Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions (Paperback)

I've had good interviews before, but since it's 4 years since I did my last job search, I decided to get some good insight on the subject.


There were other books that I read trying to find a vision to help me overcome unexpected difficulties during an interview, but this one I bought just to get some quick answers into my head.

It turned out to be more than that. The author is not giving you answers to memorize. Instead, he explains why it is that the interviewer is asking you this particular question, an what he/she is looking for to be in the answer. The book opens up a new dimention before you for what initially seemed to be a simple (or stupid, or irrelevant) question.

The book also explains what parts the interview consists of, and what the purpose of each part is. For example, for the small talk part of it (which I realy hate and consider useless), he explains why it exists, what the goals are for the both parties, how to decipher the interviewer's behavior, and what topics to keep.

Examples for different industries are really helpful. The author is not teaching you cheap tricks. Instead, he makes yourself a very prepared interviewee, ready for the most prepared interviewer (and for the most unprepared, too). Different kinds of interviewers are also discussed.

For most of the subjects discussed in the book, some initial guidance is given of what exactly certain things discovered during the interview may mean. That gets you to a good starting point. We all know that your particular case is unique. And that is fine - it is easy enough to pick up from the point where the author left off.

I am half way through the book, and I found that I am reading slower over the last 10 to 15 pages. That is because the subjects discussed are rather interesting, and I am afraid to miss a thought or an image. In other words, I am more thinking than reading right now, and once I am done with the analysis, I look back in the book, and it gives me another subject to ponder on. That is amazing!

He also tries to give you some basics on how to get prepared to better (better to say - in a more relevant manner) present yourself, your skills, and your personal traits. I call this a "homework" for the interview. It is explained quite briefly. This is a whole topic for another book. I would recommend "Fearless Interviewing" by Marky Stein to help you have your homework done well.

All in all, a very good book. It is really making me feel the subject - that's the vision that I was looking for from other books.