Penelope Trunk’s Career Advice
I recommend Guy Kawasaki’s post on career guidance from Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success. The post, a 10-question interview of Trunk, is a short, insightful read. I’ve ordered the book from Half.com and will let you know what I think once I read it.
You’ll have to read the interview answers in the post to understand fully these comments I have on them:
Answer #1 ($40K is enough for happiness) . . . Even in Silicon Valley???
Answer #4 (promotions are passe) . . . My sense without having read it yet is that Trunk’s book is targeted at individuals earlier in their careers. The notion that training, mentoring, life style, etc. may be more important than money certainly is compelling or at least important. But it’s also somewhat evocative of what HR departments try to sell employees instead of actual compensation these days.
Answer #5 (specialization is a better path than generalization) . . . Great answer to a question I’ve asked myself repeatedly over the past several years and one with which I’ve been wrestling recently.
Answer #7 (an MBA is not the answer to not being able to find a job) . . . I’ll reserve judgment until I read the book, but there are other reasons to get an MBA besides not being able to find a job. The wording of the question and subsequent answer here matter.
Answer #8 (stick to one-page resumes) . . . After a brief detour to two-pagers, I’ve reverted to this tried-and-true advice.
