Editorial Review:
Cynthia Shapiro is a former Human Resources executive who’s pulling back the curtain on the way that companies really work. In Corporate Confidential, she unmasks startling truths and what you can do about them, including:
* There's no right to free speech in the workplace.
*Age discrimination exists.
* Why being too smart is not too smart.
* Human Resources is not there to help you, but to protect the company from you.
* And forty-five more!
Cynthia Shapiro pulls no punches, giving readers an inside look at a secret world of hidden agendas they would never normally see. A world of insider information and insights that can save a career!
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
Will help you climb the corporate ladder, if that's what you really want  2008-07-25
In Corporate Confidential, Cynthia Shapiro teaches us how to survive the dehumanizing privations of employment in what perhaps has become one of the most pathological institutions in human history--the American Corporation. While Miss Shapiro's revelations and prescriptions may be advantageous in helping individuals climb the corporate ladder, many are antithetical to psychological well-being. Hardly a pragmatic long-term strategy. It's ironic that the cover of this book dons faceless images of corporate employees as this is probably how many corporations see their workforce.
A Must for Business Psychology!  2008-07-12
Many employees don't understand the parameters they work in or the long-term consequences they could face once they irritate those who are in-charge, even when they are right. And, why should they when there are courses that teach the expectations of performance and its consequences?
Confusing many employees and resulting in further workplace conflicts are administrator work speeches that focus on "the best workers," promises of workplace betterment, and recitals of the written policies that clearly conflict with many standard operating procedures. Oftentimes, those very policies are practiced arbitrarily by those administrators, and at the consequence of the "best" employees.
With 17-years in law enforcement and approximately four years working in Internal Affairs, my eyes have certainly been opened as to how the world of human resources works and how important internal relationships are if you wish to keep your job, and better yet, promote.
This book is a must-read for those in law enforcement who hope to survive those internal issues, as well as any employee hoping to establish a long-term career and positive reputation. It is a fantastic book for association and union representatives to read, and one that could compliment any business course. And, mentoring others with it could only make the workplace a better place to work -- especially for those whose parents who didn't tell them (maybe their parents made those very mistakes themselves and never learned to do better.).
There is a fine-lined difference between what is said and what is done. Anyone who wishes to keep their job, avoid initiating complaints and lawsuits, and wants to know what the unwritten rules of business are may find it here, and should be able to strategize their moves across their vocational landscape with success.
Thank you, Cynthia Shapiro, for being so candid and for this excellent book!
Good Advice even for Non-manager Types  2008-06-08
I got this book because a coworker recommended it. I think the book does an excellent job of stating and explaining the obvious - which is what any good self help book should do. It's a quick read, well organized, and it has bullet points for easy reference! While the book is mainly targeting manager types, there is plenty of advice for non-manager types. If anything the book offers a perspective on what it's like to be a lead or a manager, so as an individual contributor one can sufficiently please their gatekeeper ;)
Things I found particularly valuable was the emphasis that it's not about your skills, it's about how you play the game - and this isn't represented in a negative light. The author doesn't state opinions - just facts. I've always been frustrated in my career because I'm 3x as smart as the average person, yet I have to work 3x as hard! Shapiro clearly outlines behaviors we may engage in that can harm our ability to progress in our jobs. I realized from her examples that my blunt nature is likely mis-perceived as negativity, so I've started developing better ways of communicating on various work issues that are less "threatening". This has resulted in an almost instantaneous change, both in improved attitudes of my coworkers, and I get less resistance from higher ups when implementing improvements.
The aspect of this book that is especially beneficial is how Shapiro emphasizes that mistakes are rarely final - you can usually redeem yourself. She even gives advice on how to explain the change to your boss and coworkers. While the book is a harsh dose of corporate reality (although not quite as *shocking* as the review might suggest), it doesn't leave you feeling stuck. The advice in this book ultimately enables you to take control of your professional reputation in a corporate setting such that the powers that be can truly focus on and reward you for your talents and what you contribute.
This will open your eyes I promise you that! 2008-05-13
I am only about two years into corporate america, so this book was an amazing eye opener for me and a GREAT career booster. For anyone who is close to retirement or older, this book will probably provide great details, but they will be too late for you. This book is RIGHT ON target when it comes to the way corporate america really thinks and how you need to carry yourself if you want to advance in speed you think you should. I have read a ton of books on this subject and this by far is the best! I gave it to a co-worker who is in an executive position at my company, which is a fortune top 100 company, and she said she read the whole thing in ONE night because she was so surprised on how on target it was!
Read this before your first job interview 2008-05-09
Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them
Cynthia does what your mother or father does not know how to do...prepare you for the corporate battlefield.
No matter your age or experience, you will be blindsided by corporate America more than once in your career.
The ideas,concepts and specific tools contained in the chapters of this book will give you the inside track to managing your personal career path.
The key and most significant career tool you have is your personal career strategy. No matter how hard you work, how smart you are or how connected you think you are without knowing the ground rules you lose every time.
Armed with knowledge of just how corporate America has stacked the deck against your success will yield many fruitful years of high achievement even though you may not be the best or hardest worker.
Take a highlighter and mark up this book just as you did in college for it has more value than any resource in circulation today.
Win every day at who you are.
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