Belle’s Work Week Reading: July 1

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1) Now that the diplomas are handed out and the mortar boards tucked away, the advice from even the best college graduation speech must come face-to-face with the reality of being out of school.  This Forbes offer covers three excellent pieces of career advice that every professional should hear.

2)  This mobile projection keyboard lets you turn your smartphone or tablet into a work station, and it’s small enough to fit in your purse. No more thumb typing important e-mails and work documents.

3) Grade inflation is increasingly common at American universities.  Recently, UVA’s law school accidentally released a host of student data revealing the extent of their inflation policy.

In this Atlantic article, a professor defends inflation by questioning whether you can measure effort/knowledge in humanities subjects and claiming that for what students are paying for school, they should get higher marks.  Yes, because taking pity on them for their high tuition costs will help them succeed post college.  A-plusses for everybody!

4) I love a gorgeous printed skirt for work.  This bold Elie Tahari skirt is a great piece.  I also like these under-$100 skirts from DKNYC (navy and white print) and French Connection (black, white and pink).

5)  Feeling less than confident at work?  Lean In’s website has a short list of confidence boosters for women.

6) Poppin has great desk accessories and items for your office.  Who couldn’t use a cable box that cleans up those messy cords under your desk?  Their brightly colored, soft-cover notebooks are perfect for meeting notes.  And don’t miss their softie grip grass to keep your pins and extras organized.

7)  Need to clean out your inbox?  Unroll.me lets you unsubscribe from services like Groupon, retailers like Best Buy and social media sites galore.

8) I bought this Jack of All Trades lip balm from bareMinerals in “sure thing,” and I think it would be the perfect thing to keep in your desk for a midday touch up.  It adds just the right amount of color to your lips.  I also love Fresh Sugar’s lip tints.

9) Learnvest has an interesting article on the perks and pitfalls of job-hopping.  It appears that people who change jobs frequently increase their lifetime earning potential.

10) Macy’s is one of the best places to find shoes for the office.  The Nine West Drusila pump is a reader favorite (beige and grey; red and black).  I also like these INC Zitah pumps, and these Calvin Klein Lana pumps.  And don’t miss these sale-priced Cole Haan open-toe Lainey pumps.

11) What if you go to a job interview and the interviewer is a jerk?  Ask a Manager offers some advice on how to end the interview early in a professional way.

12) When you work in politics, you use a lot of hand sanitizer.  Keep your hands germ-free and moisturized with this hand sanitizer from The Honest Company.