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Confessions of a Hiring Manager by J. T. Kirk Kings Crown Publishing
book review by Karolina Blaha-Black
"Hiring managers are more interested in your potential for what you can do rather than what you have already done."
Kirks handbook teaches the job seeker how to become employed and stay employed in a floundering economy through tried and true techniques that hiring managers often use. Kirk says that many job seekers do not secure their desire position—a job for which they are often qualified—because they don't have a good grasp of how to write resumes, compose attention-grabbing cover letters, and conduct successful job interviews.
In eleven easy-to-understand chapters, Kirk highlights, among other things, how to develop a successful strategy for job hunting, how to craft resumes effectively, how to compose a cover letter that will get the attention of a hiring manager and show that you are a candidate worthy of an interview, and how to control the interview process and negotiate for the highest possible salary. Kirk's handbook even includes a helpful chapter for military veterans who are trying to transition back to the civilian job market.
Many good things can be said about this book, but maybe the most important fact is that this book is written from a hiring manager's point of view. Most books are written by resume writers and career professionals who do not have the hiring manager's inside view or people and job requirements. A company that is considering you always wants to know what you can do for them, not the other way around. Particularly noteworthy are the chapters on resume and cover letter writing, where Kirk shows both good and bad examples, including what a hiring manager would like to see in the portfolio of a potential candidate.
This book is for any job seeker, career changer, or a student fresh out of college entering the workforce. This book does not guarantee you a job, but it seems that Kirk's techniques and powerful tools dramatically increases your chance of getting employed.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review