skirt! Rules for the Workplace: An Irreverent Guide to Advancing Your Career (Paperback)

by Kelly Love Johnson (Author)
Key Phrases: Being Betty, Little Miss Negative, Quietly Disgruntled (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Want a fulfilling career? To be paid what you are worth? To get ahead without leaving your ethics in the garbage? Kelly Love Johnson wants you to do all that, too, which is why she wrote the skirt! Rules for the Workplace. It's savvy, strategic, and suitable wisdom for any office."--Jennifer Baumgardner, author of Manifesta, Grassroots, and Look Both Ways

 

"In skirt! Rules for the Workplace, Kelly Love Johnson insightfully infuses the personal with the office political, provides you with a sharp glass cutter (for the glass ceiling) and a sturdy springboard (to jump the wage gap), and delivers a pantyhose-free kick to immediately take charge of your career."--Jeffrey Yamaguchi, creator of 52projects.com and author of Working For the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land. 

 

"A must read! Smart, insightful and oh so helpful, I love this book. Every woman--young and old--should read skirt! Rules for The Workplace. Why hasn't something this important been written before?"--Jane Porter, author of Flirting With Forty and Odd Mom Out

 

"I picked up skirt! Rules for the Workplace thinking that this is a book my students need--and it is. But before I was halfway through, I realized that the book is for me, too. It's funny, feminist, and packed with practical suggestions that will make your work life better--and make the workplace in general better for women. I learned something or got useful encouragement on every page. Young feminists often ask what they can do to change the world. Johnson gives them a set of skills they can put into practice immediately."--Alison Piepmeier, co-author of Catching a Wave:  Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century and director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the College of Charleston

 

"This book has many good tips and is a worthwhile read!"--Marion E. Gold, author of Personal Publicity Planner: A Guide to Marketing YOU and Top Cops: Profiles of Women in Command

Product Description
Humorous, practical, tell-it-like-it-is advice for women in the workplace.

Only seven of the Fortune 500 companies have a woman as CEO or President, and nearly 20 percent of them don't have any women at all in upper management. In the bestselling tradition of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office and Who Moved My Cheese, Kelly Love Johnson lays out practical advice for career women who are starting out or who wonder why they're not moving ahead. This is the book every graduating senior, receptionist, and entry-level assistant will steal from her best friend. Johnson shows how speaking out, embracing change, and changing others' perceptions of working women can bring both personal and professional success. Chapters include: "The Alphas and the Betas: Personality Types," "A Feminist Says What?" and "Work Like a Girl." Using personal anecdotes, tried and true tactics, and a directory of resources and Web sites, Johnson shows readers how women can move ahead in the workplace just as well as men, as Ginger Rogers once said, "but backwards and in high heels."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: skirt!; 1st edition (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599212234
• ISBN-13: 978-1599212234
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #837,015 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid content in a frivolous package, October 2, 2008

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Skirt seems clearly targeted to younger women (although these days, fewer and fewer women wear skirts to work). A lot of the advice would apply to both men and women of any age.

A good part of the book is devoted to being feminine vs. being unprofessional (i.e., no crying). Many pages give advise on asking for a raise. The author has great tips for getting ahead (pp. 34-35). She offers good examples of women who made big mistakes (including herself) and includes some basic taboos (getting drunk at the office party and dating your boss).

Chapter 10 is superb. I would tell my client and ezine readers to buy the book just to get Chapter 10: great advice on leaving a job and moving on to the next. I especially like her advice about what she calls "quitting in place." I've been saying that for years.

Two negatives:

On page 59, Johnson encourages anyone with emotional issues (such as inappropriate crying) to see a therapist. So far so good. But in today's environment, a good executive coach might be an even better choice. Coaches focus on strengths, not pathology. They create action plans instead of delving into history.

Johnson says therapy doesn't have to be expensive. She's half right. You usually get what you pay for. A lower-cost therapist might not have the educational credentials or experience to deal with a smart executive on the rise.

On page 59 she urges the reader to get names of therapists from their EAP and use the company's insurance plan. On page 67 she gets it right: don't trust anyone including EAP. She reminds readers that bosses get monthly reports of who's using the service and "can easily get more." I wonder if the HR manager sees reports of who's using a therapist and even the diagnosis (therapists have to make a diagnosis to get insurance coverage).

My career clients who were employed told me their tax advisors allowed them to deduct coaching fees from their taxes. Much better than potential embarrassment, in my opinion. And if you're very senior in a company, you should be very careful about "seeing someone." If your coach has a PhD in clinical psych, you may get the best of both worlds: it's executive coaching and you're discussing heavy stuff.

Second, the book's graphic theme is just too cutesy for its own good. There's just too much pink all over the place. A savvy senior exec might dismiss the book as too juvenile or simplistic, and that would be a shame. The author dishes it out like a quarterback lobbing passes and she rarely misses her target.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for someone new to the workplace, September 3, 2008

By	R. Lyubovitzky (NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an easy to read and humorous book for someone new to the workplace. I don't agree with some advice - such as "absolute no bringing home cooking to the workplace." There are business settings where it is appropriate and adds to the atmosphere and both sexes contribute. There are some helpful references and additional resources to check out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skirt! Rules for the Workplace, May 12, 2008

By	K. Edwards (greensboro, nc) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wish I had read this 20 years ago after I graduated from college and before I entered the work force. I have experienced many of the things she speaks about and her advice is right on the money.