to understand you.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent guidebook for young women enterting the workplace, June 4, 2007
This review is from: New Girl On the Job: Advice from the Trenches (Hardcover)
I wish I had had access to New Girl On The Job: Advice from the Trenches before applying for my first job. High school did not include work-readiness classes. Our graduation keynote speaker proclaimed that life was so hard we "would not make it, but become long-term failures." He told us we had no chance at all during a time of war in the Mideast and parts of Asia. Unfortunately, many of my class did fail in the workplace, especially the women, because of lack of preparation and support.
Ms. Seligson's book illustrates practical ways to avoid such career failures and how to ensure women's success in the world of work. She took her own horror of being first ill-trained and then fired from her first job, turning it into an effective lesson for new workers. This book arms the new workforce with a strong first step toward success to stand against lack of information and support, discrimination, isolation, and bullying. It took me 20 years to learn this the hard way.
The author thoroughly interviewed workingwomen of all ages in order to create an encyclopedia of experiences, with instructions regarding how to expand the good and stem the tide of the horrific. Information was willingly provided by women such as Soledad O'Brien of CNN's American Morning and the cosmetics tycoon Bobbi Brown, as well as newer recruits on the front lines of the career battle. Hannah pulls no punches: a sense of entitlement, gossip, and see-through clothes are big-time no-no's on the job; but so are bad bosses and sexual harassment. Hannah gives directions, "Takeaway" notes to keep handy, and even the correct language to use at work.
If such books as New Girl On The Job had been available in my earlier years, perhaps our keynote speaker would have said, "Work is serious but rewarding and you must leave part of the child behind and embrace the adult inside yourself. Older workers, both women and men, will be there to help guide you."
Armchair Interviews says: All women in high school, college, or transition from disability, divorce or public assistance will consider this book as gold.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, informative and fun to read, May 31, 2007
This review is from: New Girl On the Job: Advice from the Trenches (Hardcover)
This book is packed with great information and it is actually fun to read. I bought this as a graduation present and thought i would just glance at the topics. I couldn't put it down and read the whole book. I wish i had this book a few years ago when i first started working. Even though i have been working for over 10 years, there is great advice that I will use now. I will give this book to all the women I know who are starting (or re-entering)their careers.
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