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Effective Immediately( How to FIT IN STAND OUT and MOVE UP at Your First REAL Job)[EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY][Paperback]
Effective Immediately( How to FIT IN STAND OUT and MOVE UP at Your First REAL Job) <> Paperback <> EmilyBennington <> TenSpeedPress
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
29 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 7, 2025
Good book to prep for a white collar job. I lowered the star rating because I don't think some of the advice that had to do with counseling was either good or applicable, and possibly damaging. However, most of the advice in here was good. I'd recommend for anyone starting a white collar job.
For example, on page 124, section 59 "Expect to be Backstabbed", one of the permissible responses to being backstabbed was (in a future scenario, when someone asks a question, "Calmly offer up the backstabber as the expert, and leave he/she to flail about it in their own ignorance."
This is bad for at least two reasons.
#1: It could backfire, and they could be a genius.
#2: This could very easily cause an already present rift in this relationship to widen.
For example, on page 124, section 59 "Expect to be Backstabbed", one of the permissible responses to being backstabbed was (in a future scenario, when someone asks a question, "Calmly offer up the backstabber as the expert, and leave he/she to flail about it in their own ignorance."
This is bad for at least two reasons.
#1: It could backfire, and they could be a genius.
#2: This could very easily cause an already present rift in this relationship to widen.
July 17, 2021
This book is full of good and practical ideas for performing well in your job. It is designed for people new to field (fresh out of college) but the ideas makes sense for everyone. This is one I will be buying. Okay, I have already bought it.
Recommended.
Recommended.
July 30, 2011
Even though I recently hit my one year anniversary at my first real out of college job, for some reason, this book appealed to me anyway and I decided to pick it up. I really enjoy career books, and figured that even though this information is targeted at very new grads and professionals, the advice in the book could really apply to anyone looking to be better in their careers. And after finishing the book, I can say that this statement is 100 percent true. While this book was written for new pros, any professional can certainly use a refresher.
A very quick read, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY is broken into several 1-2 page chapters with bits and pieces of advice. Much of the book is in bullet or number form, so the book is a very easy and manageable read. Plus, it’s good to take the advice in small doses, especially if you were planning on keeping the book at your desk and work and reading a page here and there when you felt like you needed inspiration or advice. Because the book is broken down the way it is, you could easily flip to a page and learn just as much as if you read the book cover to cover. Though I’d recommend reading the book cover to cover to get the full effect and take away the most valuable advice.
While some of the advice just felt like common sense to me (though much of business really is just common sense, right?), a reminder here and there never hurts. However, while I loved most of the advice in the book, I also just downright disagreed with some of it. There were several tips in the book that just seemed like sucking up to me… and that’s never good. Also, while I get that it’s always better to err on the side of ultra-professionalism, much of the advice in the book seemed extremely conservative and overly formal to me, especially depending on your work environment. Readers should absorb the advice in the book and then pare it down to best apply to their own work environment and culture.
Even though I didn’t agree with all of the advice in the book, there were several chapters that I whole-heartedly agreed with. One chapter advises blocking an hour a day on your calendar to shut down your email, let calls go to voicemail and just knock work out. Apparently, according to the book, the average employee is interrupted every six minutes. With constant emails and phone calls, it’s easy to see how your day can easily slip away while spending the day reacting to each of those demands. Just a few weeks ago, I had a speech to write that I really needed to just knock out in the matter of a few hours, so I did exactly what the book advised. I blocked two hours on my calendar, shut off my email, locked myself in a conference room behind closed doors, and banged the speech out. I was amazed at how much work I was really able to get done without interruption. I like the idea of setting aside one hour a day to get things done. I plan on trying this tip out very soon.
Another tip that really resonated with me was “do feared things first.” This short chapter discusses how important it is to get those assignments that you dread out of the way first thing in the morning, even if they are the most difficult items on your to-do list that day. I definitely find myself doing easy things like replying to email and taking care of other small items in the morning, while putting off some of the more difficult tasks. However, I’ve realized that it’s always better to tackle that big challenge early in the day, and this book definitely reinforced that idea.
If you’re a recent college grad or even still in college and embarking on a new internship, I’d highly recommend this book to you. I debated whether or not to post this review on the blog, but we all have careers, right? Or we’re all working toward a career. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY absolutely provides readers with the tools they need to succeed in their first job and beyond.
