Megan Hustad

Megan Hustad has a thing for career advice books. She's so fond of the genre that she's spent copious amounts of time reading advice books that span well over a hundred years. In How to Be Useful: A Beginner's Guide to Not Hating Work, she strings together tips from sage authors including Emily Post, Conrad Hilton, and Helen Gurley Brown. Hustad has created a practical book filled with career advice, some of it common sense (ask questions if you need clarification), some of it surprising (don't always "be yourself").

MH: I came across "Be quiet" quite consistently, which was surprising. We have this concept of the American go-getter as a chatterbox who will talk your ear off. But many books will tell you, "Don't talk so much. Watch. Think before you speak, or don't speak at all."

CP: You talk about how little things like errand running or making copies can really help people stand out. Why are so many young people reluctant to do grunt work?

MH: I do see that reluctance as a trend. I spoke to a woman that had worked in publishing, and she mentioned that her interns didn't want to do the things that interns are normally expected to do; they thought they were above it. Why? Well, there are a number of factors: Teenage labor is way down, some people blame indulgent parenting practices, and not too many twentysomethings have been around adults for whom their personal development is not a top priority. When you're low on the totem poll and no one's interested in your ideas, that can be a shock.

CP: You state in early chapters that we are living in a period of "ironic detachment": a sarcastic, negative cycle. Is this a detrimental outlook to have in an office environment?

MH: Well, it definitely needs to be contained. It can take on a life of its own, and it doesn't help you. In my 20s I was a sardonic person, all my friends were. It doesn't work. We weren't going to advance with that attitude, and it doesn't make you any happier. You start to dwell on people's shortcomings. I think the economic conditions will change attitudes. Things are going to get tough. Ironic detachment is a carefree—or seemingly carefree—posture that only works in boom times.

Megan Hustad discusses tricks and tips for career advancement tonight at Barnes & Noble.
Thu., June 26, 7 p.m., 2008