HOW TO GET A JOB AND KEEP A JOB

Calhoun-Senghor presents a comprehensive guide to joining a new workplace and happily staying there.

The author draws on his 40 years of experience in legal and government work, including a stint in the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Clinton administration, in order to distill the basics of finding a job, as well as starting it, liking it, and keeping it. These basics are organized around 24 “Calhoun-Senghor Rules,” such as “Never Criticize a Colleague or Co-Worker,” “Sometimes People Just Won’t Like You (Or You Won’t Like Them),” and “All Big Problems Start Small.” These chapters, playfully illustrated by Liv Senghor, begin with observations about organizations in general, then move on to explanations of the various rules, including the all-important “Never Send Anything When You Are Angry or Upset”: “If after sleeping on it, you still believe the email should be sent,” he writes, “review it again, drain it of all emotions, and stick to the facts without commentary or embellishment.” Many of these dicta are fleshed out with fictional examples. The book then moves on to other generalities, including the seemingly counterintuitive “How To Get Fired,” which features a tone of dogged optimism that runs through the whole book: “Getting knocked down by life is not a bad thing, as long as you learn from it and keep getting back up.” The book also has some helpful extras, such as a sample cover letter that one might use as a model when applying for a position.

Calhoun-Senghor proves to be an invaluable mentor in these pages. His prose style is clear and personable, with an understated sense of humor and an unfailingly optimistic view of how his readers might improve their situations. This is an essential study of the dynamics of workplaces (including the author’s segment on entering government work), but it’s also a low-key guide to self-improvement. For example, Calhoun-Senghor urges unskilled public speakers to work harder at it; he reminds timid jobseekers that one person can change the dynamic of an entire conversation; and above all, he stresses honest self-evaluation: “Don’t believe your own press releases,” he writes. “Live in a reality-based world.” He also goes through many basics that newcomers to the workforce might not have considered, and always with a refreshing clarity: Never gossip, be generous with praise, try to plan for the unexpected, and perform one’s duties in a way that will impress a supervisor. “The key to success is to make your immediate boss absolutely thrilled with your performance,” he writes. “If you are good, your boss will typically sing your praises, or word will get out anyway.” His tips about negotiating techniques and entering government service clearly come from hard-won professional experience, and they include choice reflections from his time in the West Wing. As Calhoun-Senghor points out, the principles he’s outlining are millennia old, but this is a good thing—time has proven that mastering them can lead to success.

An energetic and immensely helpful overview of working life and its challenges.