“Start with a two-line summary of your background, and then say what you’re looking for, being as specific as possible. It could go something like this: “I just graduated with a degree in economics, and I worked at a hospital for my past two summers. I’d love a job at a health-related website. I know you once worked for WebMD, and I’d really welcome a personal introduction.”

“She had her sonar continually set for excuses to entertain, to bring together influential and powerful people in a mix that hummed, sizzled, throbbed, and sometimes burst into flames. But I was delighted to be her excuse tonight.”

“I studied his face, and as I did, I realized that he was studying me, our thoughts tangling in mid-air for a moment.”

“Well, be careful,” she said, her words deliberate. She quickly twisted her head, as if making certain no one was behind her. When she turned back around, her green eyes were hard and filled with hate. “Because wouldn’t it be terrible if you slipped and hurt yourself?”

“I closed the door and sank into my desk chair. My heart was pounding even harder. I felt like someone who had just staggered out of her car after an accident on a freeway. This was different from the cockroach and the books and the Barbie. I’d been injured. Someone had tried to physically harm me.”

“Lawrence’s suggestion for a starter wardrobe: a black dress, a fitted black jacket, black pants, a black skirt, a camel-colored skirt, a white blouse, a trendy-looking cardigan in a color (red could be good, for instance), several cool, inexpensive blouses (from places such as H&M or Zara) that pick up or work with the color of the cardigan and will go with your pants and skirts. For shoes, go for black heels and a pair of colored ones (they will make one of your all-black outfits look totally fab). Then build from there.”

“Smile, look invested, and when you hand in certain projects, say you enjoyed working on them.”

“Every day you should also be checking job boards to track positions as they open up. In addition to the job boards on company websites, use public job boards such as Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, and any specialty sites. There’s also your alumni website, etc.”

“Rather than relying on a notebook, you should work with two spreadsheets on your computer; you use one to list all the companies you’re aware of in the field or fields you’re interested in and the other to list every single contact you have.”

“You can’t get caught up in worrying about whether everyone you work with likes you. Ultimately you want the respect of your coworkers, but you don’t need them to be your buddies.”

“When you create a résumé, for instance, it’s not about listing every single role and responsibility you’ve had. Instead it’s about highlighting accomplishments that all ladder up to your overall positioning, expressing a clear point of view. You’re taking control of the impressions you make by doing the work for them.”