MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR FIRST JOB

by Catalyst--Eds. of ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 1981

A nice little pep talk in the tell-it-like-it-is vein for women who have just graduated from college and entered the business field. Some of the advice is of a general sort: the difference between women's screams of ""exploitation"" and employers' expectations of ""dedication,"" we're told, is a matter of crossed signals; the boss assumes you want to rise in the company--and will be willing to invest that ""extra effort""--while you may be uncertain about your future plans. In other cases, the suggestions are no-nonsense specific, as in the time-management ploy of grouping all phone calls together between 10 and 12 a.m. (it's easier to reach people then) and not leaving a message for a callback (you call back; otherwise you'll be interrupted constantly). Tips range from tax handling (appropriate IRS publications are listed) to transcending the secretarial slot (learn about the company; be visible). The chronic risk in an effort of this sort is that it may sound condescending, since its audience is by definition inexperienced; and occasionally the reader may squirm at an analogy between office politics and a Monopoly game. But by and large, the tone is light and sympathetic, even sometimes gently self-deprecating (e.g., Juliet's ""what's in a name?"" speech to Romeo paraphrased in memo style). Possibly the most focused and well-balanced of the (generally good) Catalyst job manuals so far.

Pub Date: April 21, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION