The First 60 Seconds: Win the Job Interview before It Begins

by Dan Burns

An innovative, number-based approach that gives the reader instant interviewing results.

Most candidates don't know that in the first 60 seconds, interviewers can decide whether the candidate will be moved to the top of the list... or dropped from consideration.

The First 60 Seconds is an innovative book that shows job seekers how best to impress in that crucial first minute and gives strategies to constantly differentiate themselves from the competition. From preparing a credentials package to connecting with the interviewer, candidates will learn how to set themselves apart every time - especially essential with a 5% national unemployment rate.

Plus, readers will learn to tackle:

*The 60 Days before the Interview

*The Next 60 Minutes (after the First 60 Seconds)

*The Close and the Follow-Up
*The 60-Month Career Plan

For new job seekers or those out on the market after years of steady employment, this book gives them the best tools to get the job in today's tight market.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Dan Burns is the author of seven books, including the novels A Fine Line and Recalled to Life, and the short story collections Grace: Stories and a Novella and No Turning Back: Stories. He is also an award-winning writer of stories for the screen and stage. A Necessary Explosion: Collected Poems is his first poetry collection, fifteen years in the making.

Reviews

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The First 60 Seconds” is subtitled “Win the Job Interview Before It Begins” but it could be subtitled, “How To Get a Job Even if You Don’t Have the Sense That God Gave to Most People” or even, “How To Get a Job Even if Your Mother Never Taught You Nothing”
Much of the advice on offer is just common sense or good manners. That said, this is an excellent resource if you’re the intended audience. You know who you are.
The author repeatedly stresses that there will be many qualified candidates for any job that you apply for, and it is to your benefit to differentiate yourself from the other applicants.
One way to accomplish this goal is to demonstrate superior communication skills. Your resume should be tailored specifically to match up with to exact wording of the job description. Prior to an interview, you should enlist someone to conduct a mock interview, so that you are comfortable answering questions about your credentials. You should practice speaking audibly, making eye contact, sitting up straight, smiling genuinely, and giving a firm, two second handshake. Stick to relevant topics, don’t broach politics, religion or sex. Don’t lie. Don’t bad-mouth past employers.
Your grooming and presentation at the interview can communicate how serious you are about getting the job, according to the author. He gives very specific directives: Black shoes, belt and purse. Wear dark colors. Make sure your sleeves are of an appropriate length. Iron and lint brush your outfit. There should be no stains on your suit coat. And also – this is a direct quote – “The interview is no place for a backpack.” And furthermore –“Do not use neckwear to make a statement of any kind”.
Another way to stand out from the herd is by expressing your personality. The author suggests sending a Personality Profile along with your resume and cover letter. This Profile should include information about your “passions”, hobbies, and personal life. This, to me, seems like over-sharing. Does your potential boss care about your flugelhorn playing? Your unicycling? And there’s a reason you don’t traditionally tell potential employers about your small children or your religious affiliation - it’s fodder for discrimination.
Bottom line: This book tells you all the things that you would already know about professional conduct if you weren’t raised by wolves. Wolf-offspring, rejoice.

[Samantha Melendez · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit archaic at times, but I understand the author’s point of view. Book was written more from the point of an external applicant than an internal one. I was hoping for a little more reference to the actual questioning / interviewing.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm in the midst of a job search and have been reading a bunch of books of writing resumes, job-searching, etc. Every book has its own style, its own suggestions, among which there is lots of overlap. This one contains a lot of information I had already gained: know the company you are applying to, gear the resume towards the listing, give real-world examples to prove your qualifications, etc. The main difference is the level of detail Burns brings to the jobsearch process, in addition to thinking in terms of preparation and planning for your career. His credential package concept could easily be condensed into the resume, but otherwise it's a great idea for thinking about how to present yourself to an employer.

But this is definitely not a book on writing resumes. Nor will it show you how to write a cover letter. There are certainly details on how to go about doing so, but otherwise these sections are pretty scant. This book is really about putting together and presenting a complete package, then using that package in context of an interview. The portions on interviewing are more detailed and by themselves would be worth recommending.

After the hypothetical landing of the job, Burns goes further into how to apply his style of planning to long-term career and encourages the reader to think of learning as a continuous thing. All in all pretty damn encouraging (though he thankfully avoids the goofy humor some books happily resort to). Though I began the book frustrated with the same ol', I finished full of new ideas to apply to my job search and the encouragement to keep chugging ahead.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book for preparing for interviews, used grey boxes to highlight key points and summaries at the end of each chapter. talks about the entire process from applying for jobs, preparing documents, through types of interviews, questions to ask prospective employers to what to do after the interview is over.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is pretty self-explanatory. This book is all about making good first impressions to get the job even before the interview has started.

What I really appreciated with this book is all of the templates. Others might be good with straight examples, but I really like templates. Even if they're vague ("reason #1 you're good for this job") and not fill in the blank.

[Jennifer Latour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best career book I've ever picked up. And actually, the only one I've read from start to finish. Usefulness in every chapter and on every page. Highly HIGHLY recommend Dan Burns. This is a book for people just starting out in their careers or veterans with 20+ years experience.