Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+: Your Insider's Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress in the 21st Century (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Lucht, an executive recruiter during the past three decades for some of America's top corporations, knows what it takes to snag a new six-figure job. Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+ is his newly revised guide to the ins and outs of a search for a job that ends in success. It promises a "comprehensive cram course in accelerating your career"--a contemporary corporate equivalent of the traditional initiation into adulthood from which it takes its title--updated for the cyber-age. And it delivers, with Lucht offering inside tips on the basic routes to a new executive-level position: personal contacts (i.e., "ask for a reference instead of a job"); networking ("never fail to get into the office of anyone whose name is mentioned to you, never depart with less than three new names"); executive recruiters ("understand their hidden financial arrangements"); direct mail ("write to the CEO or a person two levels above your target job"); and the Internet ("insert plenty of the right 'keywords' so that the computer will find your resume"). Extensive online references are also included throughout, and the material is presented in a way that's easy to understand and implement. --Howard Rothman

Review

"John Lucht's book is about as complete as any book on this far- ranging subject possibly could be." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"This book is for anyone looking to change jobs, get a job or sit pretty!" -- Daily News

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 672 pages
• Publisher: Viceroy Press; 3rd edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0942785304
• ISBN-13: 978-0942785302
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,430 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you need to know about Executive Job Changing, January 18, 2002

By	"stnedwards" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

After 10 months of being an unemployed executive, I stumbled across this book. I wish someone had told me the 2 truths I am about to tell you! If you are an executive, do not -under any circumstances- contact a recruiter without reading this book. Secondly, do not -under any circumstances- post your resume on the Web without studying the chapter about the Internet. Let's face it, as an execuitve, it's sometimes feasible to sneak by pretending to know more than you do. But when it comes to getting your next job, what you don't know is detrimental. And all of the typical "get a better job" books don't cater to executives. Trust me, the time to get educated about the world of recruiting and executive level job changing is while you are still employed. And the place to get educated is Rites of Passage. Then just when you think you've gotten all possible benefit from the book, it's time to visit Lucht's Website, RiteSite.com for more. P.S. If you hadn't guessed, I credit using Rites of Passage and the Recruiter lists I downloaded from it's Website with helping me land my new job!

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Helpful Than a Parachute, October 25, 2001

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

First published in 1988 and then continuously updated since (for obvious reasons), this book really does provide what its subtitle promises: "The insider's lifetime guide to executive job-changing and faster career progress." Lucht organizes his material within 20 chapters which are sequenced in logical order, from "The Person in Charge" which explains how to manage one's career from college to retirement to "Expand Your Career by Expanding Yourself" in which Lucht provides excellent advice on how to establish and then nourish a wide and deep network of contacts. The reader is also provided with three appendices: "Behind the Scenes with the retainer Executive Recruiter", "Outstanding Retainer Executive Recruiters", and . "Sources of Information for a Job Search." The greatest value of the book is derived from Lucht"s advice, not from any sources to which he refers his reader, valuable though they certainly are. The key is to know which information is needed, why, and how to use it most effectively. I wish this book were available after I completed my formal education. I also regret that I was unaware of Lucht's insights and suggestions when making several major career decisions of my own. For those who are contacted by a recruiter or for others who fear that their career is lacking focus and direction, Lucht can be an invaluable advisor.

Many of us play golf, a game which has quite specific rules as well as generally accepted etiquette. Managing a career is really no different but many people do not know -- or least understand -- the rules and etiquette. Most professional golfers have a "swing doctor." I view Lucht as serving essentially the same purpose for business executives. Professional golfers vary in terms of their size, strength, "tournament tested" competition, athleticism, judgment, self-control, and commitment. The same is true of business executives. Therefore, it remains for each reader to complete a rigorous self-audit. Identify strengths and weaknesses. Set bold but realistic career objectives. Then select an appropriate combination of ideas, strategies, and tactics from among the abundance of material which Lucht so generously shares. This is not a "job-hunting manual." Rather, a comprehensive and cohesive guide to nourishing one's career by nourishing, in the process, one's self.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete career management book I have ever read., October 27, 2000

By	Walter W. Winkel III (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This is a complete revision of what was already by far the best book in the field. I know. I bought the original about 10 years ago. I also bought the prior complete revision of about 5 or 6 years ago. The others were excellent, but this one-"Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million +"- puts the others in the shade. Now, for the first time, it also covers the Internet as an executive career development tool. Today, if used knowingly, the Web can safely bring huge advantages. I find this book (like its predecessors) to be the quintessential guide to taking charge and managing one's career. Whether you are currently unemployed, employed but itching for something better, or you're just scanning the marketplace, this book is unlike any other I've seen. It is a reference guide, a "how-to" manual, and a collection of practical tactics and strategies to help you avoid common and potentially devastating pitfalls. This new edition's focus on the Internet and technology is superb. Knowledge of current technology, such as email and web-site navigation, has become table stakes in business today. Regardless of what your resume states, your actions can speak much louder to convey your true abilities. This new book provides a road map to safely using the Internet to save you lots of time and effort. Meanwhile, it also expands the proven inside information (from a top headhunter) on resume preparation, networking, interviewing, managing recruiters, and personal organization in the previous versions. As professionals, we get no classes in career management. We are left to learn these concepts on our own. "Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million +" is the only reference book I feel I can trust for this critical self-study course. Plus it's subtly humorous and fun to read.

Walter W. Winkel III Director of Corporate Acquisitions & General Counsel, Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.