This book is designed to socialize recent college graduates into the business world. It is insightful in explaining the differences between academic and business environments. Its discussion of the difference between the formal and the personal organization is also edifying. Written by someone with experience watching young people attempt to adjust to the working world, it contains many useful tips on etiquette and relationship-building. It is also refreshingly honest. For example, the author makes clear that mentors choose their proteges, in contrast to the oft-cited idea that mentors are there for the choosing. The overall theme of the book is to encourage readers to become aware of their environment--to peel back the assumptions one has about how things should be and see instead how things are, and to question instinctive behavior and replace it with effective behavior. The book is mostly about how to fit in successfully and advance once you have found a job, as opposed to how to find a job, when to leave a job, or how to deal with problems in your job that stem from the organization rather than from you (such as an unreasonable boss, sexual harrassment, merger, etc.). It won't be as useful to those pursuing a career that requires developing an individual agenda as opposed to getting along in an organization, although its encouragement of environmental awareness and tips on developing relationships with others are universally valuable. In the interest of full disclosure, the author of this book is a client of a business I used to work for. When he heard I was going back to school, he gave me a copy. He did not ask me to review it, however--I chose to do so after reading and liking it.
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