Customer Reviews

Instant Interviews: 101 Ways to Get the Best Job of Your Life

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this book because it had 113 5 star reviews and no, not one, review lower than 5 stars. I should have known something was not right as that just doesn't make sense to have 100% 5 star reviews in the open public rating system.

I have been an executive recruiter for the past 8 years, a successful one at that, and I regularly read books on the industry to keep up with trends and information. I bought this book based on the reviews and title. I then received the book and have never had my jaw drop so many times in my life.

Who is this guy? His writing is that of a 15 year old with slang and casual phrases that make pretty much no sense to me at times. Then, there are "how to" advice that includes heading to the steam room at the gym to "nail a mega-offeror". I'm sorry, but what exactly does that mean Mr. Allen? Yes, I understand that you mean to say that you can network in the sauna, but following it up with "By the time we'd dry off, we'd be trading soggy business cards and carrying on like Bert and Ernie." Wow.

The best this book has to offer is good solid humor. And perhaps the advice on eating non-processed food in the second chapter titled "Making and Taking the Instant Interview Magic Potion" where Mr. Allen plans out a diet for us while we are off drumming up interviews for ourselves. Again, wow.

I'd recommend the book "Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters 2.0: 1,001 Unconventional Tips, Tricks and Tactics for Landing Your Dream Job (Paperback)" if you're looking for some real advice. A much more professional, realistic and effective book.

This is not a one-size fits all book. It may work for those super charged "go getters" but for the majority of people who don't have that grandiose attitude....this book may just make you look silly. This book wants to you to appear like a "magical genie" and randomly show up to corporate offices to make an appearance. Let me tell you, no executive wants to be bothered by some random stranger during the work week. And they certainly don't have time for some fool who thinks he's gonna get a job just by appearing at the office.

There are a few suggestions in the book on how to network that are more appropriate. I've tried a few suggestions that don't seem so inappropriate or intrusive and so far it's been somewhat helpful.

Very dissapointed in the book. I was looking for something on an executive level and this advice is geared for more non senior managers. It is a good book for a young person entering the job market, but suggestions on follow up will back fire on senior level employees. I can't believe all the good reviews this book has gotten. The author must have a lot of friends and family.

One word to describe this item is: FLUFF. I thought the author is presenting us with 101 ways to land an interview, and yet, what it is about is centered around one and only one way to land an interview: Go to the business district, visit businesses and hand them business cards. Basically, cold visiting and calling. Thats it. Very deceptive title and totally not worth the read.

I have been a successful executive recruiter for nearly thirty years and I can tell you that Instant Interviews is the real deal. If you are frustrated by getting no response from job boards you're not alone. Almost nobody gets a response. Jeff Allen completely bypasses the notion of job leads and teaches you how to generate actual interviews - fast! This book shows you how to organize your job hunt's overall strategy as well as the little tricks of the trade that get you hired. In most job searches a company has several candidates with very similar backgrounds. Instant Interviews explains who gets hired and why and most importantly - how to be that guy! Jeff goes into detail on what to wear, what to say, what questions will be asked and how to answer them. You will already know what's going to happen so there will be no reason to be nervous. You will be ready to confidently go out and get that job!

The thing about instantly interviewing is that it is so refreshingly honest. You know exactly who you'll be working with, and what they expect. They know the same about you.

I am grateful that amazon.com allowed customers to look at the contents of Instant Interviews, and even some sample pages. That is like being in a bookstore where you can see the value of what you are buying. I couldn't wait to read the whole book, so I called all of my local bookstores. They were all sold out, and kept telling me they were getting calls for the book. That told me the book must be very good, since people can look at it for as long as they like before they buy it. So I ordered it easily from amazon.com at a deep discount. There was no sales tax and not even a shipping charge. That meant a lot to me, since I was out of work.

When the book arrived, I devoured it immediately. It was so right-on in what the author was saying, and he is so hip. There was nothing technical except for the internet tricks, and everything looked like so much fun. I got my kids involved in making the Magic Potion, and the whole interviewing thing became a family project.

