Customer Reviews

Fearless Interviewing: How to Win the Job by Communicating with Confidence

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FEARLESS INTERVIEWING: HOW TO WIN THE JOB BY COMMUNICATING WITH CONFIDENCE by Marky Stein was recommended to me by a friend who felt she had gained some useful knowledge from the book. I was intrigued by the title, and as I sometimes work with students applying for jobs, I thought it could be an interesting read.

I was a little skeptical, though. These things often seem to promising but are really about situations that don't translate into daily life, or into one's own life, very well. However, I was won over by Stein's book. She gives the reader real things to do in an interview (particularly during that crucial "first impression" phase) that are really helpful. For example, she writes that interviewers are often nervous about the task of hiring someone; therefore, their primary goal is to discern whether the interviewee is friend or foe. There are some particular ways she advocates of making sure the interviewee demonstrates that he or she is a friend: Arrive early; don't touch or put things on the desk of the person interviewing you (that is a personal space, and putting your things, or even your hands there, can be read as threatening); make sure you smile, it shows that you are friendly; don't take a seat until you are invited to do so, and if you are not, ask if you may sit; sit forward on your chair to show energy and enthusiasm, etc. She gives tips on dress, what to bring, etc. She also gives very helpful tips on how to answer common interview questions and what their purpose is (content questions vs. stress questions), how to follow up, including an example of a thank you letter, which she calls a "focus letter," and how to negotiate a good salary.

The best part of the book, though, is how she coaches the reader to find his or her own "Q statements" to use in an interview to demonstrate his or her effective work history. Q statements are quantitative statements of qualities the applicant has. For example, instead of saying, "I'm a good salesman." Say, "I increased my department's sales by 30 percent the first year I was on board," etc. The last section of the book is basically a work sheet in which Stein poses likely questions interviewers will ask applicants, with blanks to write in your own answers, preferably in the form of those Q statements. I found it really enjoyable after reading the book, and it made me really enthusiastic about my career. Because you draft your own statements, it isn't cheesy or fake or scripted. She just shows you how to be at your best in a stressful situation.

As I said, I like how she gives the reader pointers on things to do so that one can feel confident that one is meeting important standards in the interview and application process. I will definitely recommend this book to my students; and I heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new job!

This book was fairly useful, but I felt that a lot of the information was geared to high-end professionals and not your average person just interviewing for a job. For instance, the chapter on salary negotiation was a bit over the top. Stein tells you to go in and bargain for an incredibly high salary and then just stand up and shake hands when the interviewer comes to a number you like. It was a prety useless chapter considering most people won't be making the 80,000-120,000 salaries she kept mentioning. The other problem I had was with one of the early statements in the book - Stein says "don't memorize," and yet at the end of the book we are supposed to know over 20-40 of these "Q Statements." I liked the idea of Q statements and backing up your answers with solid examples, but the rest of this book was just common sense, like how to dress and research the company beforehand. I can see now why she might have had the trouble she cites publishing it. There is nothing here you can't find in another book. It's ok, not great.

I'm a college student seeking internships, and this guide to interviews has been a great investment. Previously, I had a few bad interviews where a question caught me off guard and my brain froze up. After reading this book, those problems were no more! Fearless Interviewing is a terrific "coach" that will help prepare you for all job interviews.

Fearless Interviewing will get you prepared for almost any tough question by helping you organize your personal strengths and skill in an easy-to-remember format. Its process is so simple, that you will wonder why you didn't think of preparing this way! But the best part of this book, is that it takes you through the tiniest level of details in the interview and tells you the proper thing to do; everything from preparing a packet to hand the interviewer, etiquette and body language, understanding what the interview wants to hear, open-door salary negotiation, and how to write an effective follow-up letter. I found the salary negotiation tactics exceptionally helpful.

The only downside to this book is that it does not cover the mathematical puzzle-type questions you may face in a real hardcore interview, where the employer wants to test "how smart you are." Most investment banks, consulting firms, and Silicon Valley companies ask seemingly silly math problems to push your brain to the limits, for example, "How many pennies do you think can fit in this room?"

Fearless Interviewing is an excellent general gameplay book for all job interviews, but if you are interviewing to be among the top 1% firms, the best of the best jobs, you may need some additional books to give you some more practice!

I've always felt uncomfortable with interviewing, to the point where my hands used to sweat and I felt embarrassed offering a handshake. I've always felt like it was such a fake situation! A career counselor recomended this book by Marky Stien and it made me feel so sure of myself I felt like a tiger! Her method is that you first make a good impression, then answer with specific answers that refer to real experiences you've had. They're easy to remember and they are not fake, because they'r from your real life. I read the book and CONQUERED. I got TWO JOB OFFERS!

This little book is a goldmine! Read it before you go out on that job interview. This is the essential guide to interviewing from a leading expert in the field of career coaching. Marky Stein gives you simple, straightforward and thorough advice, covering everything you will need to know in order to succeed. She offers a step-by-step approach to the interview process that can help anyone prepare themselves and develop the kind of self-confidence that will make you a winning candidate. Her wise counsel and warm encouragement were just the support I needed. I am thrilled to say that I am now working at my dream job. Much thanks!

I'm in a job search and I've picked up a few books on interviewing. "Fearless Interviewing" is by far the most clear, helpful and power-packed volume I've read. Her advice is believable and easy to read. I feel totally prepared to interview, and I'm going to tell a few friends about this book! The chapter on first impressions is absolutely fantastic!

This treatise is more important now than ever, despite our government's allusions to the economy. There are too many of us scrounging for work due in great part to an unseeing and unfeeling administration. This handbook is exactly what we need and I am proud to say that I use it successfully.

Prior to reading, doing the exercises in this book, I had countless interviews that went nowhere. After I used this book, I was the interviewee master guru and talked myself into many job offers. So it works, its not a gimmik, just a tool to help focus ones thoughts, narrow your skills, and maximize your communication.

The book states that 90% of interviews claim the reason they did not hire an interviewee is because they could NOT ARTICULATE their skills in the interview. I would not have thought that about myself, but once I read the book, narrowed and foucused my skills, and practiced (taped myself) I realized what the author was talking about. It is an inexpensive book and worth it! Dont buy a used copy, as there are exercises to do and you will want a blank slate. Buy more than one copy to keep and share with others, I have referred or given this book to many!

Having been self-employed for the past several years, and then being contacted by a major pharmaceutical company for a face-to-face interview, well, needless to say, I was extremely nervous. This book showed me how to break down my skill set, define exactly and precisely what I am good at, how to frame it in my mind and then pitch it during the interview. It also shows you how to negotiate for a better salary, better compensation package, more vacation time...wow! You need to leave some time to read this book through once and then go back through to do the exercises. It took me quite a while to decide exactly which skills I thought would be prudent for the job I was contacted about, so you will definitely need to be willing to spend time on this. But once you have, you will be able to rewrite your resume in a strong fashion and feel confident about who you are and what you are capable of. I decided to read this book based on a recommendation off the Ask The Headhunter website. That guy has lots of great ideas, you can google him to check out the site for more business related topics.

"Fearless Interviewing" makes it EASY by breaking down the questions into groups that can easily be managed. I used to particularly have problems with what she calls "stress questions". I have Marky to thank because I absolutely sailed through my last two interviews and got a job offer today! The help with salary negotiation came in handy too - I'm being paid at the TOP of the scale! Thank you, thank you!