The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use

by Karen Burns

Overview

A useful and fun book for any woman who has ever wanted, needed, lost, quit, hated, or loved a job. "Working Girl" (a.k.a. Karen Burns) has held a total of 59 jobs (so far), including housekeeper, cigarette girl, paper "boy", model, ditch-digger, bank teller, editor, brochure writer, artist, and corporate drone. She made mistakes along the way, but extracted one important lesson from each job she has held. Working Girl now shares her hard-earned wisdom for the modern working woman with this series of 59 humorous yet practical vignettes, including guidance on:

Risk-taking and why it's good
How to build self-confidence
Tips for managing your boss
When you're not appreciated
Causes and cures for burnout
Balancing baby and boss
When it's time to say adieuand 52 more!

Whimsically illustrated with Working Girl cartoons, this is a fun, accessible advice book that deals with the real issues that are on the minds of working women (and not just those who are striving for the corner office!). No matter where a girl finds herself on the job ladder (from the bottom to the top), she'll find that The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl will give her both perspective and a plan for success.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786745425
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	03/31/2009
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Karen Burns has held fifty-nine jobs over forty years in twenty-two cities and four countries, including being a writer, editor, illustrator, and marketer. She has adopted the persona of "Working Girl" -- a sassier, bossier version of herself -- to impart work wisdom on her popular blog www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com while also running her own greeting card company that features her art (www.anotherworkinggirl.com). She has legions of fans for both of these venues, and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Editorial Reviews

In a disclaimer, Burns makes it clear she is "not an expert in the field of work. Or in any other field." Her credentials are nonetheless impressive: 40 years of dedicated work in 59 different jobs across America and Europe (listed in a handy appendix, from Minnesota paperboy to Versailles "disciplinarian" to Kirkland, Washington artist). With a seemingly endless supply of experiences, Burns unveils a flurry of short pieces, each designed to illuminate a single point in the galaxy of employment options, obstacles, aggravations and accidents. Divided into three sections-"Clueless," "Confident" and "Carefree"-Burns looks at standard issues like interviewing and resume writing ("Bad news: You can write the perfect resume, but you can't make 'em read it. More bad news: You have to write the perfect resume anyway"), but also the health hazards of gainful employment, three easy steps for dealing with mistakes, juggling multiple jobs, and operating outside of your element. Burns is encouraging and funny, but also a hard-nosed pragmatist who isn't about to do the work for you-but neither is she going to waste your time with pages condescending instruction. Instead, her snappy chapters provide perspective and action points for a cascade of work conditions, indexed helpfully in multiple appendices.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly

Burns's claim to fame is that she's worked at 59 jobs in her lifetime; here, she shares her wisdom in 59 corresponding chapters, each containing an anecdote about one of the jobs and suggestions to younger women for getting ahead. Within her tales of working as a burger girl, store clerk, and hostess, she presents helpful advice on preparing a rA©sumA©, treating people well at work, and persisting toward one's goals. There's solid advice here if career self-helpers can get by the flip and often silly style.

—Deborah Bigelow

Library Journal

Publishers Weekly Online
"Burns is encouraging and funny, but also a hard-nosed pragmatist who isn’t about to do the work for you."

The Seattle Times
“Working girls (and boys) will likely find something to relate to in Burns' part memoir, part self-help tome for career professionals…”

The Bookmonger
“The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl is a book that promotes spunk, common sense, courtesy, curiosity, and ethical behavior.”

Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist
“A funny, smart book that gives you permission to make mistakes and start over again.

From the Publisher