Nicole Williams is the tell-it-like-it-is career expert who you wish could fight your work battles for you. But with her ingenious approach — taking the tactics used to land a man and applying them to your career — you’ll be able to handle any work situation and come out on top. Here, Nicole introduces twenty tried-and-true dating rules such as “Don’t Give Away the Milk for Free” and “Don’t Waste the Pretty” and reveals how they can be applied just as effectively in the office. Other strategies include: 

Keep It Brief

Don’t Bash Your Ex

Have Others Sing Your Praises

Play Hard to Get

Keep the Fire Alive

Be Willing to Walk Away

Among other topics, Nicole dishes on how much to reveal at work as well as what to put up with from your boss (and, more importantly, what not to). She tackles everything from having the money talk to leaving them wanting more on a job interview. And sprinkled throughout Girl on Top is fashion advice (“Top Ten Commandments of Style”) and checklists to determine if you need to get a life.

Nicole’s keen insight and candid advice will teach you how to recognize the good guys from the bad, win the kudos of those who matter, and create the career of your dreams.

About The Author

Nicole Williams, author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success, is the best-selling author of Wildly Sophisticated: A Bold New Attitude for Career Success and Earn What You’re Worth, and the founder of WORKS by Nicole Williams, the first media and content company marketed toward young professional women. Her advice is featured regularly in major media outlets including Elle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Marie Claire, the Wall Street Journal, and the Financial Times. Nicole also regularly appears on The Today Show, ABC’s Primetime, Good Morning America, Fox News, and CNN.  

You can visit Nicole’s websites at http://www.nicolewilliams.com/ and www.GirlOnTopBook.com

Reviews

“Nicole Williams is both frank and funny. She’s full of witty advice that’s not only relatable but doable for the girl who’s just getting started or the woman, like me, who’s on her second time around in the career game. Here’s my advice to you about Girl on Top: Read it. Laugh. Learn.”–Veronica Webb, modelMilk 

“Every girl should have this — the little black book for career success!”–Susan Cohn Rockefeller, author, Green at Work 

“Only Nicole can make career this much fun. Sassy, relevant and packed with great advice. It’s a must-read for any woman looking to get ahead.” –Liz Lange, founder, Liz Lange Maternity

“Girl on Top is a sensational book. In the most delightful and hilarious way, Nicole Williams serves up loads of excellent advice for anyone wanting to get ahead.”–Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, producers, 

“Girl on Top is a fabulous read. It’s chock full of actionable insights and laugh-out-loud advice for any woman (of any age) who is serious about getting to the top of her career. I highly recommend it.”–Julie Cottineau, vice president brand, Virgin USA

What Kind of Girl on Top Are You?
By Nicole Williams,
Author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success

Which rule applies to you? Take this quiz and find out.

1) At your office you’re known for:

1. Your hard ass tendencies.
2. Always being a team player.
3. Being a great negotiator.

2) There’s a position open in your department, but when you ask your boss about promoting you, she tells you she “doesn’t think you’re ready.” What do you do?

1. Send her an e-mail later that afternoon with a detailed list of all the reasons why you ARE ready. She’s wrong about you and you’re going to prove it.
2. Slink back to your desk and spend the rest of the afternoon thinking of ways you can get your boss to notice you.
3. Revamp your resume and put the word out to close friends that you’re looking to make a change. If your boss won’t promote you, you’ll find someone who will.

3) Your best work friend confides in you that she’s sleeping with your supervisor. What do you do with this information?

1. Nothing, until she gets the raise that you were promised. Then you casually let it slip that it wasn’t her way with a spreadsheet that earned her the extra bank.
2. Nothing. You don’t agree with her tactics, but you also don’t gossip.
3. Bring it up in your next job interview when your interviewer asks why you want to leave your current position.

4) Would you rather be liked or respected?

1. Respected
2. Liked
3. As long as they know your name, you don’t care whether they love you or hate you.

5) You’ve got a meeting with an important client this morning. As you all file into the conference room, the CEO of your firm asks you to bring him some coffee. You aren’t his assistant. What’s your response?

1. “I’m slated to speak first in our presentation, but I’d be happy to call your assistant if you’re unable to get the coffee for yourself. What’s her extension again?”
2. “Cream and sugar?”
3. “Sure, but what are you going to do for me in return?”

6) You turn your Blackberry off for a few hours to visit your ailing grandfather, and when you check it later that night, you’ve got six messages from your client and two from your boss wondering why you’re “unreachable.” What’s your damage control strategy?

1. Email your client and tell him you’ve been at your sick grandfather’s bedside all night, but you’d be happy to help him first thing in the am. Could this guy be any more of a jackass?!
2. Apologize for being offline and promise to take care of his concerns ASAP.
3. Turn your Blackberry to silent and spend the rest of the evening watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta. You can’t do anything about the “crisis” until morning, anyhow, and they don’t pay you enough to try.

7) You’re on an interview when the recruiter asks you to name your current salary. It’s really $50K, but what do you tell him?

1. $65K. Negotiations start with the salary you want, not the one you have.
2. $55K. Odd numbers sound more believable. And since that’s not too big of a jump, they won’t be suspicious.
3. $70K, plus all of the perks you’re currently getting. You can’t work for a company that doesn’t pay for your gym membership.

8 ) You’re out to dinner with your boss and two of your clients. When the bill comes, you reach for your corporate AMEX, only to have your boss give you the death stare. “I’ve got this one,” she hisses as she rips the check from your hand. What do you do?

1. Apologize immediately and later let her know you didn’t mean any disrespect. It all comes out of the same pot anyway, right?
2. Thank her for her generosity, though inside you’re quietly seething. How dare this bitch embarrass you in front of others?!
3. Apologize, but file away the incident in the back of your mind. She’s an HR nightmare and this’ll come in handy someday.

Mostly A’s: Treat Him Mean To Keep Him Keen
Sometimes you’ve gotta be the mean girl — after all, she’s the one who gets the respect. But there’s a fine line between bat shit crazy bitch and tough cookie, and you know exactly where it’s drawn. Your colleagues respect you — they’re afraid not to.

Mostly B’s: Keep Your Mouth Shut
You’ll never be accused of being a blabber and with good reason. You only open your mouth when you have something truly useful to say. It’s a quality that others in your office would do well to learn from you. 

Mostly C’s: Don’t Give Away the Milk For Free 
People won’t pay for what they can get gratis, and while this initial rule applied to sex before marriage, it works in the boardroom as well. You know your value and because of this, you don’t let colleagues take advantage of you. When they start, you know it’s time to move on to your next adventure. 

©2009 Nicole Williams, author of Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success