Work It

September 4, 2017
Kerpen, host of the podcast All the Social Ladies, gives practical advice for women who want to pursue their dream careers. The book is divided into three parts, devoted to career planning, life decisions, and common fears. In each one, readers receive advice not only from Kerpen but also from 50 powerful women interviewed for the book, including realtor Barbara Corcoran; controversial ad exec Julie Roehm, who was fired from her position at Walmart for allegations of misconduct; and Reshma Saujani, who founded the Girls Who Code nonprofit. These women provide businesspeople with advice such as how to raise funds when starting a business, how important it is to follow your passions and gut instincts, and how to learn from failure. Exercise sheets are also provided in several chapters to allow readers to see how well they measure up to the interviewees’ recommendations. While few of the tips here are particularly novel, the touching stories of professional women will resonate with those currently struggling to achieve their goals in the business world and will encourage them to keep going.

December 1, 2017
Social media agency owner and host of the podcast, All the Social Ladies, Kerpen argues that women seek career advice (and success) differently and proceeds to prove her thesis via an amalgamation of great tips from powerful women, personal stories, a few case histories, and five or so exercises for readers to complete. The tips and anecdotes, quite frankly, overshadow the rest of the book. Like the time Kerpen approached Meredith Vieira on a plane and when she took a cross-country, round-trip flight in one day to meet Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg for a meeting that was postponed. Kerpen also includes her take on often-heard wisdom, such as act like every single person could be your hiring manager, and her perspective on fast failures, taken in part from a conversation with Julie Roehm about her nine-month Walmart tenure. The book's last section is devoted to the philosophy of being true to yourself, whether that involves cultivating your personal image or ramping up your confidence. A refresher for those temporarily on the down and out as well as new workforce entrants.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)