Job interviews always keep aspiring candidates in a challenging position, which can also be very stressful. When you are at a job interview, you may face many unexpected problems, which is why you need to watch out for what you are thinking and saying.
If your responses become noteworthy for the interviewers, the entire interview can change your life. Therefore, you must be very careful and prepare enough for it.
However, preparing for a job interview is a challenging task, and there are several methods you need to follow to complete any job interview successfully. Having in-depth knowledge and understanding of your core competencies are necessary if you want to prepare for a job interview, and you can start the process by reading the best job interview books.
By going through a job interview book, you will understand how the job interview process works, your potential employer’s expectations, and how to tackle the interview questions. This article will discuss the best job interview books you can read before appearing for a job interview.
10 Top Selling Books On Amazon For Job Interviews
Here is a list of 10 top-selling books on Amazon for job interviews:
- "Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions" by Gayle McDowell
- "The Complete Guide to Job Interview Answers" by Ron Fry
- "What to Say in Every Job Interview: Word-for-Word Scripts for Acing the Interview" by Don Georgevich
- "501 Ways to Get Hired" by Dan Quillen
- "The Interview Doctor: A Guide to Job Interview Preparation" by Dr. Katherine L. Bouma
- "The Art of Interviewing: How to Ace Your Next Job Interview" by Peter Roberts
- "The Definitive Guide to Job Interview Questions and Answers" by Wendy S. Enelow and Louise Kursmark
- "Knock 'em Dead Job Interview: How to Turn Job Interviews into Job Offers" by Martin John Yate
- "Interview Success: A Practical Guide to Answering Tough Interview Questions" by Paul Powers
- "The Quick Guide to Job Interview Questions and Answers" by John Lees.
These books can provide valuable insights, tips, and strategies for preparing for and succeeding in job interviews. They cover a range of topics, from answering common interview questions to making a great first impression, and can be a useful resource for anyone looking to improve their interview skills and increase their chances of landing a job.
How You Can Search For Jobs
With the advent of the internet and social media platforms, searching for jobs has become easier. For example, multiple companies release notifications regarding job openings through their official websites, job listing sites, LinkedIn, etc. In addition, you can regularly search on the career section of the company websites, LinkedIn posts, etc., to apply for vacant job positions.
However, you must remember that while you are searching and applying for jobs, you must simultaneously prepare for the same. Therefore, you have to be ready and mentally prepared so that if a company or organization calls you up, you can confidently appear for the interviews.
What are the Job Interview Questions you can Expect?
A job interview is a process through which a company, entity, or organization recruits people who will work with or for them. Of course, any company or organization would want to use its resources in the most efficient way possible.
With a job interview process, companies try to recruit the right person for the right job.
While going through an interview, the main challenges faced by any candidate are the interview questions. Although you can certainly remember the common questions asked by the interviewer and prepare for the same, the process should continue because it is highly likely that you will be asked some unexpected questions that can land you in trouble.
Here are some common interview questions you will likely encounter when you opt for a job interview:
- Tell us something about yourself.
- Describe your educational and professional background in brief.
- How have you come to know about this position?
- What is your ideal type of work environment?
- How do you deal with a stressful situation?
- Do you prefer working independently or on a team?
- When you are managing multiple projects, how do you keep yourself organized?
- What are your salary expectations?
To crack a job interview successfully, you need to be ready for every interview question and, more importantly, mentally prepare yourself to face all those challenges. Reading the best job interview books is one way to prepare for a job interview.
By reading the job interview books, you will be able to understand the mentality of the interviewer and what kind of candidates they are searching for. Furthermore, these job interview books will also help you prepare psychologically (an extremely important factor you must consider).
How to deal with Job Interview Anxiety?
Before going to an interview, you can certainly ask 'how to deal with job interview anxiety?' It is natural for candidates to feel anxious; however, if you thoroughly prepare, you can overcome your anxiety or other emotional issues. Here are some tips you can follow to get rid of job interview-related anxiety issues:
Conduct Proper Research
The primary reason why a lot of candidates face job interview-related anxiety issues is that they do not know what to expect. To crack an interview successfully, you must be confident in yourself and your skills. In this scenario, conducting proper research will help you out.
For example, before going to an interview, you should research the employer, the company, the position you have applied for if you have the necessary skills and knowledge to handle the job, etc.
Inject Some Rationality into Yourself
According to CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, how we perceive a situation can cause us anxiety, not the situation itself. Therefore, you need to check with yourself if you have any negative thoughts (which can be the primary reason for your anxiety). For example, suppose you have been called for a job interview. In that case, you need to remember that the recruiter or the company has selected you because they think you are eligible and have the qualifications to handle the job.
You Need to Dress Well
Proper attire is also essential when you are giving an interview. Therefore, you should dress well and keep your clothes cleaned and ironed. But, more importantly, don’t wear uncomfortable clothes or shoes. Ideally, your attire should be comfortable enough while making your personality bright.
Keep on Practicing
Although research is extremely important in preparing for job interviews, you should pay attention to practising answers. A good way to eliminate job interview-related anxiety is by answering common interview questions and speaking to them out loud. If you prepare yourself in this manner, you will gain more confidence while facing the interviewers.