A very quick read, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY is broken into several 1-2 page chapters with bits and pieces of advice. Much of the book is in bullet or number form, so the book is a very easy and manageable read. Plus, it’s good to take the advice in small doses, especially if you were planning on keeping the book at your desk and work and reading a page here and there when you felt like you needed inspiration or advice. Because the book is broken down the way it is, you could easily flip to a page and learn just as much as if you read the book cover to cover. Though I’d recommend reading the book cover to cover to get the full effect and take away the most valuable advice.
While some of the advice just felt like common sense to me (though much of business really is just common sense, right?), a reminder here and there never hurts. However, while I loved most of the advice in the book, I also just downright disagreed with some of it. There were several tips in the book that just seemed like sucking up to me… and that’s never good. Also, while I get that it’s always better to err on the side of ultra-professionalism, much of the advice in the book seemed extremely conservative and overly formal to me, especially depending on your work environment. Readers should absorb the advice in the book and then pare it down to best apply to their own work environment and culture.
Even though I didn’t agree with all of the advice in the book, there were several chapters that I whole-heartedly agreed with. One chapter advises blocking an hour a day on your calendar to shut down your email, let calls go to voicemail and just knock work out. Apparently, according to the book, the average employee is interrupted every six minutes. With constant emails and phone calls, it’s easy to see how your day can easily slip away while spending the day reacting to each of those demands. Just a few weeks ago, I had a speech to write that I really needed to just knock out in the matter of a few hours, so I did exactly what the book advised. I blocked two hours on my calendar, shut off my email, locked myself in a conference room behind closed doors, and banged the speech out. I was amazed at how much work I was really able to get done without interruption. I like the idea of setting aside one hour a day to get things done. I plan on trying this tip out very soon.
Another tip that really resonated with me was “do feared things first.” This short chapter discusses how important it is to get those assignments that you dread out of the way first thing in the morning, even if they are the most difficult items on your to-do list that day. I definitely find myself doing easy things like replying to email and taking care of other small items in the morning, while putting off some of the more difficult tasks. However, I’ve realized that it’s always better to tackle that big challenge early in the day, and this book definitely reinforced that idea.
If you’re a recent college grad or even still in college and embarking on a new internship, I’d highly recommend this book to you. I debated whether or not to post this review on the blog, but we all have careers, right? Or we’re all working toward a career. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY absolutely provides readers with the tools they need to succeed in their first job and beyond.
September 27, 2011
Interesting and informative, but some suggesions are outdated. This suggests arriving before 8 for a job that begins at 8:30. Not realistic orneccessary. Arrive on time or a few minutes early. It also suggests standing when an executive enters the room. Really? No one does this, outside of extremely unique and formal settings (i.e., welcoming forign dignitaries). There is some good advice in this book, with some of it being more realistic and practical than others.
July 31, 2015
Good general tips - great if you are new, but most of this stuff you can learn as you go. Might save you some early mistakes if it really is your first job. Just don't suck up and focus on your real goals (don't be a slave to the system...)
June 19, 2017
This book has a lot of good, basic advice about how to become a truly valuable part of your team at work and then move up to where you want to be in your career. It's also written in a very cheerful, engaging style. It is definitely geared toward people who want to be at the top of their field in the business world or at least an office job, so it doesn't have much to say that's specific to careers in academia, the arts, the trades, etc., but a lot of the advice would probably transfer well to other types of careers with a little creativity. It's also a pretty short book, so I found it easy to read during little breaks in my workday. Check back in a few years to see my updated review on how far the advice from this book has taken me in my career... ;)
March 22, 2022
I love this book. It gave me insight into small things I would have never cared about.
This was my gift to starting my first real job and it helped me understand the power dynamics!
I have been handing this book out to friends who have also started a new job as a gift!
This was my gift to starting my first real job and it helped me understand the power dynamics!
I have been handing this book out to friends who have also started a new job as a gift!
December 31, 2018
A lot of common sense advice, but overall good tips for job-seeking novices.
