The Brazen Careerist
Good management: Take every chance to tout successesI got a book deal. I got a big advance for it– big enough to buy a nice house and big enough to stop fights with my husband about money.Yet for all my recent success, someone recently asked me...read more Dec 22nd, 2011
The waiting game: Don't waste the time-- fill it up!In general, I’m not a big fan of waiting. But I have found that the art of waiting is to do it actively. The more action you can take, the more you feel like you're in control of your life....for a...read more Dec 8th, 2011
Dolt rules: Learn these lessons from 'career idiots'I rarely interview anyone for this column. Most of my sources are family and friends. But lately I’ve had to interview strangers. I usually don’t like to trash people I interview, but I’m at my...read more Dec 8th, 2011
Suffer stupidity: Even dummies can prove usefulOne of the most common gripes I hear from corporate complainers is that they’re surrounded by people who see the world incorrectly. Sometimes it’s the accountant who works for a CEO who doesn’t...read more Dec 1st, 2011
Get creative: Use bad times to spark geniusI’ve found that bad situations get creative juices flowing. And I’ve come to appreciate the bad times; they give us unique opportunities to find our best ideas. Here are some situations to keep an...read more Nov 24th, 2011
Say no: Work fewer hours yet get more doneIt’s possible to work fewer hours without hurting your career, but you need to get serious about changing how you approach your work. First, don't blame your long hours on your boss, your CEO, or...read more Nov 17th, 2011
Straighten up: A messy desk tells your whole storyHere's a way to kill your career: Have a messy office. These are things that people with messy offices say: My work gets done; I know where everything is; people are too concerned about appearances....read more Nov 10th, 2011
Internships: Start your summer search nowStudents who want a job or internship in June need to start looking in the winter. Those who wait until spring to search set themselves up to be bottom feeders in the job market. The hardest part of...read more Nov 3rd, 2011
Go to bed: Enough sleep is crucial for successEven though you know you need eight hours of sleep a night, you probably sleep much less than that. Me, too. After a recent all-nighter baking for my son’s birthday party, I told myself I would never...read more Oct 27th, 2011
Management 101: Handle your conflict, your staff, your lifeAll managers have one shared goal: get a promotion. But many times, a manager's job is so multifaceted and detail-laden that the manager loses sight of that big picture. Here are five jobs of a...read more Oct 20th, 2011
Blame yourself: First look inside for source of troubleEven though I rarely report about the letters I receive from readers, I do receive many. Almost all are thoughtful and intelligent, and the mail influences what I write about. Many times I answer...read more Oct 13th, 2011
Not Jewish? Spend a day in reflection anywayThe Jewish highlight of my life was probably Hebrew school, when I honed my ditching skills at the ice-cream store down the street from the synagogue. The reward for my Jewish education was my bat...read more Oct 6th, 2011
Quit, write, clean up: Penelope answers readers' questionsIt's the Penelope Trunk Q&A column. I like to think my columns answer the questions that people don't ask but should. But today I'll answer the questions that people actually do ask. Most popular...read more Sep 29th, 2011
Barnyard basics: Life lessons from a chicken farmOne summer, when I found myself with no job and no plan, I panicked and took a job on a chicken farm in the French countryside. I told myself the job would look good on my resume– showing I’m...read more Sep 22nd, 2011
Uncovered: Negotiate insurance as part of salaryWe knew a year in advance when my husband's job would end. So he conducted a typical job hunt for a while, but his searching went into overdrive when we found out that our insurance payments (COBRA)...read more Sep 15th, 2011
A lot or a little: It's all the same when you're stallingThere are two ways to not get something done: doing a lot and doing nothing. The trick to getting your list of tasks done is to understand your method of not doing them.Everyone I know has something...read more Sep 8th, 2011
Read the writing: Penmanship can reveal deep truthsHandwriting analysis is no longer for freaks and psychics. Multinational companies hire handwriting analysts to understand personality traits of prospective job candidates. Character traits that...read more Sep 1st, 2011
Less is more: Keep writing short and simpleAlmost one-third of workers do not meet the writing requirements of their positions, according to a survey by the College Board's National Commission on Writing.Before any of you get smug with your...read more Aug 25th, 2011
Line up: Gals, skip those support staff spotsIt's time for a new approach to squelching the gender wage gap and getting more women into senior management.For one thing, today's wage gap doesn't begin until women are in the middle of their...read more Aug 18th, 2011
Networking: Do it even if you hate itI met a not-friend at a restaurant. I was networking, because this is what you must do to further your career. Even if you hate it, you have to do it.We discussed segmented marketing. For example, we...read more Aug 11th, 2011