Book Review: Girl On Top

Title: Girl On Top

Author: Nicole Williams

ISBN: 1599951924

Pages: 224

Release Date: October 12, 2009

Publisher: Center Street

Genre: Business/Advice

Source: Publicist

Rating: 3 out of 5 Bookworms

From the publisher's website:

Nicole Williams is the tell-it-like-it-is career expert who you wish could fight your work battles for you. But with her ingenious approach-taking the tactics used to land a man and applying them to your career-you'll be able to handle any work situation and come out on top. Here, Nicole introduces twenty tried-and-true dating rules such as "Don't Give Away the Milk for Free" and "Don't Waste the Pretty" and reveals how they can be applied just as effectively in the office. Other strategies include:

· Keep It Brief

· Don't Bash Your Ex

· Have Others Sing Your Praises

· Play Hard to Get

· Keep the Fire Alive

· Be Willing to Walk Away

Among other topics, Nicole dishes on how much to reveal at work as well as what to put up with from your boss (and, more importantly, what not to). She tackles everything from having the money talk to leaving them wanting more on a job interview. And sprinkled throughout Girl on Top is fashion advice ("Top Ten Commandments of Style") and checklists to determine if you need to get a life.

Nicole's keen insight and candid advice will teach you how to recognize the good guys from the bad, win the kudos of those who matter, and create the career of your dreams.

Review:

Girl on Top is a dating-rules-turned-career-advice book aimed at informing young women how to seek and build a successful career. The author, Nicole Williams, is very blunt, moderately funny and sometimes a bit crass.  I am a fan of blunt and funny but I did not necessarily enjoy the crass comments, although they did not necessarily detract from the message she was trying to convey.  

 

Ms. Williams did a pretty good job of turning classic dating "rules" into key points on how to make it in the big bad world of business.  However, there were times that I felt some of the dating "rules" did not really apply in a woman's career. There were also some controversial bits of advice, such as using how you look to get ahead.  Ms. Williams fully acknowledges that some of her advice is controversial but also has valid reasons for bringing those topics into the discussion and it added a bit of perspective as to how women and men in the workplace view (and judge) you. In general, Girl on Top is a quick read that skims the surface of several important issues that young women should know before entering the workforce.

Overall, I think the book was okay. Girl on Top is a book that young women about to enter or just entering the workforce might find informative and useful. It certainly raises issues that I did not think of when I started out in my career and it would have been helpful to have had this book at the time.