You can also try role-playing, where one of your acquaintances will be the interviewer, and you will answer the interview questions they ask. They will also be able to provide you with valuable feedback while mentioning the areas where you can improve yourself.
Psychology Behind Job Interviews & How To Get Past It
The psychology behind job interviews is complex and multi-faceted. On one hand, the interviewer is evaluating the candidate's qualifications, skills, and fit for the role. On the other hand, the candidate is also evaluating the company, the role, and the interviewer to determine if it is a good match.
Here are some key psychological factors to keep in mind during a job interview:
- First impressions count: Research has shown that interviewers form an opinion of a candidate within the first few minutes of the interview. This means that it's important to make a positive first impression, both in terms of your appearance and your behavior.
- Confidence matters: Confidence can be a key factor in making a good impression during a job interview. Being confident in your abilities and experiences can help you come across as a strong candidate who is capable of handling the responsibilities of the role.
- Nonverbal communication: Nonverbal cues such as body language, eye contact, and posture can be just as important as what you say during a job interview. Be mindful of how you present yourself, and aim to project confidence, enthusiasm, and engagement.
- Building rapport: Building rapport with the interviewer can be a key factor in creating a positive impression. This can be achieved by showing genuine interest in the company, the role, and the interviewer, and by being personable and approachable.
To get past the psychology of a job interview and make a positive impression, it's important to prepare well and practice your responses to common interview questions. Additionally, it can be helpful to focus on your strengths and accomplishments, and to be confident and honest in your responses. By being well-prepared, confident, and engaging, you can increase your chances of making a great impression and landing the job.
List of Books to Read Before Job Interview
If you are applied for a job and have been called out for the interview round, then we would recommend you the following books to read before a job interview:
The Art of the Interview: The Perfect Answers to Every Interview Question
If you are going to appear in an interview for the first time or are looking for a career change, then The Art of the Interview: The Perfect Answers to Every Interview Question is one of the must-read job interview books for you.
Authored by James Storey, this particular job interview-related book talks about resumes, questions asked by interviewers, realistic answers to interview questions, etc. More importantly, it talks about the primary expectations of an interviewer towards an interviewee.
A highlight point of The Art of the Interview: The Perfect Answers to Every Interview Question is that it covers emotional feelings candidates go through during an interview process, such as fear, nervousness, etc., through a storytelling method. A lot of MBA graduates who are preparing for job interviews read this book to get additional help.
Basic Interviewing Skills
The next book we recommend from our list of job interview books is Basic Interviewing Skills, authored by Raymond L. Gorden and published by Waveland Press Inc. This book is exceptionally written for both the interviewer and the interviewee.
Basic Interviewing Skills is a book that explores the interview process from the interviewer’s point of view. It also talks about how an interviewee can receive positive results step-by-step.
A unique feature of this book includes the Coding and Decoding of information, which means closely analyzing the question asked by the interviewer and the responses made by the interviewee. More importantly, this book offers the interviewees a model to improve themselves while preparing for future job interviews.
Success in Interview
In his book Success in Interview, Anand Ganguly has taken a more simplistic approach towards the entire interview process and how you can crack an interview. Published by RPH, it is among the best job interview books that you can easily understand.
More importantly, the book directly mentions the do’s and don’ts an interviewee should follow and what qualities are considered the best among interviewing candidates. Furthermore, topics like how to overcome nervousness, fear, etc., during an interview process are also mentioned in the book.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Although the title of the book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ may seem out of context, it is undoubtedly one of the best books ever written on how you can prepare for job interviews. Written by Dale Carnegie, this book was named one of the most influential books in 2011 by Time Magazine and globally, 30 million copies of this book were sold.
Originally written in the year 1937, the book is still relevant for today’s readers (although it has been revised quite a number of times). For an interviewee, How to Win Friends and Influence People can be of immense help because it teaches you how to better understand a person, increase your influence over them and finally become a better speaker by following the process.
60 Seconds and You’re Hired!
60 Seconds and You’re Hired! is a book authored by the best-selling author Robin Ryan. In this book, the writer explores how an interviewee can gain over the interview process and successfully land the job they have been aspiring for.
Furthermore, the author has shared his personal experience and observations throughout the book and mentioned them through different techniques. Another interesting fact about this book is that it focuses on your negotiation skills as well as things you need to avoid as an interviewee.
Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Interview Questions and Solutions
Written by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, Cracking the Coding Interview can be considered one of the best books you can refer to as an interviewee if you are a software developer by profession. In this book, you will come across general software programming questions along with their answers. Furthermore, McDowell, the author of this book, has also mentioned some common mistakes the candidates make during the interview process.
You will be able to find around 150 questions related to software development and programming. Additionally, the writer has also mentioned how you can tackle behavioural as well as technical questions. You can also receive insight into the interview process of big tech companies such as Meta, Google, etc.
By reading the above-mentioned best job interview books, you will be able to broaden your perspective on the interview process, which will enable you to better understand the interview questions and how to tackle unprecedented situations and challenges during the interview process.
If you require any further assistance, then please feel free to contact professional trainers and experts who can help you prepare for the interview process. SuperProf is an online platform where you will be able to come across the best professional trainers who will be able to help you through both online and offline classes (whatever method you prefer).
Sign up on Superprof to search for the best trainer who can help you out and train you so that you can give your best when the time comes.
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