Don't Wear Flip-Flops to Your Interview: And Other Obvious Tips That You Should Be Following to Get the Job You Want

by Paul Powers

“No question, this is the best book on job interviewing I’ve ever read. Concrete, practical advice in a fun-to-read format.”
—Kevin Harrington, former director, Career Services, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

“Dr. Paul Powers was the original answer man for job seekers on Monster. Don’t Wear Flip-Flops to Your Interview prepares success-minded people for that crucial encounter with great advice, helpful tips, and…a winning attitude.”
—Jeff Taylor, founder and chief monster of Monster.com

“With the wit and wisdom of experience, Powers delivers the goods. Before you set foot in your next job interview, you need to read this book!”
—Cheryl Richardson, best-selling author of Take Time for Your Life


When it comes to getting a job, the smallest thing can trip you up. For 30 years, Dr. Paul Powers has asked thousands of successful job hunters a few basic but important questions:

What do you wish someone had told you when you started your job search?
What (obvious or not-so-obvious) job hunting mistake will you never make again?
What job hunting tip, secret, or technique would you stress to your very best friend?
Don’t Wear Flip-Flops to Your Interview is packed with strategies and techniques that are practical, market proven, easy to use, and often humorous. Added to this powerful mix are the hard-won lessons from the personal experiences of thousands of professionals who have succeeded in the job-changing game.

Don’t Wear Flip-Flops to Your Interview takes you through every crucial step in your job search, from getting interviews and answering those really tricky questions to negotiating the best deal possible.

221 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2015

About the author

Dr. Paul Powers is a management psychologist, executive coach, and career expert, and a former US Marine. He formerly served as chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Psychologists, and received his degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Dr. Powers also helped to found the Management Corps for the Emerging East, a nonprofit initiative to send American business volunteers to work in enterprises of the republics of the former Soviet Union to assist in their transition to a free market economy with hands-on management skills and techniques. He speaks widely on career matters, and was a co-host of CareerTalk, a call-in show on a major Boston radio station.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a presentation by Dr. Powers I purchased this book. I have since read it and have done as he suggested: mark up ideas throughout the book, use the book in the process of the job search, and then share the book with another who's in their own job search.


I found the book to be handy, and in contrast to another reviewer, I found his writing style both humorous and engaging. To each his own, I guess.

In particular, I liked the heavy emphasis on the preparation for the interview and specific techniques that he offers to improve the outcome. The interview really is your best opportunity to win and his consolidation of ideas to prepare is very helpful.

Remember that the job search process is comprised of awful lows and occasional false highs, until you receive the job offer that you accept.

[Betty Bennett]

A reminder for those of us who long for the open communication we used to have with friend when we took time to visit each other or engage in shared activities. Facebook is no substitute for in person exchanges

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful, especially for those of us in professions outside business/ different work cultures.

[Mousekie Coose · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little outdated, even for publication year 2015 re social media and websites... But some useful interview tips nevertheless

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

good advice with slight humor

[DS · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this is common sense stuff. It is handy to have it all in one place, but I'm not sure if the author is really bringing anything new here. If you're in the midst of a job hunt and you want to be thorough, I'd recommend reading this to use as a checklist.

Oh, and I could've done without the times when the author was trying to be funny. He's not funny.

[Edward A. hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

I already subscribe to Paul's email list, but this expands upon it. Gives some excellent rock solid advice, not found elsewhere as well as expands and covers what other's in the field have written.

In my opinion one of the top 5 books I have read on job hunting.