These 2 Books Will Boost Your Job Interview Success Rate

Job Search is a Pain in the neck. It’s not easy to apply. It’s not easy to get an interview, and it’s not easy to negotiate an offer.

Here’re the two best job search books and job interview prep books (with my reviews).

1. Knock ’em Dead – The Ultimate Job Search Book
2. What is Color of Your Parachute – A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

Trust me on this.

I have interacted with 1000’s of job seekers (students on F1 Visa to H4 EAD spouses to H1B Visa holders). I can classify the job seekers into two categories

• Natural Job Search Pro
• Blind Dart Thrower

The vast majority of those who search for jobs fall under “Blind Dart Thrower”.

Assume that each spot on the dart board is a job that you can apply, attend the interview. Your Dream Job is the Inner Bulls Eye. Jobs at the outer edge of the board is just a job that you are happy to have one by luck.

Natural Job Search Pro:

• They aim for Inner Bulls Eye
• Have the plan to get that dream job
• They know what kind of job they want
• They Work towards finding their dream job.
• They apply to a handful of jobs that falls under bulls eye.

Blind Dart Thrower:

• They are happy to have any job on the board
• They are throwing darts all over the place (even outside the board)
• Plan? What the heck is a plan? ZERO plan in place.
• They are Happy to have a job ( even less than 10% relevant to their career)

But, here’s the thing. Job search process is a demotivating and depressing process. And It’s tough to stay motived.

Here’s one more thing. You don’t have to Super Job Search Pro. Even if you can hit outer bulls eyes consistently, you are far better equipped to find a job than others. You can train yourself to hit the inner bullseye consistently, i.e. acquire the job search skills and become good at it. So, how do you get those skills?

You can read the book, hire a job search coach to an online course (depending on your budget and belief).

There’re several job search books out there. There’s even a 300-page book on how to just answer one single question “Tell Me About Yourself.” But the following two books should give you the head start that you need to ace your job search.

1. Knock ’em Dead – The Ultimate Job Search Book
2. What is Color of Your Parachute – A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

Knock’em Dead – Ultimate Job Search Guide

Before I did my first job interview (to hire), my manager gave me  tips and what to look for in a candidate while interviewing.

Guess what? I read the same tips in Knock ’em Dead when I was applying for jobs.

But there is this one particular tip that will help you control the flow of the interview. If you can control the interview, then you are very likely to get the job. But, it’s a skill. It’s not easy to walk to an interview and control the flow of the inteview. First, you need to know the concepts; then you need to be prepare, practice and execute it.

So, if you want to know that secret tip, then you should invest $10 to buy  Knock ’em Dead – The Ultimate Job Search Book.

The book also includes frequently asked interview questions, expected answers by the interviewer with examples.

For instance, “Tell me about yourself?” question is usually the first questions asked during a job interview.

You cannot find a better and creative answer than the one listed in the book that you can adopt to your needs.

This book will help any “Blind Dart Thrower” least aim towards inner bullseye or successfully get the job once you are invited for the in-person interview. But, how do you get the Dream Job – The Inner Bulls Eye job?

What is Color of Your Parachute

Being an expert job seeker requires a special set of skills that you need to learn, practice and become an expert. Even fo a Natural Job Seeker, it takes time and practice to become an expert. That’s where What is Color of Your Parachute comes into the picture.

Don’t buy this book if you are looking to become a job search expert overnight. Take your time to read, understand the concepts, do a self-evaluation, then create a plan.

It can take a lot of time to get into the “Peak Job Search State” and there’s going to be some sad times during your job search. This book will keep you on track. This will show you what to expect, when and how you can handle various situations.

Summary:

If you are applying for jobs for the first time here in the U.S., then you SHOULD own both the books. These are the two best job serch books out there. Don’t borrow this books from a library. This is something you need to have it on your shelf. Scribble and take notes while you read.

• Knock ’em Dead – The Ultimate Job Search Book
• What is Color of Your Parachute – A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers