Read This Book To Win Job Interviews
Land a job you love and earn the money you deserve for yourself and your family
The Active Interviewing Strategy for Winning Interviews
"Radical Yet Practical"
Active Interviewing
A total job interview strategy
Interview with more confidence and greater clarity
Communicate your personal brand
Use the Active Interview strategy to identify your personal brand and then communicate your brand to the interviewer. Let them know you fit the culture and the team.
Develop a powerful interview presentation
Proactively let the interviewer know why they should hire you! An interview presentation communicates the information you want the interviewer to know without having to depend on the interviewer to ask the right questions.
Be fully prepared for any interview
Being prepared for an interview is both challenging and critical. Active Interviewing is the best interview preparation strategy available today. Use Active Interviewing to know how to prepare, what to prepare and how to impress your interviewer.
Amazon Reader Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars "Buy this book!!!!"
"My husband was laid off for six months. I purchased this book and within a month he had two job offers. Then I graduated from college and got the first job I interviewed for. We didn't use all of the methods in this book but the book helped develop skills needed to feel confident and well informed during the interview. If you are deciding what you want to do I suggest this book along with How To Get a Job with any Major by Donald Asher. These two books together help identify skill sets and market your skills in a way that will get you noticed. If you are looking for work this book is a great investment!"
5.0 out of 5 stars"Buy this book if you are serious about landing your next job"
"This book is a great resource for anyone looking to land a job in the ever more competitive job market. I was offered a great paying job after applying the techniques taught in this book. My job offer came a week after the interview."
5.0 out of 5 stars "Fantastic book!"
"I knew I had the job when the interviewer told me to be sure to bring along my iBest presentation when I came back to interview with his boss. It worked! I had the job offer within a very short time."
5.0 out of 5 stars "Using this book resulted in 4 job offers out of 4 job applications"
A very long story short, I have applied everything in this book on 4 job applications for sales positions:
Note: all 4 companies were companies:
- with high hiring standards
- I would love to work for given their service and brand awareness
- With sales positions for which competition was very high given the indicated salary and generous terms of employment
The results were amazing. I got offered the job on all 4 occasions and was in a position to review and compare 4 job offers from 4 companies that where absolutely fascinated with my level of preparation, motivation and delivery. Better yet, during my conversations with HR, commercial directors and CEO's they could already think of additional contributions I could take on within their organization 1 to 5 years down the road. They could do so because of the elements I presented during my interview presentations. I literally soared through 4 hiring processes that are usually considered to be very stressful. However make no mistake, you will have to put in the time to prepare yourself and your presentation.
The most satisfying part:
- I accepted the job offer that came with the highest salary and terms of employment
- It was with a company that I applied for less than a year ago. During my first attempt I got rejected because they considered me to be 'too junior' for this 'senior' sales position.
- I got hired even though I DID NOT meet the educational requirements of the position
It feels really good knowing you can create an abundance of opportunities for yourself at will. Especially in a time where everyone is complaining about the difficulty of finding a good paying and energizing job. It has proven me once again that you can always take matters in your own hands, if you just make the time and energy to look for the right knowledge and APPLY IT.
Right now I am very happy with the job I've taken on. However, the whole fear/illusion of job security doesn't phase me because I know that when the time comes, I will be able to create new opportunities for myself. I have recommended this book to everyone I know and I will use it every time when I consider applying for a new position.
5.0 out of 5 stars "A great book that focuses on fixing interview problems, treating the job search as a sales process where you are the salesperson"
First of all... a description of what this book is NOT about. This book is not about how and where to look for a job; there are dozens of books covering that topic. This book is not about how to write a good resume and the different resume formats that you may use; there are dozens of resume how-to books. This book does not include a laundry list of hundreds of possible interview questions with suggested ways to answer those questions; there are dozens of books covering that topic. This book focuses entirely on the interview process, treating the job search as a sales process and the interview as a sales call where you are selling a brand named "Me, Inc." Eric uses his background as a clinical psychologist to thoroughly consider all of the many psychological aspects that go into the hiring process; you essentially want to remove or minimize fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the hiring manager. So much of this book is modeled around the concept of the interview process being a sales call, with all of the sales considerations that must be taken into account before, during, and after the interview.
Even though this book (and author Eric Kramer's so-called interviewing technique) is titled "Active Interviewing", after reading this book, I think that "Proactive Interviewing" is possibly a more fitting title. Throughout the book, Kramer takes the stance that you cannot just be the passive interviewee, answering each interview question as it is thrown at you. There are a plethora of interview books on the market that are nothing but a huge list of interview questions, with instructions on how to answer each question. But taking an anticipatory approach to interviewing also means addressing issues before, during, and after the interview that proactively fixes potential problems that may prevent you from getting the job.
Using his background in psychology, Eric talks about how to be an effective salesperson during an interview, how to listen, ask powerful questions that go beyond the basic inquiries, how to handle your emotions, interact professionally, and tell stories and anecdotes that are persuasive. An entire chapter is devoted to creating your personal brand, both online and mentally in how you visualize yourself.
Overall, this is a very good book on interviewing effectively. All information in this book is very useful in helping you win both the hearts and minds of the interviewers.
4.0 out of 5 stars "Good advice for job seekers but I wish for downloadable content"
QUICK SUMMARY: I enjoyed reading this book on "active interviewing", especially since I've been out of the job-seeking market for a long, long time. The advice is practical, pragmatic and actionable. I created my own presentation while reading this book. I do wish it had less pictures of Powerpoint slides, and made that content available on an accompanying CD-ROM.
WHAT I LIKE:
- Easy to read, easy to understand
- Takes only a few hours to read and put this into practice
- Detailed enough to cover a lot of area with sufficient depth (creating your brand, identifying your value-adds)
- In some cases, the author provides very precise instructions on what to ask and do during an interview
- The example presentations are nice to draw from as you create your own presentation
- The author's approach is to explain what's wrong about the current job-seeking process, and then offers his perspective on how to overcome the many disadvantages for the job-seeker.
- I found that the author provided useful motiviation, and his techniques were easy enough for anyone to follow
- I liked Appendix C, Content Libraries, for helping to cull buzzwords and strategic ideas for one's own use
WHAT COULD BE BETTER:
- I wish the book had a CD-ROM with examples and templates for creating one's own interview presentation
- Similarly, having worksheets built-in to the pages of the book make it less useful than providing Word document templates that can be re-used and easily edited using a computer
CONCLUSION: I think this book's approach gives a definite edge to a job-seeker, and would help him or her distinguish him/herself from the crowd. Recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars "Excellent Advice On How To Stand out"
"Today with the economy in the state it is, it's important to stand out. This book is all about how to make yourself, well, stand out from the crowd and land the job you want.
Getting that new job isn't just mailing a copy of your resume to HR, waiting for a call back, and then answering some questions from a guy behind a desk. For better or worse, things have changed and the hiring guys are buried alive in dozens if not hundreds of resume for any open position. Here's a tip, make sure your resume is PERFECT. It's a long story, but I got to help pick out my replacement when I moved jobs. Applicants were so tight that people were thrown out for bad punctuation, any misspelled word, and in one case for starting a sentence in the present tense and ending in the future tense.
Once your resume and cover letter are perfect, that just gets you in the door. That's where this book helps you sell yourself. You need to treat yourself like a commodity. You aren't applying for a position, you're solving a problem for an employer. If you do the right job, you might even modify the position, enlarge it, or even get them to create a brand new one they didn't realize they needed. I can't say this book will give you a magic bullet to get a job, but it could certainly be a part of it.
Will it work for everything, maybe not. I can see some jobs where some of the ideas in the book may possibly not work, but if you're in them you'd certainly realize that anyway and be able to still glean enough good stuff to make it worthwhile."
5.0 out of 5 stars "Active Interviewing is Great!"
"Active Interviewing is a great book. In today's climate, job seekers need as much help as they can get. Things have changed and it is not enough to simply send out a resume anymore. This book definitely gives you an advantage when it comes to finding a new job. It is written in a straightforward, easy-to-understand format which I really like. While it is a large book (8 1/2 x 11, and almost 300 pages) it is a quicker read than it first appears. The author has broken the information down into many smaller sections which makes it easy to digest the truckload of information which this book contains. To me, this makes it easier to use and to comprehend the points that Mr. Kramer is trying to get across to potential job seekers.
This book is packed full of great tips about branding yourself, selling yourself to potential employers, and how to successfully present yourself during the interview process. Active Interviewing contain much too much information for me to try to list everything it covers in this review, so I will simply say that it is totally complete. I can't think of anything that this book leaves out. If you are looking for a job or just thinking of changing positions, I believe that you will find that this book has much to offer you and is well worth the price. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going through the process of finding a new job. In my opinion, this book could just give you the edge that you need to be in control of your own destiny in the job market. Highly recommended! 5 Stars!"
5.0 out of 5 stars"This book WILL get you a job position"
"It has been 18 years since I was in the outside workforce and find myself in a position now to get back out there. After just one interview it became clear that things have changed. There are no more "cookie cutter" interview approaches. The social media technology of today alone changes the interview process.
Active Interviewing is not a book that gives you stock answers to basic interview questions. Active Interviewing is an entire COURSE that teaches you how to not only gain the confidence during an interview to land a great position, it also goes beyond by guiding you through the steps of after the interview as well as salary and benefit negotiations.
The course is broken down into 17 different classes (chapters) that fully prepare you to present yourself in a confident and professional manner to any market for which you are applying. There are classic techniques such as "Ask Open Ended Questions" and there are techniques I would not have thought of 18 years ago such as "Use an Interview Presentation" that actually makes your case to the interviewer as to why you should be hired instead of you just telling them by answering questions.
This is the only interview book you will ever need to buy. The pages in mine are already filled with yellow highlighter and I am looking forward to my next interview. I can confidently say that this next interview will be my last with the help of Active Interviewing."
5.0 out of 5 stars"It works"
"My wife had been looking for a job for months. I got her this book. She read it, and said, "This book actually taught me a lot about interviewing. I learned how to organize myself for an interview, but most importantly, how to think about the interview process differently."
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The next job she interviewed for after reading this book resulted in an offer and she has been employed there since.
Will it work for you? Was it coincidence? I saw her off to this interview and she had a confidence she had not previously evinced. And she came home with the same confidence, and she got the job offer. I suspect that the book was one small factor in her getting the job, but I believe it was a factor.
Personally, at this point in my life, I am retired, but the techniques she mentioned from the book were techniques I used when I interviewed. I thought of them as common sense, but many people just let themselves drift through an interview. I was told by at least one manager that had I let him control the entire interview while remaining passive, I would not have been hired."
5.0 out of 5 stars "Excellent book"
"Eric Kramer has hit the nail on the head. The approach I fully agree with. How to market yourself. What's your brand image, how will you present that, and sell yourself.
The book is a must read for interviewees. I myself want to begin soon, and am being greatly helped by this book. I have already created a brand image for myself, a selling point presentation and have tailored my resume and cover letter. The book is very powerful. Follow it, work hard, do create a presentation to market your own brand."
5.0 out of 5 stars "Fresh new techniques"
"This is a great tool and provides strategies to change the basic dynamics of job hunting and offers a contemporary new outlook on interviewing. Authored by Eric Kramer and written for job seekers at every professional level. The book offers strategies and tools that are easy to understand and implement. The content within this book will help you to actively communicate your background and experience, and identify how it is relevant to the requirements posted for a particular position. This book offers more than just focusing on typical interview suggestions, what to wear, how to give a good handshake and how to project a positive attitude, it focuses on higher-level strategies that have been proven to help with interviewing. Highly recommend to those looking for a new position or planning to look for a new position in the future."
Eric Kramer, Author
I am dedicated to helping you find a job you love and earn the money you deserve
About the Author
An accomplished career coach and consultant, Eric has used his clinical psychology background and extensive business experience to help thousands of individuals manage and advance their careers. Eric started his career as a clinical psychologist before becoming a thriving entrepreneur in software development and then a sought-after career consultant. He has worked for both large and small companies, including serving as senior career consultant and career center manager for two of the country’s largest career transition firms. As a senior consultant, Eric worked with hundreds of job searchers individually and in groups teaching them job search skills and coaching them through their interviews. Based on his background in psychology and through his work with transitioning professionals, Eric has become a career expert.
Eric has authored three books, ”Active Interviewing: Branding, Selling and Presenting Yourself to Win your Next Job” “ 1001 Interview Strategies ” and “ 1001 Networking Strategies” . Eric is the developer of the InterviewBest Interview Presentation- www.interviewbest.com – Tweets as @InterviewBest and has numerous interview videos on youtube at EricKramer
Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Hartford and a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology from American University. He is trained in Positive Psychology Coaching and is licensed as a psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania.
Eric's Other Books
101 Successful Interviewing StrategiesQuick effective strategies that will dramatically improve your interviews
Interviewing Techniques That Use the Latest in Psychological Research
Congratulations! You landed an interview, and now you have a great opportunity to get the job. Interviews are always a challenge; however with good preparation, a set of winning thoughts, and a strategy to win you will impress the interviewer, beat your competition, and win the interview. Winning your interview will require powerfully communicating your qualifications for the job combined with the right interviewing behaviors. You’re invited to the interview, so your qualifications and background are solid. Now all you have to do is start thinking the right way about your interview so you can communicate clearly and perform interview winning behaviors.
Doing the right behaviors becomes far easier when you think the right thoughts. Correct thinking leads to correct doing. For example, to act confident, you have to think positive; to respond to tough interview questions correctly, you have to think about your goals when answering. This book will give you the right mental attitude by suggesting ways to think, followed by quick to learn easy to implement strategies you can put into action to win the interview and land the job.
Good luck on your interview!
Examples of 101 Interviewing Strategies
Easily learned What to Think/What to Do Job Interview Strategies
Project a Positive Attitude
What to Think -
Companies are hiring for attitude. The idea is that they can’t transform even the most knowledgeable person into a good employee if they have the wrong temperament.
What to Do -
Focus on communicating your attitude of self-motivation and commitment, and your goal of building good working relationships. Don't focus only on your skills and specific knowledge of the job. Present yourself as someone who will be a good employee, someone other people in the office will like, and someone about whom the hiring manager will not have to worry.
Don’t Try to Fit Perfectly
What to think -
There is rarely a time when a company finds an applicant who is absolutely perfect for the job. Each applicant has a mixture of strengths and weaknesses, and the company will select the applicant with the best fit.
What to Do -
Don’t approach the interview thinking that you have to present yourself as someone who is a perfect match for the job. When asked about your background and skills, talk honestly about your experiences. As the interview progresses, talk about the areas where you are a terrific fit for the job, as well as other areas where you would have to quickly attain new skills or knowledge. Your interviewer will appreciate that you’re not trying to misrepresent yourself and are realistic about your fit with the position.
Sell Yourself
What to Think
- Interviews are basically a sales situation. The buyer (hiring manager) is motivated to buy (hire) and is looking for the best product (applicant) that meets his or her needs. Buyers will shop around (interview), compare products (applicants), and make a buying decision (hire).
What to Do
- Think like a salesperson. Ask good questions to understand what the company is looking for in an employee, and then link your features and benefits (skills and knowledge) to their needs. At the end of the sales pitch (interview), like any good salesperson, ask for the sale (position).
Be a Solution to the Problem
What to Think
- Consider a hiring situation like this: The hiring manager has a problem and the person being hired needs to fix it. The problem may be as simple as being shorthanded or as complicated as a declining stock price.
What to Do
-
First, either in the interview or through your research, determine the problem. Then present yourself in terms of how you can solve it.
Focus on the Future
What to Think
- Employers are interested in the future; resumes are the past. There is a tendency for applicants to lean too heavily on the resume and talk about what they have done in the past. A good, solid resume gets you the interview. Then the focus is on what you can do for the company moving forward.
What to Do
- Focus on your performance on the prospective job. Project into the future exactly how you will perform the responsibilities of the job and how you will contribute to the company. Remember, stay future-focused.
101 Successful Networking Strategies
Quick easy strategies that will improve your networking right away
Networking is simply the art of building relationships - relationships with people with whom we exchange support, information, connections, ideas, and a sense of belonging.
I wrote this book to help you quickly learn easy strategies for networking success. 101 Successful Networking Strategies is based on the principle that thinking enables behavior. In other words, doing the right things becomes far easier when you think the right thoughts. Each think/do strategy in this book will first suggest a way to think, then guide you about what to do.
After reading this book, you will find networking much easier and more comfortable. And as you become more comfortable, you will do even more networking, leading to even more life and career success.
Good luck with your networking.
Examples of What to Think - What to Do Networking Strategies
We Are All linked at the Brain
What to Think
- Neuroscientists have discovered that our emotional states influence what others are feeling and thinking. This suggests a new way of looking at social interactions ranging from casual networking encounters to relations with those we love. We create beneficial emotional states in other people.
What to Do
- First, be aware that your emotional state affects others. Being upbeat and positive creates positive emotions in others. Being negative and critical creates stress and discomfort in others. Helping others feel good about themselves is an avenue to realizing your own goals. Also, be aware of others with whom you are in contact. If they are positive, they will help nurture you. If they are negative, they will bring you down. Choose to be with upbeat, positive people. You will be energized!
Shyness Is What You Do, Not Who You Are
What to Think
- Nobody is shy in every aspect of his or her life. Even the 30 percent of us who qualify as shy feel completely comfortable with family and friends. Shyness is defined as the tendency to feel awkward during social interactions, particularly with strangers. This awkwardness results in shy behavior, including difficulty talking with others, feelings of anxiety, averted gaze, hunched shoulders, avoidance of social situations, and limited networks. The good news is shyness is learned - meaning it can be unlearned, too.
What to Do
- Practice the behaviors of outgoing people. Learn a good handshake, practice small talk, and learn to be likeable and to be interested in others. Interestingly, some research shows that socializing online on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn helps some people to be less shy in the real world. It’s worth a try!
Guard Your Networking Reputation
What to Think
- Networks are composed of connected people. Networks talk and communicate information quickly and effectively. When you are an active networker, your reputation is particularly well known. The bigger your network, the more widely your reputation is communicated.
What to Do
- Guard your reputation very carefully. Be extremely careful to maintain integrity by not gossiping, by being true to your word, and by not misrepresenting yourself. The people with whom you network will quickly communicate how you treated them, your attitude, and the type of information you shared. The old adage, “If you can’t say something good about a person, don’t say anything at all” is particularly important in networking. Also, if you promise to do something for a person, be sure to follow through.
Give People Something to Relate To
What to Think
- Many people find it challenging to make small talk. Small talk is easier when people know something about each other and can ask questions based on their knowledge.
What to Do
- Be sure to give “free” information that others can relate to. Tell them where you are from, what you do, or your favorite activities. The more you self-disclose, the easier it is for others to think of something to say - and the more comfortable they will be speaking with you.