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

by Marky Stein (Author) "Tim was the head of a lighting crew for a local television news station in Salt Lake City, Utah..." (more)
Key Phrases: skills arsenal, bargaining factors, salary discussion, New York, Jerry Aronson, Department of Labor (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A proactive new strategy for removing anxiety, and regaining control, throughout the job interview process

"Marky Stein's book is wonderful. She gives us a thorough analysis of the whole interviewing process. Fearless Interviewing is clear, kind, and full of good advice.... Highly recommended."­­Barbara Sher, author of Live the Life That You Love

A job interview is one of life's most stressful and challenging experiences. Fearless Interviewing presents a strategic approach to interviewing, one that tips the scales back in favor of the job applicant. It provides useful advice on all aspects of the interviewing process, including how to:

• Dazzle interviewers in the first 20 seconds

• Handle tough interview questions with ease

• Command a salary up to 20 percent higher

About the Author

Marky Stein is founder and president of a successful career counseling and consulting firm. A frequent speaker at career development conferences, she has written for national publications and websites, including The Wall Street Journal, iVillage, and Career Source.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071408843
• ISBN-13: 978-0071408844
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #153,639 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful advice for a stressful time!, June 19, 2005

By	Stacey M Jones (Conway, Ark.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for every interview, April 27, 2004

By	Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book that got me not 1 offer but TWO., August 3, 2004

By	Satisfied "Julie" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

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!