Job Interviews for Dummies (Paperback)

by Joyce Lain Kennedy (Author) "Beat the drums!..." (more)
Key Phrases: regular status employment, online interview, deal moment, Cover Letters For Dummies, New York, Rave Answers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Appearance. Performance skills. Confidence. All are winning – and attainable – traits that will help you land the job you want. You can acquire these skills by perusing Job Interviews For Dummies. This revised edition incorporates a multitude of updates and covers all the bases in getting employers to say, You're the one!

Written for all job seekers – new entrants, midlevel people, very experienced individuals, and technical and non-technical job seekers – Job Interviews For Dummies is packed with the building blocks of show-stopping interviews. These range from strategies and techniques to sample dialogue and research tips. Interviewing for a job is kind of like a stage performance, and if you want metaphorical standing ovations, then follow the guidelines offered in these pages.

In this book, you'll explore the basics of interviewing, from how to dress to how to answer all sorts of questions – questions about you, your interest in the company, your experience, you education and training, your skills, your age, and questions they shouldn't ask but sometimes do anyway. You'll also uncover information about

• Practicing for your interview, and why it's so important
• Recognizing the mind games of job testing
• Wooing reviewers who give you references
• Identifying various interviewing scenarios you should expect
• Answering questions to sell yourself.
• Understanding the new interviewing technology, such as telephone interviews and video transmissions.

On the stress scale, interviewing for a job ranks with making speeches before a vegetable-throwing crowd. Stress is such a big issue that some interviewees take tranquilizers or beta blockers to reduce it. A better way exists: Master the job-interviewing process. Get the winning ways down pat, and you'll have a special kind of insurance the rest of your working days. This guide can help.

From the Back Cover
"Fresh. Fun. Up-to-date. Want a better job? Here’s the best of the job interview books!"
—Virginia Byrd, CEO, Career Balance

Grasp the 8 concepts that’ll make you an interview star

"The answer to any job seeker’s prayers."
—Gregory J. Walling, Partner, Walling, June & Associates – Executive Recruiters

Do interviews make your mouth go dry and your stomach do flipflops? Relax! Now revised with new tips, new examples, and expanded coverage of Internet research tools, this friendly guide shows you step-by-step how to prepare for a "ShowStopper" interview – and put on an Oscar-worthy performance that’ll land you an offer.

Praise for Joyce Lain Kennedy

"The dean of careers journalists. . . . Her expansive knowledge . . . enables her to reach both the novice and experienced job seeker."
– Robert J. Calvert Jr., Editor, Career Opportunities News

"If all new college graduates had a Joyce Lain Kennedy to guide them . . . there would certainly be fewer unfocused, frazzled, jobless people."
– Dr. Drema K. Howard, Director, Career Resource Center, University of South Florida

"Joyce Lain Kennedy is at the top of her field."
—Richard L. Knowdell, CEO, Career Planning and Adult Development Network

Discover how to:

• Research, rehearse, and get prepared
• Seize opportunities to sell yourself
• Handle tricky questions with flair
• Negotiate a great salary
• Shine in telephone and video interviews
• Avoid interview bloopers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (April 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552252
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552250
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #557,525 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the price of admission, December 16, 2000

By	Joe Buchberger (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This book's theme is that job interviewing is really performance art and how you can use it to get job offers. Throughout the book the case is made that the job interview should be approached much like an audition for a part in a play. Some of the most important traits needed to win the part are appearance, performance skills and confidence, and this book goes over them in an entertaining and easily readable fashion.

One thing I liked is the way each topic is covered and then tips are given to illustrate the ShowStopper way as well as the Show Flopper way, with breakout boxes discussing areas that are judgment calls in which the experts are divided and it's up to you to decide how one approach or another best fits your situation.

Doing your homework prior to the interview is stressed heavily, as is the obvious value of correcting any deficiencies you may have in your skill set or educational background. The ultimate answer to difficult questions about your qualifications or lack thereof is to either have those skills now or be working on getting them, so you can walk onstage with the confidence needed to land the part.

Joe Buchberger

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope other applicants don't read this book!, September 24, 2000

By A Customer

Job Interviews for Dummies is loaded with all the inside scoop information you need to successfully land that dream job! (Provided you're qualified for it). In fact, about the only thing Job Interviews for Dummies cannot tell you, are those rapport building, ice breaking conversation topics for your particular interviewee...does he/she like golf, dogs, etc. You'll have to figure those out on your own!

Job Interviews for Dummies clearly spells out what you should expect, and how you should prepare in order to have a successful job interview.

I highly recommend it!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, September 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Job Interviews for Dummies (For Dummies Series) (Paperback)

This book is definately worth reading if you are having bad luck getting hired because of lousy interviews or if you need some more self confidence. It offers good techniques for getting what you want out of an interview, namely the job that you are looking for with the benefits that you want. It's worth reading if you are in the market for a new job.