The only game I played with employers was "Hard to Get". I used the guidance of Instant Interviews to do it, and was just able to increase an offer by 19%. For results like that, I'll make an exception!

I'm a successful CEO who has been following Jeff Allen's advice since he wrote "How to Turn an Interview into a Job" in 1983. I particularly loved the three-volume series, "Jeff Allen's Best".

Mr Allen's writing is rock-solid, both in style and substance. He doesn't waste time with nonsense, and he doesn't pull any punches. The last thing someone looking for work needs is running around in circles or going in the wrong direction. That doesn't happen with his books, because they are always aimed at the straight line that is the shortest distance between you and the job of your dreams. So Mr. Allen teaches what works, and leaves out 99% of what you usually see and hear.

Instant Interviews references many of Mr. Allen's two-dozen other books. It draws from the best of the best.

If you plan to be working in the foreseeable future, "Instant Interviews" should be hard-wired to your brain. Period.

I've liked some temp assignments and would have liked to work as a permanent employee. The problem has always been that the temp clients think a temporary employee is expendable, and they often don't even know your name until they fill out the time card at the end of the week. You get a call terminating the assignment with no notice, and you are back where you started in your job search.

The Instant Interview approach is totally different. As with everything in the book, you are in control of what happens. There are two chapters I recommend to everyone: Do 220 and Do 221. They show you how to level with the temp service and get your recruiter to help you instantly interview while you are temping. Surprisingly, the temp services are receptive to the idea because they know many temps do it without telling them.

It is a ingenious idea that only Jeffrey Allen could develop. I started using it, so I'm working while interviewing and getting even more leads through the assignment.

This is a great way to instantly interview!

Instant Interviews helped me land three job interviews that resulted in three job offers. I was able to choose the one best for me not the other way around. Once I began telling people about my experience I had one friend ask to borrow the book and another went out and bought it. The same situation then happened to them. Can't say how amazing it feels to have something really work, not just give you hope that only leads to disappointment.

First, let me apologize for this rather long review. I wasn't even going to review Instant Interviews because it already is getting rave reviews. However, when I saw that someone claiming to be an "executive" gave it one star, I had to jump in.

I am a vice-president with a major corporation (six-figure income) , and have been using Instant Interviews religiously for several weeks. It is a paradigm shift from the way I have looked for a job before. Once you do it (even for a few days), you start getting into the rhythm of how it works.

The first thing you notice is that you don't have to rely on persistence that is often perceived as annoyance. When you get back from your day of interviewing, you have messages on your voice mail from "offerors". You do the callbacks very methodically using the simple filing system the book teaches. Other follow-ups are done at scheduled times, and again in a very methodical way that doesn't have you back in the counterproductive role of begging for the job.

Overall, I have noticed that I make far less follow-up calls, write less letters and send less e-mails. This is because the gamesmanship is gone, and I know where I stand much earlier. That means I don't waste precious interviewing time calling uninterested employers. As a result, I don't go through all the emotional ups and downs of trying to psychoanalyze people and politics I don't know.

The big difference with instantly interviewing is that you have total control. If it is not fun, I just go on to the next one. There is always a next one, and a next.

I noticed that this reviewing "executive" had some challenges with the follow-up procedures, so I decided to write this review. It didn't appear that she used them, and franky it didn't even appear that she read the book. She was giving advice, but she needs some too: go to amazon.com and buy a third-grade spelling book before attempting any follow-up in writing.

Nobody who ever used Instant Interviews could give it a one-star review. In fact, five stars just aren't enough for this one. So when you order the book, between your five stars and mine, let's help more people who really want to work.

I can tell you from 24 years of personal experience that Instant Interviews is the most thorough but concise book of its kind ever written. I have several lucrative offers I'm considering. The only reason I haven't accepted one is that I am involved in a major project at the office, and I want to wait until it is over next month.

I highly recommend Instant Interviews to you.