Penelope Trunk

Archives

Answering the question ‘What do you do?’

Posted to: Finding a career
November 30th, 2006
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When someone asks me, “What does your husband do?”
I say, “I don’t know.”
This is not an answer our society is set up to deal with. It is not okay to have no idea what you want to do, let alone be married to someone with no idea. We have two kids, and I’ve noticed that …

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Take the risk of specializing in order to stand out

November 29th, 2006
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Linda Chernoff is decked out in a black, floor-length gown and heels that kill her at the end of an evening. She has the conversational skills of a socialite and team building talents of a top executive. Her r

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The nuts and bolts of being nice

Posted to: Self-management
November 27th, 2006
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I write a lot about how you have to be liked to get what you want, and how people think they’re more likeable than they are. So I’m always on the lookout for what it really means to be nice, and lately I have been noticing people who are getting to the top of their …

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Get good mentors by building relationships

Posted to: Mentoring
November 26th, 2006
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If you want to succeed in business you need a mentor. Getting one though, requires patience, a clear focus and the self-confidence to be a nudge.
The multigenerational workplace seems like it would be fertile ground for mentoring. “Generation Y grew up in an environment where parents, teachers and counselors were all about building the self-esteem …

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Thanksgiving is good for your career

Posted to: Self-management
November 22nd, 2006
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Thanksgiving is a good time for your career, because practicing gratitude is good for your career.
For one thing, if you write a list of what you’re grateful for each day you are more likely to meet your most important personal goals, according to Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at University of California at Davis.
Susan Quandt …

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Thinking of video blogging? You should probably forget it

Posted to: How to blog
November 21st, 2006
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When it comes to video blogging, most people do not have enough talent to be in front of a camera, or enough to say that would not be better as text. But there are some exceptions: In some cases, video can help make a point that you could never make with just text, and in …

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Making the best of a micromanager

Posted to: Managing Up
November 20th, 2006
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Here’s an idea: Stop complaining about micromanagers since you can’t change them, and start using them to your benefit. One of the most important workplace strategies is managing up. And one of the easiest types of boss to do this with is a micromanager.
Usually, when I tell people how to manage up, I tell people …

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Game plan for peaceful coexistence of kids and career

Posted to: Finding a career | Parenting
November 17th, 2006
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When Carin Rosenberg and Erik Lawrence got married, they had already done a lot of planning. They had a plan for a baby (lots of hands-on parenting) and careers (no out-of-control hours), and while each were earning advanced degrees, they had no plans for high-powered jobs.
For Generation X, super careers are out and shared …

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Why were there no blog posts this week?

Posted to: How to blog | Self-management
November 16th, 2006
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The trick in business is to be consistent and reliable so that people trust you to deliver quality work all the time. But no one can do this all the time. Everyone hides sometimes.
I am pretty good at hiding. My specialty is doing work very fast, mostly because I am so willing to skip over …

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How to decide where to live

Posted to: Diversity | Knowing yourself
November 12th, 2006
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Take the question of where to live seriously. Don’t let inertia push you toward a big-name city, the place you grew up, or your old college haunts. Make a conscious decision to live somewhere that will improve your quality of life by really understanding what your core needs and interests are–and will be.
City leaders understand …

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The easiest instructions for how to start a blog

Posted to: How to blog
November 10th, 2006
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There is a lot of information out there about how to start a blog — but don’t click that link. The following instructions are a lot easier and you’ll get the same result:
1. Ignore buzzwords.
RSS, SEO, AdSense, Technorati, Digg. If you have a buzz word buzzing in your head and you’re not sure if it …

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How to turn an interview into a job

Posted to: Interviewing
November 8th, 2006
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Hiring managers don’t hire the most qualified person. They hire the person they want to work with the most. Whether this is fair is not up for discussion, because the philosophical and de facto practices of corporate hiring aren’t going to change any time soon. However, we can discuss how to get hired when being …

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Hey, take time to vote!

Posted to: Self-management
November 7th, 2006
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It’s good for your career.

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How to save the world while sitting at your desk

Posted to: Entrepreneurship
November 7th, 2006
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(A couple of weeks ago I posted a piece that did not fit in my upcoming book. That post was so well received that I decided to post another that didn’t make it into the book.)
We all want to save lives. The thing is that people get paid to save stock prices. We do not …

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Start looking for summer internships now

November 6th, 2006
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Good internships are treasure troves no matter how old you are. They give you the opportunity to make a new start –figure out where you fit, switch your career path, or just find someone who cares enough to help you make good decisions.
That said, the big internship business comes from college students. Eighty-two percent of …

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Xbox is the new golf

Posted to: Networking | Women
November 5th, 2006
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Men love it, women think it’s a time sink, and business deals are made over a couple of rounds.

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7 ways to manage up

Posted to: Managing Up
November 3rd, 2006
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Managing up is the best tactic for getting more interesting work, more responsibility, and more sane work hours, because your boss is the one who can give you this stuff.
Some people think managing up is brown nosing, but in fact, a lot of it is about humanizing the workplace. Managing up is about you caring …

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Don’t report sexual harassment (in most cases)

Posted to: Diversity | Office Politics | Women
November 2nd, 2006
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Sexual harassment in American work life is pervasive — as much as 80 percent in some sectors. But most women don’t stand a chance of winning a lawsuit. So having a plan to deal with the problem is a good idea for all women.
When it comes to harassment, Georgia Gatsiou, chef at Beard Papa, says: …

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Knowing when to make your move

November 1st, 2006
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Just because you’re adamant about making sure you have a personal life doesn't mean you can't be top in your field. Top is different today than it was even ten years ago. Top doesn't mean climbing a ladder to make the most money. Top means having influence in discussions that matter to you, and having …

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