this book is written for college graduates who are on the corporate executive track. Within this context, Fisher's book covers a wide variety of topics, as the titles of the various chapters indicate. Fisher frequently cites the readers of her column by reproducing, as sidebars, the questions that they have posed and her responses. Her advice is honest, balanced, and diplomatic throughout, particularly in the section on online job hunting and in the chapter on how to cope with difficult bosses and co-workers. Many readers will appreciate her advice on cubicle etiquette ("Pretend you overhear nothing, ever, in a cubicle or anywhere else"). Fisher's references to dotcoms and the ongoing labor shortage make the book current but may also date it rather quickly; however, the extensive appendix, which lists the print resources to which she refers and annotates the electronic ones, is valuable in and of itself.

A Very Short (Honest!) Introduction

1. So You've Graduated from College. Now All You Need Is... More Advice?

 Congratulations! You're a Scarce Resource

 Two Great Debates: Big versus Small, and Love versus Money

 "Love what you do. Success requires passion."

 Just What Are Employers Looking for, Anyway?

 Do Manners Matter?

 A Few Words About Job Hunting On-line

2. Moving Up. How to Travel Vertically in a Horizontal World

 Take a Good Look at Yourself.. The Art of Self-evaluation

 The Skills Dilemma:Jack of All Trades or Master of One?

 The Skills That Really Matter: What's Your E.Q..?

 Do You Deserve a Raise?

 Networking for Fun and Profit

 The Grass Is Always Greener: Knowing When It's Time to Move On

3. Difficult Bosses, Toxic Coworkers, and Other Irritants

 "Help! I Think My Boss May Be Losing His Mind"

 Bosses Are People, Too (Which Is Why They Act So Strange)

 "If Your Hair Isn't on Fire, Go Away"

 Must office Politics Be Poisonous?

 There Is (Alas) No "7" in "Teamwork"

 Who's the Difficult Colleague in Your Office?(Any Chance It Might Be You?)

4. Nobody Ever Told You It Was Going to Be This Complicated

 The Great American Stress-Out (or, Are You Sure You Have Time to Read This?)

 "I've Been Laid Off/Now What?"

 Okay, So You Failed but You're Not a Failure

 Pardon Me, but Is That a Skeleton in Your Closet?

5. Now That You're the Boss...

 "Tm Really Not Even Sure I Want This Job..." ."

 "I've Got to Turn This DepartmentAround--butMy Subordinates Won't Budge"

 "How Can I Hire the Best (and Avoid the Rest)?"

 "Help! My Best People Keep Ouitting/ How Can I Block the Exits?"

 Do We Really Need to Bring the Lawyers in Here?"

Acknowledgments

Appendix

Index