- ISBN13: 9781402205989
- Condition: USED – Very Good
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Product Description
Your first job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be . . . You just spent $100,000 on a college degree to make photocopies. And your manager probably isn’t even happy with them. Life at the entry level isn’t about what school you graduated from, or even who you know. It’s actually about paying dues and brownnosing and keeping your foot out of your mouth during meetings. You’re Too Smart For This explains everything your college professors didn’t: Un… More >>
You’re Too Smart for This: Beating the 100 Big Lies About Your First Job
#1 by Rolf Dobelli on August 30th, 2010
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Michael Ball’s book is a brutally candid manual for the new college graduate starting out in the corporate world. Written in a witty, often bawdy style, it parses out specific advice and general wisdom, distinguishing between the expectations the new employee may hold and the realities of entry-level work. Ball’s straight talk is dressed up with pertinent quotes from a broad range of sources, including philosophers and novelists, management books, business case studies and popular culture. Some of his advice is common sense, like admonitions against romancing your co-workers or being too vocal in meetings. Some of it exposes nuances of the corporate environment, including office politics and how organizations form and operate. We recommend this book to the novice job holder, who will benefit from being forewarned. We also recommend it to human resources executives, managers who deal with recent college graduates and senior managers who want insights about what is going on at the ground level. The book’s structural gimmick – its refutation of so-called “lies” about the corporate world – can seem like shtick. Although the lies are entertaining, the book actually communicates a number of useful truths. Those who learned life’s lessons the hard way will find confirmation in Ball’s maxims; they may be the first to suggest that those who are starting their careers should start reading this first.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by Christina Amato on August 30th, 2010
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The big difference between You’re Too Smart for This and other first-job books–believe me, I’ve read them ALL–is how TRUE and FUNNY this one is! Instead of being so serious and preachy, Michael Ball communicates the big work and life lessons with humor and wit. And not that “oh yeah, ha-ha” kind of humor; I mean, you really laugh out loud with this stuff! (Although some of it is kind of edgy, so be aware if you’re easily offended…).
Plus the book is broken up into nice, bite-sized sections. In fact, I don’t think that any “lie” is more than 4 or 5 pages long. This makes the book very “flippable”–you can get in and out fast, and come back to it whenever you want.
On top of all this, it’s unflinchingly honest: no punches pulled. It’s the straight dope, whether you want to hear it or not. The author doesn’t apologize to the reader, or try to make you feel like you’re above the gruntwork. Instead, he tells you how to deal with it and move on to the bigger stuff ASAP.
I can’t recommend this book enough. You’ll be informed, entertained, and infinitely better prepared for your career!
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Jason Thomas Gordon on August 30th, 2010
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This is probably the only book on the market that actually tells you what’s what in Corporate America from a new worker’s standpoint. Michael Ball covers everything from bosses to office politics to getting promoted to building a personal brand. And all the quotes and little sidebars are freakin’ hilarious! If you’re a new grad, you’ve got to get this one!
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Bobosan on August 30th, 2010
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I think that the author does a good job pinpointing most if not all of the relevant issues. And, the advice is vague but generally helpful and gets you thinking. It is a quick and leasurely read. If you are looking for specific soultions, this is not the righ book for you.
The biggest issue with this book is the writing style. The author overdoes (by a lot) in trying to make the book funny. Humor is great, and is very much needed in this subject matter, but here the humor overshadows the substance – it is everywhere (in the body of the text and in the side-boxes) and it comprises most of the text (I’d say 60%+). Entire paragraphs are spend making inept jokes, some so bad that you will have to re-read them to figure out that it’s not that you didn’t get it, but there is nothing there to get.
So, to the author – a little more substance may help you out in the future. Jokes are great but only when they are funny. And with a bad joke on every other line the book becomes tedious quickly.
Rating: 3 / 5
#5 by Lori A. Kozlowski on August 30th, 2010
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Some books beat around the bush, merely hinting at what they really want to say. Michael Ball just comes out and says what you need to hear. “You’re Too Smart For This” is an excellent guide for college seniors/soon-to-be graduates who are wondering what to expect in the “real world.” The workforce is much different than college, and anyone getting ready to plunge into their first job would be well-served to read this practical and humorous advice. The book is even chopped up into easy-to-read sections, so you will never feel overwhelmed. I wish I had this book back when I was 21 and getting ready to leave the Ivory Towers.
Rating: 5 / 5