Customer Reviews

The Interview Rehearsal Book

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I went to the book store and grabbed just about every job interview help book they had, took them to a chair, and quickly read through each of them. With the exception of this book, they were all the same. They either gave you suggestions on how to answer certain questions (Who wants to memorize answers from a book? You could never remember them all, and if you did, you would just be giving answers that other people being interviewed are likely to give also. You want to stand out in your interview, not seem like everyone else!) OR they gave you suggestions on how to act (Do you really need a book to tell you to dress nice, don't belch, sit up straight, and don't bring relatives along?). THIS BOOK does neither of these things! What it does do is help you to gain self-confidence and other skills that will help you present yourself in the best way possible in order to convince your potential employer that YOU are the person they want to hire! No tricks, just ways of showing an interviewer all of the wonderful things about yourself that are relevant to the interviewer's needs and desires, all within a 15-20 minute interview. They reason that if actors can "sell themselves" to a Broadway producer in a two-minute audition during a cattle call, you can certainly sell yourself during a much longer interview. There are also activities in this book that will help you remember good things about yourself that would be great things to say to an interviewer. How to show them that you are the right person for the job, not just tell them! How to make them realize that you are just the person they are looking for!

Everytime I've been looking for a new job, I could find plenty of advice on how to write a resume, how to to put together my letter of introduction or the right steps with which to introduce myself and follow up, but, there was never anything that told me how to actually rehearse my interview (which makes everybody nervous, I don't care whether it's your first or your hundredth) and make it better before I even got there. It makes so much sense, but this is the first time I've seen a book that shows how to do it in a step by step way with concrete exercises that prepare you mentally and physically to show your best self to your potential employer. What I found especially helpful were the exercises in which I played the role of my own interviewer - looking at my own strengths and weaknesses from the other side of the desk. Other books tell you what an employer wants to see, this book tells you how to get there.

I was on the job market and just felt that I was doing something wrong. I'm a professional, a supervisor, and just couldn't figure out where I was stumbling. This book changed all of that. It opened my eyes, showed me hidden strengths, and got me the job offer I wanted -- for a higher salary than I had expected.

Many books tell you what to say during different situations. This book works because it helps you determine your unique strengths and how to best present them to potential employers. It's a quick read, too. I've recommended it to all my job hunting friends, from novice to experienced.

Don't even think twice. Get this book.

As a headhunter, interviewing is part of everyday. I coach candidates but I also recommend that they buy this book. Every interview book seems to focus on questions and how to answer them but this book goes beyond that and helps the candidate present themselves positively and with confidence in a high stress situation, an interview. It takes a lot of work to interview well but these skills easily transfer over to making presentations, selling your products or ideas or any time you are in a situation where you need to project your best image.

I think anybody who gets nervous in job interviews should read this book and do the preparation exercises it recommends. It's different from any other job interview book I've ever seen, in a good way. It's a real, step-by-step process for getting better at it, which was exactly what I personally needed. I haven't tried it out in a real interview yet, but I feel a heck of a lot more ready to do the one I have scheduled for next week, because I look at the whole thing in a whole new way now. If you get nervous in interviews, you should read this book because it will give you things to think about that will take your mind off of your nervousness. It's not about acting in a fake way at all. It's more about how to "act" in the best possible way in any interview scenario. If you do what this book says, you'll feel really PREPARED for whatever they throw at you. And it's actually funny and enjoyable to read.

Instead of reiterating all the rules we all already know, this book actually helps you develop the people skills that will get you the job. I work in the outplacement field and, from the moment I discovered it, I have referred the Interview Rehearsal Book to my clients--and many have seen big results almost immediately. A good read as well as an invaluable guide for jobseekers, this one is just what the doctor ordered in these difficult times.

After reading dozens of books and getting nowhere, I tried this book and found real success. Not only did I use it to get the perfect job for myself, but I also used it to get a raise and a promotion a short while later. Don't let the small size of the book discourage you. Believe me, this book is packed with everything you'll need for success. Buy this book! You won't be sorry.

I agree with other reviewers that The Interview Rehearsal Book offers a different and potentially better approach to interviewing. It gives readers tools and ideas for how to make the most of an interview; it does not force readers to memorize any long why-I-should-get-this-job answers to questions. In other words, it is broad in its approach, yet personalized enough for jobseekers to identify and strengthen individual areas of concern.

I also liked the tone of the book--it is reassuring and calm, surely what is necessary when one is preparing for an important interview and already jittery. I read this book while performing research for my own all-in-one book on how to land a great position.

I bought this book prior to an important interview. The theme of the book is that of compairing acting to interviewing. The book also insists that you have a partner to help you along with some of the excercises offered. I was disapointed with most of this. I didnt have time to coordinate "acting lessons" with a partner and I didnt need to learn how to act. I just wanted to gain some insight into the interview process, what interviewers are looking for, what to say, what not to say, etc. This book really didnt help very much. I was also disapointed that much of the suggestions in the book seem to be more anecdotal and common sense. He offers advice such as bringing a comb to the interview so you can make sure your hair is ok just before the interview and give a firm handshake to the interviewer.

The only people that I think this book would seriously help are those people with such severe acute anxiety that the interview process almost paralyzes them. I think the learning to act element of the book may help those people overcome this weakness.

From looking at the reviews it seems this book has helped many people and if you plan on buying it I also recomend buying a book that offers better advice on how to navigate through tough intervew questions. I bought Barrons 100+ answers to the toughest interview questions and it helped me immensely.

There is some useful information in this book, but it can perhaps fit on 10 pages. The only good advice is to have a rehearsal interview with a friend, and then switch roles, but you can kinda' figure it out from the book's title.

The author shares a couple of relaxing exercises with you... well, they do make you feel better, but it's not a trade secret. Just get on the Internet to pick you favorite ones.

Some basics are covered briefly - how to look for a job, how to do "homework" - know your character/assets/habits, etc. But it is not the best part of the book and other books do it better.

The rest of the book - about 90 percent of it - is about how to make yourself (and supposedly others) think how awesome you are. The author makes it your main focus. I couldn't escape some quite unpleasant "cheap" feeling when reading the book. Sample chapter titles: "Relaxing Your Voice", "Building Confidence", "Remember Success", "The Art of Persuasion", "Dyeing for the role", "A star is born"... Well, it makes you kind of confident, but it also makes you blindly confident. Once there, you stop being reasonable and adaptive which is not good for an interview. I think you will get a better performance by just being yourself rather than trying to pick up some tricks. An interview is not about how you look and sound, it's about your work skills - what you can do at the job. Your look does matter, but all you need is just make sure you don't look or sound weird, that's all.

This book may be somewhat useful for people who need to overcome the fear of their first interview. But it won't teach you how to use the best of you to get an offer.