Book Review: Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

I've just finished reading this book and thought that a lot of its tips were blog-worthy. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel (Warner Business Books, 2004).

First, for all my gentlemen readers, this book has lots of tips you will find helpful as well, so don't be turned off by the title. You can even read this in public and maintain your manly street cred: the hardcover version I have only lists the title on the spine and the title seems very soft-porn, no? Uh, anyway... it's been a long semester and these days I'm easily entertained by the faintest of double entendres.

The basic premise of this book is that to get ahead in the corporate world we need to act like adults, not children (or in Frankel's words, "stop actin' like a girl and be woman").

While the gendered premise of her book is both useful and annoying, I think all ex-grad students should read it. After years of being told that we have to wait for the okay from our advisor/department/funding agency/university to do things, we have a hard time re-envisioning ourselves as autonomous adults. This book not only draws attention to the unconscious habits we do that keep us in this child-like position, but most usefully, it provides concrete suggestions and scripts for breaking these habits. It's the coaching tips that sold me on this book.

I think few of Leadfoot's readers need to be told that they should not decorate their office cubicle like their living room (mistake #26), though we all know people (specifically women) who break this rule. But other suggestions like "don't ask the boss if you can do something, just do it" (mistake #59) are good tips for all us workplace newbies. Frankel also spends a fair bit of time on networking--both how to do it and how to maintain relationships ("mistake 3: working hard," "mistake 13: failing to capitalize on relationships," "mistake 36: ignoring the quid pro quo" etc). I mention this because I know we all are freaked out by our seeming lack of professional networks.

My favorite tip, I think, is "mistake 44: striving for perfection." The coaching tip that sticks with me "strive for 80% perfection. The difference between 80% and 100% won't be noticed by most people but will buy you more time to shift to other important tasks". Is it coincidental that I'm currently struggling through a dissertation chapter? Surely not.

Frankel divides the book into seven sections, with a self-assessment introduction and a concluding "best of luck to you!" epilogue. Now, I think I'm pretty savvy, but I found that I made a mistake in at least each chapter. You will probably see some yourself in some of the mistakes in each chapter as well, so even if the titles and subjects seem hokey, they're not. Chapter 2: How You Play the Game, Chapter 3: How You Act, Chapter 4: How You Think, Chapter 5: How You Brand and Market Yourself [trust me, this isn't as lame as it sounds], Chapter 6: How You Sound, Chapter 7: How You Look, Chapter 8: How You Respond.

Now, have I bought this book? Uh, actually not yet. I'm still deciding if it is worth the $15 and the book case real estate or if I should just take my library copy to a photocopier and xerox the mistakes that apply to me. But I have sent a copy to my sister. She is just coming off a horrendous work environment that included a manager who was sexually harassing her and then retaliating when she would tell him to stfu and stop it. Because of a number of circumstances, including the fact that she currently lives in the antebellum boonies, she couldn't go to the HR department and report him. Lucky for her, the manager was a total cokehead and stealing from the company to support the habit, so the police removed that problem from her life. Sadly she was not the one to report him; that would really have been some awesome karma. Still, the next time she has to deal with a krazy manager, perhaps she'll be better equipped to stop the buck from the get-go.

Definitely worth a read--I read it at night before going to bed and got through it in a week or so. Again, really the concrete coaching tips and suggested scripts sold me and I'll probably end up buying the book just so I have a cribsheet to work from for the next time I need to diplomatically, but firmly, tell someone to get their shit together.

Read any good career books? Let us know! Next on my reading list: What Color is Your Parachute? But if someone else wants to take that review, have at it.

Guest Blog: KSAs (knowledge, skills, abilities)

The first of many guest blog posts (or so I hope!). This in from Red Dust Woman, though really we should be calling her Dr. RDW as she just deposited her dissertation this week. Woot woot! Dr. RDW has applied for a federal job and has generously shared some first hand tips for the dreaded KSA sections. Below are her suggestions.

