Ugly Betty Inspires Career Book

“You are an attractive,intelligent,confident businesswoman.”

This is the mantra Betty Suarez repeated to herself on her first day at Mode. Of course, she then proceeded to walk face-first into a glass wall, but isn’t that the way it goes in the real world?

There are many lessons that young people could learn about the world of work from Ugly Betty, and that is the premise behind an upcoming book from Entertainment Weekly writer Tanner Stransky. “Find Your Inner Ugly Betty – 25 Career Lessons from TV Shows for Young Professionals” is a tome about the lessons young professionals can take away from watching their favorite sitcoms.

“The inspiration comes from the fact that ‘Ugly Betty’ is actually a really great example of a young professional getting her footing in the workplace,” Stransky says.

“So naturally, by taking a closer look at what she’s done right and wrong, you’re able to teach young people quite a lot that they can put to good use in their own jobs.”

Stransky gave thought to lessons learned as he was starting his career as a writer.

“I thought about the three post-collegiate jobs I’ve had and considered how advice about Betty’s situations could have been most helpful to me when I was starting out,” he said.

More after the jump

Well, hopefully he never fell off a mechanical steed, but we get the picture. Stransky touches on the one thing Betty has that may be more important than anything else: confidence.

“The gist of the advice is that confidence – and a belief in yourself – is sometimes more important than the skills you actually bring to the table,” he said.

“When Betty walked into the doors of Mode, she was obviously not a fashionista and was clearly out of place. But the one thing she had on her side was confidence and a willingness to put herself out there.”

Stranksy also touches on a very important issue to young workers: being very careful with your online image. Remember when Betty tried the online dating service (and how her co-workers found out almost immediately?). Stranksy says to be very careful with sites like Facebook and Myspace.

“It’s very easy these days for your boss – or potential boss – to find out everything about you online,” he said. “The thing is, they know all young folks are on these sites, and even if they can’t log in, they’ve got their own kids who may let them.”

Granted, most of us don’t have to deal with some of the unusual problems Betty faces every week. “But, in some ways I do think young professionals on television and those in real life are similar,” Stransky said. “Betty has issues with coworkers and her boss, and she’s always trying to figure out the right thing to do.”

You can preorder “Find Your Inner Ugly Betty” here.

Source: Des Moines Register Image via Amazon.com .