Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider’s Guide to Landing Your First Job
Confessions of a Recruiting Director: The Insider’s Guide to Landing Your First Job
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.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Getting a job: where to start?
Brad Karsh’s book is a good place. It’s practical, straight-forward - often funny - and it works!
As a former recruiting director, Karsh has read 10,000+ resumes and knows the differences between what takes your resume to the next step and what sends it to the blue recycle bin.
- Write or re-write your resume so it gets attention? Check.
- Ditto your cover letter? Check.
- Networking tips? Check.
- How to impress at the interview? Oh, yeah.
How to recognize the line between persistent follow-up and stalking? Yes, that too (could be pretty important).
Plus more, including “before and after” resume examples and sample resumes for specific industries.
As someone who used to do hiring and firing (in advertising) I find this book spot on. I use it as the text for my Communication Studies internship class at the University of San Francisco - and suggest to students that this book, if read and taken seriously, can be the fuse that ignites their careers.
Nobody’s contradicted me yet.
GP
5 Stars Great Guide!
This book is great! I went to hear the author speak and right after bought this book. It has helped me a great deal with my interview process. It also gave me a great guide for my resume to get those interviews. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in college or out who is in the process of looking for a job/internship. This is a great resource!
3 Stars confessions of a recruiting director
The title promised more than it delivered. The most relevant admission that a recruiing director allow only 15 seconds scan of each resume was valuable. But beyond that the author cut and pasted pertinent resumes that are only marginally of interest. Superficial treatment.
5 Stars A must-read for college seniors!
In early March, when most of my friends were just starting to look for jobs, I had secured a great job with a great firm.
From start to finish, my job search took two weeks. With Karsh’s help, I rewrote my resume and cover letter, landed an interview and was offered the job two days later.
His book is well-written, smart and absolutely the best for helping college graduates. I even handed the book to several of my friends, who later found jobs by following his advice.
You aren’t meant to just copy and past the resumes and cover letters. Those should be original and from you, but the book gives you a few ideas.
4 Stars Invaluable examples
The most valuable part of this book was the before and after resumes toward the back. I purchased about twenty books through the course of looking for a job post graduation and this definitely had the best suggestions for how to make yourself stand out.
Filed under: Resume Writing Book Reviews