Foreword

I have run a successful international recruiting company, interviewed thousands of candidates, read dozens of books on interviewing, and attended numerous seminars on recruiting, interviewing, and career transition. Through all my years of experience in the recruiting industry and leading a global recruitment company, I have yet to find a single source that really teaches candidates how to win interviews. There are countless resources available that teach you how to get an interview or what to do after the interview. However, none of these resources detail what to do during the critical time you spend actually sitting across from the interviewer. There just is not much material out there that addresses this crucial aspect of the hiring process. Therefore, in an effort to assist anyone faced with an upcoming interview, I have decided to impart my years of experience to you with the hopes that you can win interviews and land your dream career.

Every day, thousands of interviews are won and lost. More often than not, they are lost. Once an interview is lost, there is seldom an opportunity to win it back, especially in this competitive marketplace where employers have numerous candidates for every open position. Even if you are the most qualified candidate, have the perfect resume, and possess the right background and career path for a particular opportunity; you may still lose the interview and the job if your interviewing skills are not sharp. As with any skill-based discipline, the more you practice, the better you will perform. The information in this book will teach you the skills required to win interviews.

I am not suggesting that you become a professional interviewer, but I do propose that when you enter into a career transition period, you do two things:

• Sharpen your interviewing skills so that you will be in a position to win every interview.

• Make your career transition your number-one priority. No window shopping or testing the market.

I know that many of you will not want to read the entire book, complete the SOAR (pg. 113) worksheet templates, or rehearse your responses. You’d rather just tear out the reference card in the back of the book and quickly scan it the morning of your interview, thinking you have it covered. Believe me, you will not perform as well as if you had read, practiced, rehearsed, and completed all the templates well in advance of your interviews. Remember the reference to the golfers… even if you hit a great shot every now and then, it does not mean that you are ready for the PGA Tour.

Through our global recruiting business, we have helped thousands of candidates reach their career goals by teaching them how to win interviews by using my proven technique—the SOAR Method. I am confident that if you practice and apply the SOAR Method and focus on your career search, you too will win your interviews and reach your career goals faster than you ever imagined.

Thanks! Enjoy the read and be sure to send me your success stories.