Cracking the Code to a Successful Interview: 15 Insider Secrets from a Top-level Recruiter

Evan G. Pellett

Blackstone Publishing Softcover $14.95 (111pp) 978-1-4417-0053-7 Nicely structured, well written, and authoritative, Cracking the Code is a must for any job seeker.

“Qualified people aren’t getting the jobs they should because they don’t know how to interview,” writes Evan Pellett, whose Cracking the Code provides an eight-step process to succeed at interviewing, as well as fifteen “insider secrets” from a recruiter’s perspective.

The book pinpoints the most serious errors interviewees make and, perhaps more importantly, explores the ins and outs of interviewing from the point of view of the interviewer.

Pellett’s process, cleverly named “REAPRICH,” stands for Results, Energy, Attitude, Process, Relationships, Interview the Interviewer, Close the Interviewer, and Humanity. Each of these steps is explained in just enough detail, with examples where appropriate, and ends with a “worksheet” exercise to reinforce concepts. The eight steps make it easy to focus on the before, during, and after of an interview.

Pellett is helpfully specific in his advice; for example, he writes that interviewers want to know three things about an interviewee’s relationships: “that you’re able to build them,” that you can “sustain those relationships,” and that “you will bring new and beneficial relationships to their company.” Such insights are sure to be extremely valuable to any job seeker, even one who might think themselves experienced at being interviewed. The author’s insider tips are equally beneficial:

Many companies won’t give you the job if you don’t close the deal by asking for it. Hiring managers feel that if you don’t have the courage to ask for the job, you won’t have the courage to ask customers for their business. They also may feel that you won’t be able to ask tough, direct questions when needed.