You're about to begin an internship, become a summer associate, or start your first job. More than anything, you want to make a positive first impression, one that will mark you as a consummate professional. You know it's critical to avoid mistakes that could damage your reputation or harm your employer. But it's tough figuring out what it is you don't know. Not to worry. Mary Crane has worked extensively with young professionals and their employers to develop a list of the 100 most important things you need to know as you enter the world of work--crucial information in "easy to absorb,"...

The moment you start work, time management skills become critical to your success. Unfortunately, your formal education has done little to prepare you for this challenge. Remember following a semester syllabus? Those days have ended. Now your typical workday is completely unpredictable. You constantly confront changing priorities, loads of disruptions, and multiple supervisors, all of whom impose a deadline of "yesterday." If you find yourself seriously pressed for time, you've come to the right resource. Mary Crane has developed a list of the 100 most important things you need to know to...

Whether you're still in school or launching a career, few things will contribute more to your long-term success than building a series of personal and professional networks. Yet, many people avoid networking. Some see it as little more than schmoozing-making ingratiating small talk for personal gain. Others believe they simply don't possess natural networking talents. They've seen a coworker casually walk into a room, find an acquaintance, tell the perfect joke, and move on to make another connection. But they themselves are not naturals, and for them "working a room" is just not what they do...

Long before you enter the workplace, you need to know some important things about business etiquette. Job candidates who possess good manners create positive impressions at job interviews and at the meals that often follow. Once hired, they build strong working relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and clients. They know how to send effective emails and when to speak up in meetings. In short, new professionals who know business etiquette experience greater success in the workplace. If you're uncertain how to navigate a formal place setting, or how to select a client gift, or how to pack...

Most employers report that today's colleges and universities graduate some of the smartest students this country has ever seen. However, those same employers complain that many new hires lack a series of critically important professional skills. "I can teach a junior associate how to draft an iron-clad contract," senior law partners have told me, "but I can't teach a new hire how to think through a problem or behave in front of a client." If you need to position yourself as a successful new professional, you've come to the right resource. Mary Crane has developed a list of the 100 most...