This post is geared towards all of you trendsetters, who are forsaking academia in favor of let's say, more steady work with the government. (As opposed to the poor Ph.D. whom I heard is working on their 9th, yes 9th post-doc and another Ph.D. on their 6th adjunct position...) But as steady as government work may be, they are notoriously slow to hire. I don't know what the requirements are for other departments, but as I am reapplying to USAID (I worked for them many years ago as a business advisor), I thought I would share my most recent wisdom gained from going through the application process. I applied for an education position back in March through USAJobs, and had lots of fun filling out the requisite KSAs (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities). Here was my strategy:

1. Networking - I have a contact in USAID who just recently was hired for her first position, so she was my sounding board. She sent me her winning KSAs, which showed me what USAID was looking for:
A. Clear, concise and to-the-point writing that demonstrated your skill/experience match to each KSA.
B. The ability to communicate your work in your field to a wide audience - no jargon or academic-style writing.
C. Actual experience to back up each statement, and personalizations. My contact told a story of how she helped younger protégées deal with "spiders as big as their hands" to demonstrate her comfort zone in working in tropical areas. It was a "wow" factor that stood out and made her KSA memorable.

2. Plagiarizing - As a Boren fellow, I must seek a government job, and they are pledged to help me do it. Last September I attended a job fair in DC where they basically told all of the fellows to "plagiarize" the government job descriptions. In these job descriptions are key words that their computer systems look for, and if you have not used any of them, your application will get tossed. So I literally cut and pasted from the job description into each of my KSAs to have those key words. Of course I expanded from there, but when the job description required "project management and field research skills", I used those exact words at least once in the KSA to which it applied.

3. Indicating that you have met the top level in each of the KSAs - In the section where I had to rank where my skills fell, I gave myself top ranking in each section. Of course I had to back each ranking up with actual proof and experience, but giving myself top marks allowed me to pass the computer screening portion of the review process. Don't lie about your accomplishments, but don't sell yourself short either - you want to stand out from the rest of the applicant pool.

Other advice:
1. Do check back with USAJobs frequently to make sure you are up-to-date with deadlines, as they DO change. My deadline was moved up by almost a month, and had I not caught it in time, I would have been barred from applying.
2. There are blogs involving government job applications to different departments, such as USAID. I checked out the USAID blog and discovered useful information, such as the going timeframe from application drop to start date is 18 months in the case of USAID.
3. Expect a bit of bureaucracy to get in your way, and prepare accordingly. For example, another student colleague applied for a position, followed up for months, and then was told that funding had been cut, and the position eliminated. However, the funding did come through shortly thereafter, and the position was reinstated - yet she had to reapply all over again. However, she had already thrown in the towel at this point, and decided not to reapply. The situation is not ideal, yet in this economy, it is not surprising. So gear up for the long haul and don't take anything personally - it is the government, after all ;-).

So I hope some of this information was helpful to you in some way, and clears up some of the mystery surrounding the USAJobs application process. Good luck!!!

Etiquette

I have been remiss again. I won't bother with the excuses. But I did turn in a job application today! Wish me luck; I'll share the details later.

This post is, admittedly, reactionary. Too many undergrads acting dumb and too many authors at work being clueless have pushed me over the edge. I'll try to temper the letters I want to write these offending parties and keep to the basics. Because I realize they are not self-evident. And that while they feel second nature to me, it's only because I was 1) my mother would withhold tv privileges/dessert/etc if I didn't send my thank you cards and 2) my professional jobs require these kinds of emails for their files. This has all been reinforced by the "getting a job" books I've been reading recently.

What I'm talking about is the basic thank you and how to nicely ask for information.

First. If someone sends you information--a link, a cfp, a newspaper article related to your research topic--send them a thank you note. If this is an unprompted email or message, it means you are on this person's radar. Stay on their radar. You never know if they will be sending you the next dream job notice (or, ahem, snowflakes: the awesomest scholarship ever). Even if this is for something that has nothing to do with your research or interests, thank them. Not only does a thank you keep you on the sender's radar, but when you do have to go to that person for help or information, your sender will remember you as either a polite and prompt person or as a total ingrate. [I'm not making this up--I have seen students' grades lowered on account of their social skills, or rather, lack thereof. I have also seen pushy or ungrateful authors' manuscripts shuffled to the bottom of the pile, lost for months.]

