Saturday, May 31, 2008

"How to Be Useful"

New from Houghton Mifflin: How to Be Useful: A Beginner's Guide to Not Hating Work by Megan Hustad.

About the book, from the publisher:
There's a lot of career advice out there. Much of it dumb. But what if someone read all the advice books -- over a hundred years' worth -- and put all the good ideas in one place? Could you finally escape the cube? Stop mailing things? Be happier?

In How to Be Useful, Megan Hustad dismantles the myths of getting ahead and helps you navigate the murky waters of office life. Humorous yet wise, irreverent yet marvelously practical, this book will help you learn

Why "just being yourself" is a terrible idea.

How to be smart, but not too smart.

Why you shouldn't be "nice."

When not to be good at your job.

How to screw up with grace and dignity.

Why shoes matter.

The right and wrong ways to talk trash about yourself.

That ambition, practiced wisely, is a noble thing.

Visit Megan Hustad's website.

Linda L. Richards of January Magazine calls How to Be Useful "pretty terrific: a good idea well-executed."