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Ever wondered what "business casual" really means? Do you know when it's ok to pull out all the stops in shameless self-promotion?

What's the best way to fend off the infamous Cubicle Invader or keep a conversation afloat that is sinking faster than Rosie O'Donnell's career?

If these and other pressing business world questions have been weighing heavily on your mind (or you're at least curious to know the battle plan to use against the previously mentioned Cubicle Invader) then Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace Without Hanging Yourself is the book for you.

Written by Elizabeth Freedman, M.B.A, Work 101 bills itself as the book that will give you "everything you need to know about corporate survival," and honestly, that's not very far off base.

The book is extremely thorough and covers a very wide variety of business topics, and it does so from a quirky, but detailed, perspective.

The book includes sections on etiquette at work, including introducing yourself (which involves a lot more than 'my name is so and so'), surviving and thriving in workplace meetings, and a well titled and very in-depth chapter on the business standards of eating called "Your Fork Is Not Shovel, Your Knife Is Not A Saw."

Work 101 also features sections on the best ways to network, maintain relationships and communicate, and one on the art of getting that often sought but less often received promotion.

Freedman does a good job of maintaining a fun but serious attitude throughout the book. You get the sense that she is trying to get the points across in an entertaining manner, but at the same time, she's letting you know that some of these are very serious situations that could make or break your career.

She succeeds in both areas, as a matter of fact. Her section on what attire is appropriate and not appropriate is hilarious, especially when she is admonishing the reader to, "for the love of God," avoid certain articles of clothing because of thesituationsthat said articles can cause.

Obviously, the book isn't going to give you the 'be all, end all' answers to every situation in a working environment; companies are never cut and dried in their standards, and may be more lax on some things and totally focused in on others, but overall, Work 101 is an excellent resource for anyone who is currently or plans to soon be out and about in the business world.

Work 101
Elizabeth Freedman, M.B.A.
Paperback: 288 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385340753
ISBN-13: 978-0385340755

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