"Dear XX,

Thanks so much for thinking of me. This XX looks interesting, thanks for passing it along. Hope you are doing well. Best wishes, Leadfoot"

Late thank yous are better than never thank yous. Miss Manners has it right for important messages--it's all about how you have left the other person hanging, not how busy or uninterested you are. Otherwise, a brief acknowledgment email is fine.

"DearXX,

My apologies for such a tardy response to your note about XXXX. Thanks so much for passing along this link/cfp/etc. I hope you are doing well and [fill in the blank with whatever personal pleasantry you can add about the weather, their work, their children or pets]. Regards, Leadfoot"

Second. If you are dealing with someone who is doing something for you (even if it is their job), thank them. Nicely. As someone who regularly deals with book authors, let me tell you: thank yous to low people on the ladder are just as important as the top dogs. (Can I mix anymore hackneyed metaphors?). If you are nice and utter gratefully for all the help I give you (even if it is to make some lame excuse for my boss's inattention) you will be rewarded. I will totally pull strings for you, put in a good word for you, and make sure you get what you want. I will give you info I'm not supposed to share. No acknowledgement of what all I've done for you (even if it is my job)? No effusive email thanking me for all the information I've given you? Yeah, that totally gets remembered. It's punitive and petty and very much a reality. So whine about the unfairness of it or just accept it and play the game. This rule applies to advisors who have to write you recommendation letters and it applies to the intake secretary at the Dean's office. Again, this email doesn't have to be long or over the top. Just a brief note is fine.

"Dear XXX,

Thanks for letting me know you received my manuscript/application. Please let me know if you need any other materials from me OR please let me know if you have difficulty opening these files. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Leadfoot."

Third. If you ask someone to do something like come speak to a group, read your job letter, sit down to an informational interview or something else the generally takes away from their schedule for the benefit of yours. SEND THEM A THANK YOU NOTE. And promptly. Like day of. All the job books say this. Do NOT slack on this. At all. And, depending on circumstances, real notes may be in order. So stock up on stationery. It's always better to overkill.

Fourth. It's all about being nice to someone and not pissing them off. You are a professional. You want to be treated as a professional. Act like a professional. For example, at my hourly job a new book competition just ended which required multiple files to be sent to a generic email. I was the one receiving and processing these emails. This was an international competition, leading one to rightly believe that I had to handle a lot of messages. Sending the following email, hours before the deadline, wins you no points.

"Please find attached my files for Book Competition. Please ignore my previous email. Apparently I had not saved corrections before sending. Thanks for your consideration."

I don't care that you are an associate prof. You just cost me twenty five minutes because your original files were a funky format and now I have to go back, meticulously delete previous files, save new files, recycle old printouts, kill another tree for your new printouts, update the database, and send you a second acknowledgment email, being sure that I change the stock letter to say that I'm talking about your new submission. All the while not getting confused by the 40 other submissions that also came in minutes before the deadline and are now sitting in my inbox. If you are an associate prof, you should know better than to send emails without checking them twice. Don't piss me off, I might just accidentally lose your new printouts. Again, this is punitive and petty but a reality. If you must absolutely switch files or update something, see Miss Manners' approach above. There is never enough ass kissing.

Does this all feel like brown nosing? It is, but so what? Brown nosing and being nice gets things done. Laying down the smack when you are powerless usually keeps you powerless. I once wiggled out of a very expensive campus housing contract because I was nice. The housing administrator actually told me that was the reason she was making the very rare exception for me. That was a lesson I'll never forget. Smiles and niceness gets you far.

Fifth. You want something from someone. Here's some stock phrases.

--if you want to make sure someone received your email: "I would greatly appreciate, at your convenience, confirmation of receipt." Or simply, "please confirm receipt".

---if you want information about something: "I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you could..." or "I realize you are very busy. At your convenience, I would appreciate any answers to my query regarding..."