June 23, 2025
Good book to read before atarting your forst job
December 28, 2023
"O livro conta várias coisas básicas que ninguém te fala" foi como meu chefe descreveu esse livro. De fato, tem muitas lições valiosas que costumam ser menosprezadas no mundo corporativo dentro das páginas da obra. Os escritores foram práticos, estabeleceram um diálogo com o leitor, dividiram tudo em tópicos e apresentaram cada ponto e argumento sem enrolação, muitas vezes com exemplos. O livro também conta com a presença de relatos, o que torna a leitura mais interessante ainda. Retirei uma estrela pois algumas dicas foram meio viajadas na minha opinião, coisas que na verdade ninguém precisa fazer e às vezes podem ser até ruins e inconvenientes foram exaltadas, basicamente, senti que eles generalizaram muito as diferentes culturas de empresa existentes e é importante ter mais cautela ao sair dando dicas desse gênero. Ainda assim é um ótimo livro, faz muito sentido ler ele independente de estar no primeiro emprego ou não, só não recomendo ler a obra cegamente, existe uma necessidade (maior do que deveria pelo teor da promessa do livro) de filtrar as informações do livro.
February 8, 2011
I was given this book upon being hired for a seasonal internship at the accounting firm Dixon-Hughes because the co-author, Emily Bennington, already worked there in marketing. The day after receiving this book in the mail, I attended a short talk at my graduate school by Mrs. Bennington, about personal branding and resumes/online presence. Meeting her only days before I was to begin my internship was very helpful and this book gave great advice for starting a new job.
Most of it is common sense but few I'm sure actually take time to develop the type of character and leadership personality she describes in this book. I don't normally care for the "how-to" and "self-help" books, but this wasn't like that at all. It is more of an advice tool and a list of quality to-do's that we all think of but never keep track of.
Most of it is common sense but few I'm sure actually take time to develop the type of character and leadership personality she describes in this book. I don't normally care for the "how-to" and "self-help" books, but this wasn't like that at all. It is more of an advice tool and a list of quality to-do's that we all think of but never keep track of.
June 21, 2012
This book is filled with helpful "nuggets" that you will be glad you learned and want to remember for the future. Unfortunately 1/3 of the book is pure raw common sense. I guess I can't say that with 100% of the population as a broad over statement but for anyone who is familiar with the business world, read books, or had a decent amount of mentoring, it will be common sense. I don't regret reading the book and I will hold onto it for future reference for a few of the items but it was definitely not one of the better books in business I've read. It is a pretty quick read because it is written in very short 1-2 page chapters but even though it should have taken me no more than a day to read, I felt like I had to chew through it.
January 9, 2012
(Non-Fiction - Business - Career Development) Awesome book. Although it is marketed towards new college grads in their first real job, this book is a refreshing and empowering read for anyone beginning a new job. Regardless, any working professionals will enjoy the short chapters (1-3 pages) and wide array of tips for success.
Currently reading
October 30, 2010Talks about what to do what not to do in your first job. One can relate easily to things mentioned in the book for a beginner.
From coming to work on time to dinner etiquettes .. books has it all.
Section 20
From coming to work on time to dinner etiquettes .. books has it all.
Section 20
November 25, 2012
WOW! Finally! A book that is very actionable, no b.s., and useful on starting a new job, or getting a promotion. I loved it! I recommend re-reading this book every time you get a new job or think about your next promotion.
February 22, 2013
This book is not only for the people on their first job, but it will make you effective immediately for your fourth and fifth job! A must read this book will make your boss and colleagues looking forward to work with you. So always be effective!
Want to read
July 18, 2012The author lead an awesome webinar at CareeRealism: http://www.careerealism.com/7-boss-da..., which makes me think this will be equally helpful.
July 20, 2012
Read it for work to train our newbies
March 14, 2013
General advice and tips on people skills and management for newbies.
March 20, 2013
" Effective Immediately " will assure you a smooth transition from collage life to professional life. Practical tips for each day business situations . A must read for recent graduates .
Want to read
March 24, 2013New culture, new world. How to adapt and find your place.
This book is in Birdsong 207.
This book is in Birdsong 207.
April 24, 2013
Great tips. Will read again in three months.
May 12, 2016
A good book to learn the basics of the expectations of a new employee. An introduction to workplace etiquette and office politics. Read it before starting a first internship or job.
June 18, 2016
This was an easy read and was very informative. Would definitely recommend this to anyone starting their first professional job.
August 21, 2016
Great information for new graduates who are just starting their careers. Tips and tricks on prioritizing, organizing and handling office drama.
January 18, 2013
I should buy one as reference. Very practical.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews