Calhoun-Senghor presents a comprehensive guide to joining a new workplace and happily staying there.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The author draws on his 40 years of experience in legal and government work, including a stint in the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Clinton administration, in order to distill the basics of finding a job, as well as starting it, liking it, and keeping it. These basics are organized around 24 \u201cCalhoun-Senghor Rules,\u201d such as \u201cNever Criticize a Colleague or Co-Worker,\u201d \u201cSometimes People Just Won\u2019t Like You (Or You Won\u2019t Like Them),\u201d and \u201cAll Big Problems Start Small.\u201d These chapters, playfully illustrated by Liv Senghor, begin with observations about organizations in general, then move on to explanations of the various rules, including the all-important \u201cNever Send Anything When You Are Angry or Upset\u201d: \u201cIf after sleeping on it, you still believe the email should be sent,\u201d he writes, \u201creview it again, drain it of all emotions, and stick to the facts without commentary or embellishment.\u201d Many of these dicta are fleshed out with fictional examples. The book then moves on to other generalities, including the seemingly counterintuitive \u201cHow To Get Fired,\u201d which features a tone of dogged optimism that runs through the whole book: \u201cGetting knocked down by life is not a bad thing, as long as you learn from it and keep getting back up.\u201d The book also has some helpful extras, such as a sample cover letter that one might use as a model when applying for a position.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Calhoun-Senghor proves to be an invaluable mentor in these pages. His prose style is clear and personable, with an understated sense of humor and an unfailingly optimistic view of how his readers might improve their situations. This is an essential study of the dynamics of workplaces (including the author\u2019s segment on entering government work), but it\u2019s also a low-key guide to self-improvement. For example, Calhoun-Senghor urges unskilled public speakers to work harder at it; he reminds timid jobseekers that one person can change the dynamic of an entire conversation; and above all, he stresses honest self-evaluation: \u201cDon\u2019t believe your own press releases,\u201d he writes. \u201cLive in a reality-based world.\u201d He also goes through many basics that newcomers to the workforce might not have considered, and always with a refreshing clarity: Never gossip, be generous with praise, try to plan for the unexpected, and perform one\u2019s duties in a way that will impress a supervisor. \u201cThe key to success is to make your immediate boss absolutely thrilled with your performance,\u201d he writes. \u201cIf you are good, your boss will typically sing your praises, or word will get out anyway.\u201d His tips about negotiating techniques and entering government service clearly come from hard-won professional experience, and they include choice reflections from his time in the West Wing. As Calhoun-Senghor points out, the principles he\u2019s outlining are millennia old, but this is a good thing\u2014time has proven that mastering them can lead to success.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An energetic and immensely helpful overview of working life and its challenges.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Calhoun-Senghor presents a comprehensive guide to joining a new workplace and happily staying there.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The author draws on his 40 years of experience in legal and government work, including a stint in the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Clinton administration, in order to distill the basics of finding a job, as well as starting it,… Read More »Kirkus Reviews<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[18],"class_list":["post-312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-professional-publications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/johnandcourtneypublishing.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}