Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider's Guide to Landing Your First Job (Paperback)

by Brad Karsh (Author) "Let's be honest..." (more)
Key Phrases: Shocking Interview Confession, Shocking Resume Confession, Shocking Cover-Letter Confession (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A corporate recruiter tells why he says no-and how first-time job-hunters can get the yes.

A college grad has specific questions when trying to land the first job after school. How are just a few candidates chosen from a stack of hundreds of resumes? What exactly do recruiters want to hear in an interview? What are the common job-hunting mistakes students make time and time again? Confessions of a Recruiting Director gives the inside scoop on the entire hiring process- from a top recruiting director who's seen and heard it all-and delivers a specific, step-by-step approach to beating the odds.

Step 1: Resumes-how to pass the 15 Second Test
Step 2: Networking-how to use connections to get a job
Step 3: Cover Letters-why nine out of ten never get read
Step 4: Ace the Interview- the shocking truth about what recruiters want
Step 5: Thank-You Notes- making a lasting impression
Step 6: Follow Up-the fine line between persistence and stalking Plus: Real-life before-and-after resumes, cover letters, thank-you notes and the answers to ten necessary interview questions.

About the Author
Brad Karsh, "The Man Who Read 10,000 Resumes," was the Vice President and Director of Talent Acquisition at Leo Burnett, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Now, as president of JobBound, Karsh is the leading authority on what it takes to land your first job after college. His insider advice has been featured on CNN Headline News and CNBC, as well as in Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, Glamour, and the College Journal.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Press (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735204047
• ISBN-13: 978-0735204041
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #373,228 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice!, April 25, 2006

By	Rae (Alabama) - See all my reviews

The resume section of this book is amazing! It's direct and easy to understand, and it gave me the specific steps to dramatically improve my resume.

As a perfectionist and inquisitive college student, I was constantly bugging my professors and career center with questions on my job search. What should I include in my cover letter? Will my posted, online resume get noticed? Do I have to send all of the interviewers a thank-you note? How long should I wait before following up after an interview?

This book answers all of those questions and more - and my busy professors are very thankful!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the doom of job hunting, August 25, 2006

By	L. Li "2006victim#781439721087" (Riverside, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have just graduated college. Like many of my class I was thrilled at the graduation ceremony and celebrated the end of 16 year confinement callled "education." This joy was quickly replaced by my daily exercise of hair pulling about 2 weeks into my job hunting. I thought with a diploma from one of the top 5% college in the nation and skills such as trilingual should have no problem getting a job or catch the eye of the recruiter. Well I was wrong no recruiter probbaly even saw my resume.

About a month into the job hunting I really started to worry. I did what I always do when I run into a dead end. Went to the book store and started to do a little research to find out what I was doing wrong. Out of the entire section dedicated for "careers" this was the book that caught my eye. Instead of giving myself more headache going through thousands of resume samples or cover letter samples I wanted to know what exactly did the HR department do. I felt like at this point that they were just too lazy to look at any resume and just sit around did nothing. I was half right.

So instead of picking resumes that i could sample from a huge book that reminded me of the days of SAT, this book was able to give me ideas and explained some of the frustrating "WHY!!!!". About two weeks after I read it I manage to land a interview with the company of my choice and the position of my choice.

The book answers alot of the "myth" about the function of HR departments that I can finally lay it down.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important resource, May 18, 2006

By	B. Nittmo (Glenview, IL United States) - See all my reviews

As an employer, I found Mr. Karsh's book full of valuable advice for job candidates. Kids coming out of college are usually ill-prepared for the interview process, and this book contains lots of helpful hints on how to get your foot in the door, and how to get that job. This should be required reading for all college seniors!