Julie Bauke – Book Journeys Author Interview

This Book Journeys Radio episode takes a more practical turn compared to previous episodes, as Angela Lauria is joined by Julie Bauke, author of Stop Peeing on Your Shoes! Avoiding the Seven Mistakes that Screw Up Your Job Search.  Bauke is a professional career strategist, and has several years of previous experience working with a large recruitment and career management services firm called Lee Hecht and Harrison. Her time with the career management services firm, Bauke says, has allowed her to pick up on the warning signs — both from the company and internal ones — that employees often miss or ignore, which then leads to them being laid off work. Nowadays, Bauke works with people that are either looking for work, employed but are looking to transition to another career, or are looking to become happier in their current work or somewhere else.

Bauke shared that the title “Stop Peeing on Your Shoes” came from an expression that she had while working with Lee Hecht Harrison, and that it refers to people who originally declined the services of the company but then came back to work with them later on. She noted that their actions tend to do more harm than good because they’re unfocused. The seed for the book then came from a Mastermind class that Julie attended; the other members of the class challenged and encouraged her to write the book. She shared that she was challenged enough to be able to complete the book in a couple of weeks.

Due to the book’s rather controversial and sensationalistic title, some radio stations that Bauke was a guest on refused to say it on air because of government regulations. Traditional publishers also considered “Stop Peeing on Your Shoes” as a tough sell, with some firms admitting to Bauke that although their creative departments love the title, their marketing departments didn’t share their enthusiasm. However, the catchy, attention-grabbing title proved to be a plus point for the book and for Bauke herself, as it created enough buzz for her to be invited to an upcoming morning show in Chicago. She was able to hold the gig for two years until the station had to reformat; fortunately, she was able to turn that into another gig at a local TV station in her area.

Finally, Bauke discussed some of the other strong points of the book. She shared her observation that people respond well to stories, and as such, she filled her book with anecdotes and client stories which she used as examples to deliver important points, and gave practical tips and pointers to do in specific situations. She noted that this particular approach yielded great results, since more people were able to better understand what she was trying to put across. She also thought that the language she used on the book, which was quite similar to how she talks in real life, did much better for getting the message across to jobseekers, who she thought needed to hear a few truths and gain a new perspective in their job hunt.

Listen to the Julie Bauke Interview on Book Journeys Radio

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