Customer Reviews

60 Seconds & You're Hired

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is based on the idea that if you prepare for an interview properly, you will be hard to top in the selection process. The author of this book is regarded as one of the top career authorities in the nation. She suggests that the "60 second sell" (sometimes called an infomercial) is the most important part on the interview. The 60 second sell is a concise statement detailing the skills and qualities that would be most useful in working on the job one is interviewing for. The 60 second sell comes out of "a five point agenda" which are five statements regarding one's achievements that are relevent to the targeted position. The other information includes the types of questions one is likely to be asked, some suggested answers, questions you should ask, negotiating salary and pitfalls to avoid. If the information in this book is used the right way, I can't see why a person wouldn't get hired to any job he's qualified for.

I've been on many interviews over the years and failed miserably on some due to a lack of foresight and preparation. I really needed a book like this because there was so much that I was overlooking and now I can see exactly where I went wrong. I will study this book and prepare for my interviews accordingly. I would like to point out that the questions in the book and answers are not to be taken literally. Don't answer all interview questions by memorizing the answers given in this book. Use them only as guidelines to make up variations of the same questions and consider the suggested answers and use your best judgement.

While the book requires some soul-searching on the part of the reader, it isn't new-agey or hoakey. It gives practical advice on finding your strong points, then tailoring them to answer specific interview questions.

The salary tips are great, as is the section on questions to ask the interviewer. On my last interview, my now-boss kept saying how impressed she was with my "intelligent questions."

Overall, this book is easy to read, interesting and helpful. It's a keeper.

This book is VERY effective. I got the job I was applying for AND the additional salary thanks to Ryan's techniques. My roommates both got jobs they were applying for after I 'loaned' them my copy. Using Ryan's techniques, you can really turn those hard, off-the-wall questions into opportunities to show employers why you're the best job candidate. Pluses include the section of what NOT to say in interviews. I found myself guilty of a couple (I'm not telling which ones though!). Also liked the salary negotiation section, especially the part regarding when it's appropriate to bring up salary questions. This book's got great information that the average job seeker (myself included) just doesn't think of. It really gives you an advantage over the other job candidates. Don't be caught speechless, winding up saying the wrong thing again! Get this book, and I'll betcha you'll never leave another interview saying, "I can't believe I said that!"

My wife, my sister, and I have all used Robin's book and the techniques described therein. The results have been sensational. Every company we have interviewed with (total of 12) has come through with a job offer. Simply put, these techniques will make you better prepared than anyone else who is interviewing for the job.

This book helped me land my job. In fact, after a year of working here, my boss still remembers exactly what I said due to Robin's techniques. I knew how to answer all of the interview questions and which questions to ask. This book helped me to improve my interviewing confidence dramatically! I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to develop or improve their interviewing skills.

I've been on both sides of the desk -- that is, I've conducted plenty of job interviews when I was looking for staff, and I've been on frequent job interviews myself. Almost all the answers to job interview questions that Robin Ryan proposes are pat and shallow to the point of being virtually useless. If I asked a job candidate for his greatest weakness and he followed Ryan's glib, sugary suggestion ("I sometimes become so engrossed in my work I forget the time and work until late at night"), I would mentally disqualify the little brown-nosing dork on the spot.

This might be a great book if you're looking to get hired by a company that's looking for robotic worker bees -- the kind of place where a modicum of creativity is a grave liability instead of an asset. Job seekers who value their humanity and dignity should look elsewhere for advice.

As should those who appreciate the English language. As a writer, Ryan is as dull as a door knob, and I was driven to distraction by her continued use of the verb 'to question' (which implies doubt) when what she means is the perfectly neutral 'to ASK a question', or 'to inquire.'

I am a vocational counselor and had several interviews. I read this book the night before my first interview and composed my sixty second sell. I nailed all of the interviews including the first and have bought the book for friends who are now searching for new work.

(I just paid $13 for this book at Barnes and Noble the other day... gah I wish I had bought it here!)

The interview questions that Robin poses are ones that I have heard over and over again in interviews. I like the fact that she doesn't include "the top 1001 interview questions", and includes the ones which you are most likely to hear (in an order you would be likely to hear them as well). Some of Robin's answers to these questions were great - particularly the questions which are geared towards getting you to bad mouth a former boss and/or co-worker. I'm always very uncomfortable with those types of questions, and while the answers presented in the book are admittedly ways of making you appear aloof to the heart of the question... they do help you side-step a situation where you might otherwise be forced into speaking poorly of others, which isn't something you want to do during an interview. Having said that, there were some questions to which Robin's answers made me laugh out loud. You might score some points for creativity with a prospective boss though if you take all of her suggestions! :D Anyway, these days a lot of people in charge of hiring get into all of that "warm and fuzzy" stuff, and they might actually like an answer like the one below... "One of my faults is that I loose track of time and work late... blah blah blah" ha... I love it.

The 60 second sell, the 5 point agenda... both are very good tips. This aspect of the book is actually based on a common public relations strategy where you keep repeating your key points and incorporate them into every answer you give and every sentence that comes out of your mouth.

Overall, this book will help you prepare for an interview and will most likely keep you from being caught off-guard by some of the tricky interview questions you are bound to be asked. Whether or not you use the examples in the book is almost secondary to just knowing what questions to expect. Everything else in the book is solid and helpful, again it helps you prepare which is the key to a good interview.

My sister is in HR and she raved about this book as THE Interview guide. I used it the night before my big interview and found it easy to use & thought that her techniques-- especially the 60 Second Sell-- were superior to any I had seen. I was prepared, confident and I landed the job. Additionally, I used her Salary Negotiations techniques to secure a salary jump $10,000 higher than my last job. I'm living proof this book works --and if it worked for me it'll work for you.

This is an excellent "quick hit" interview book. I reccommend this book to anyone I know that is going for a job, or needs to brush up on their interview skills. Lots of books try to script your answers to typical interview questions. This book teaches you how to think on your feet during the interview itself. If you are interviewing. This is the book to get!