Don't ask stupid questions, like "even though the Book Competition rules say that you want a sample chapter, will you consider a proposal without sample material?" Don't ask offensive questions like "I see your Book Competition provides a travel stipend if a book is chosen. How much is that travel stipend?" Questions like the following fall under both categories: "What was the assignment requirements/time of the advertised event?"

--if you want to get out of something: "After lengthy consideration, I regret that I must withdraw/decline from XXX. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to XXX and am sorry that I will not be able to contribute to XXX. My apologies for not updating you sooner."

-if you want to commit someone to an agreement: "I'll look forward to receiving your XX by Date. If you find that you will need more time to complete XXX, please feel free to let me know so I can adjust the expected due date accordingly."

--if you want something that someone is negligent on: "I noticed that your XX was due last XX. I know these tasks are sometimes difficult to complete. Can I expect your XX next week, Date?" Feel free to use the plural "we" or as much passive voice as you want in this and the two situations above.

--if you have to apologize for a screw up--your own or a colleague's: "Many thanks for your prompt reply. I'm terribly sorry to hear your relationship with XX to this point has been frustrating. My apologies for the inattentions. We'll work towards making things run more smoothly from here on out."

This all sounds lame and forced and fake. It is. But that's besides the point. It's all about the intent and what it accomplishes. Does it stroke egos? Does it make people feel loved and respected? Even if you gag as you write it, say it with a smile. Now of course this doesn't apply to abusive or inappropriate or out of line interlocutors, but in general being nice and attentive gets you farther than anything else.

Resumes and Cover Letters

Earlier this week a friend asked me for suggested resources on converting her CV into a resume. Here's some recommendations I sent her. In the end, for this particular position, she sent a CV/resume hybrid.

For PhD-specific advice, you should definitely use these websites and books:

University of Illinois's Graduate College has some pretty amazing Career Resources. Check out their resume and cover letter pages. Their file of "action words" is helpful when writing a resume, as are the example resumes and example cover letters they provide as models.

The Chronicle has concrete advice for PhDers.

Leaving Academia provides good (though sometimes hard to take) advice for PhDers making resumes.

The Bible, of course, offers good advice for PhDers, although it doesn't provide too many model resumes.

For advice that is not PhD specific but still solid, check out these resources:

Although I find the design of their website off-putting, QuintCareers was an incredible resource for informational interviews. They don't disappoint on resume resources either.

Purdue University has a fabulous collection of advice, examples, and worksheets. As you click through their resources, make sure you go to the bottom of the page where in the bottom banner there is a button called "Full Resource For Printing." This triggers another screen which has the unabridged version of the topic you are looking at. For example, if you navigate to "Cover Letters 1: Quick Tips", the full resource for printing will bounce you to this page.

Resume Magic is a mammoth book. Really, with index, it's 585 pages of help. It provides lots of example resumes, gives strategies for selling our accomplishments, instructs us on how to edit our resumes. It even tells readers how to use their word processing program to format the resume. This book is pretty exhaustive (and exhausting!).

Additional advice that I have heard in the last six months:

-We have to write a new resume and cover letter for every application. Period.

-Interviewers want specifics. Consider using the STAR method in a cover letter.

-Use the language of the job ad. This is where our grad school training puts us at a disadvantage. It is not plagiarism or laziness to essentially cut and paste the job ad. Being clever with the thesaurus gets us no bonus points here. If they want a liaison who can develop, review and analyze data, our resume/cover letter should definitely include "worked as liaison for..." "developed reviewed, analyzed XYZ data."

-Focus less on academic/theoretical training we've received, and focus on the skills acquired in doing various grad school requirements. Who cares what my dissertation is about--what is important is that I was able to write a 200 page project on schedule, while multitasking other life responsibilities like teaching, running department programs, working a hourly job, etc.

-Service to department, university or community is important. Run a radio show? You can spin that as "communication skills," "public engagement," "responsibilities," "self-supervision," etc. Brought in a speaker?--that's totally "collaborated grant writing," "fund raising," "cooperation and supervision of multiple units on campus."

These are all just preliminary suggestions. If you go to any major bookstore, there will be tons of books touting their services. These are just some sites and books I have found helpful. If you have other resources, let me know and I'll add them to the list!