All the Working Ladies: Career and Lifestyle Advice in 'The Go-Getter Girl's Guide'
ATTENTION, PLEASE, career-oriented ladies in your 20s and 30s. Author Debra Shigley has an advice book on shelves that will not only tell you how to advance yourself professionally, but will also keep you chic and well-groomed while you're doing it. In "The Go-Getter Girl's Guide" ($16.99, St. Martin's Press), the former lawyer lays out the must-knows of everything from office etiquette and resume building, to healthy eating and basic makeup application.
Why? Because throughout her own life, Shigley admits, she could've used a guide. "I started noticing a string of commonalities among successful women," said the 30-year-old, "and I wished I had information like this when I was younger." Shigley recently chatted with Express about the fundamentals of a go-getter girl's life.
» EXPRESS: When were you first inspired to write this book?
» SHIGLEY: The seeds of it were planted when I was about 20. You go to a good school and they teach you lots of things, but not how to get and grow in the job you want. I looked for a mentor and contacted Soledad O'Brien. She responded, much to my surprise! What that made me realize was if you talk to people, they will give you advice — and that is a huge part of my book. There is knowledge out there, and you can stumble upon it, or you can just ask people.
» EXPRESS: The book has a ton of beauty tips. What would you tell women are the most important things in terms of maintaining their look?
» SHIGLEY: I truly believe in having a non-negotiable regimen that makes you look and feel your best. Something you can do every week. For many women, it might be as simple as getting your eyebrows done. Also, working out — I know we're all busy, but it has great benefits for your spirit, and it helps you not have to buy a lot of new clothes all the time! I've talked to so many women who really relate the sort of discipline it takes to keep a workout regimen to other areas of their lives.
» EXPRESS: Could you pick one or two things that you can do to excel in your job?
» SHIGLEY: People often underestimate the importance of having allies in the workplace. This is quite interesting to me — having book smarts does not necessarily relate to navigating relationships. Everyone makes mistakes — you're not going to be perfect in your career. So, I think having allies is important to not only ride those waves and get to the next destination, but also [to] kind of have support when we make mistakes at work. People that are on the fast track to success are there because they've forged relationships.
» EXPRESS: And one or two things that are essential when getting a new job?
» SHIGLEY: Especially in this climate, I think the most important thing is to make sure your resume lands in the hands of an actual person. We're accustomed to virtually submitting something, but people who get jobs usually find a way to make a connection or have informational interviews or meet someone.
Photo courtesy Kevin Shigley
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Addison Road
Soledad O’Brien is such a phony. In April 2008, Reverend Jeremiah Wright gave a speech in Detroit to the NAACP. One of the things that he said in this speech was that black and white children learn with different parts of their brain, and then gave an "unflattering imitation of the way white pastors speak." Peoples comments were that he gave a racial speech. Soledad O'Brien, on CNN, was quoted as saying, in a gushing manner, that the speech was a "home run" and "really funny." When questioned about the things he said in the speech, she would say things like, what he really meant was .....or what he wanted to say was... Once again she's covering the truth and being racist. Just as with the Henry Gates incident. In an appearance on Anderson Cooper, the night or so before CNN's "The Moment of Truth" she appeared enraged that it was a racial profile against Gates. She said that she got calls from her FRIENDS saying it was all about Gates being black. She went on that show with the purpose, at all costs, to destroy the credibility of the white police officer and throw him under the bus. When Cooper was talking she wanted to make the point that Gates said "Thank You" to the police officers. By mentioning that, she was purposely misrepresenting the truth by playing down Gates' belligerence and racial remarks, which she didn't even mention. Even Gates' attorney and friend, said to the media that he used very strong language. Colon Powell and President Obama both said he should take blame in the incident. I have seen this in many occasions with her, where she doesn't speak the truth and hides the true facts. Another time on Anderson Cooper, Cooper said to O'Brien that Senator John McCain hasn't brought race into the campaign, like he said he wouldn't. You would think her response would have been something like, that's great because he shouldn't. Instead she strongly insinuated that he would, even in the last week of the campaign. Also, her questioning style, in interviews is completely different with a white person than it is with a black person. Like in her interview with Henry Gates in "The Moment of Truth" She just went along with his lies. I have seen several comments on various websites about her racism. There are many other examples I could give of her racial bias, dishonesty and hypocrisy. She seems to consider herself to be black. She mentioned in an interview that her parents made it clear to her “you’re black” and that’s all there is to it.
By John , Posted October 5, 2009 7:42 PMShe’s all about being #1, she wants the world to revolve around her. She comes first, before her family. She wants to be a celebrity figure and a star. In interviews she says she works 6 days a week, mostly out of town, and on some holidays. She goes to gala events, concerts, lots of entertainment events, as a single woman, leaving her husband and kids behind.
I think Soledad O’Brien is a very poor journalist. What ever happened to the days of CNN with Bernard Shaw and Judy Woodruff? They were honorable journalists. You could believe what they said.