The Hindu Business Line : <I>Bring your feminine virtues into play at work </I>

To nervous young women heading to their job interviews, Seema Goswami's advice is simple: "Mask your nervousness and function at the optimum level despite it." Smile confidently, she says, "even if your knees are knocking together and your heart is beating so fast that you are sure everyone can hear it." However, "don't try and hide your nerves behind a bad case of giggles," reads Goswami's practical counsel in `Woman on Top,' from Random House (www.randomhouse.co.in) .

Avoid `some common rookie mistakes' such as extending your arm for a handshake before the interviewer makes the first move. Another faux pas can be to pretend to know what the interviewer is taking about when you haven't a clue. Also, "Don't babble on and on. Keep your answers short and succinct," instructs Goswami.

Well, you have got the job and are going to start out. "There are three things you need to keep in mind when you show up at your workplace for the first time," guides the author. "One, don't show off. Two, don't try to show up other people. Three, do show up on time." With these basics, you can learn everything else as you go along, encourages Goswami. "Your first few months in office should be all about observing your surroundings, sussing out your environment and keeping close tabs on your workmates to figure out what makes them click."

Chapter 3 is about `looking good,' because `it is as important as you think'. What does `looking good' mean in the work context? Not necessarily `perfectly symmetrical features, flawless skin and an hourglass figure', but `making the most of what nature has endowed you with'. How so? "Even if you are working with less than impressive raw material, you can create an attractive image through grooming, evolving a personal style, and most important, projecting a personality that attracts rather than repels." For, as Goswami reminds readers, "Beauty will fade, but charm lasts forever."

She packs in many a useful input, in chapters titled `keeping the boss happy', `home and away', and `staying healthy'. Sensitive issues such as sexual harassment and love at work are also dealt with, tactfully. And in the final chapter, you are the boss, `the woman on top', officially. There is no shame in bringing your feminine virtues into play at work, states Goswami. Essential education for men too!

http://BookPeek.blogspot.com

D. Murali