Interviews Books

Wow! Tony Beshara's book is a godsend for job-seekers going through the emotional, sometimes defeating process of looking for the right job. Beshara obviously has many years of real world experience at dealing with employers and candidates. This book provides realistic scenarios of how the candidate should prepare for the interview and what they can expect when they walk into the employer's office. Beshara helps you step into the interviewer's shoes and forces you to take a hard look at yourself, your presentation and your experience. He provides dozens of questions that you should ask and be prepared to answer. Concrete, no-nonsense interviewing tips from a pro.

Interviewing is one of the most stressful things a person can do. I have been out of the workforce for 3 years. My children are grown and I decided to go back into the field of Administrative Secretary or Executive Assistant. Something I have always enjoyed and never got bored. Just being off the market for only 3 years, there were so many things that had changed about interviewing and I was extremely nervous about this. Of course all this information was coming from my family and friends. I know they all meant well, but I needed an expert. While searching on Amazon, I came across the book by Tony Beshara, "Acing the Interview." After reading this book, I have never felt the confidence in myself that I feel right now about going on a professional interview. I didn't even feel this relaxed 10 years ago. Tony Beshara's book is absolutely easy reading, down to earth and straight to the core of what you need to know about interviewing. I would recommend this book to anyone that is struggling with the thought of going on an interview, whether you have been out of work awhile or just ready for a change.

Sincerely,

Judy Turner

What a great guide to taking control of the interview in a positive way - when and how to.

How to pick up on key phrases indicating where you stand in the process and how to move yourself from candidate to employee without offending or coming across too aggressive.

Excellent book on when and how to be assertive in a hiring situation where most feel like a helpless victum or rag doll without any control of the process.

More importantly - exactly what to say to get the interviewer on your side and a call to action on your behalf.

WHAT AN EASY BOOK TO READ!
Great writing.

The title Acing the Interview doesn't really describe the breadth of knowledge Tony Beshara communicates in his latest book. If one does not venture to the Table of Contents, the book's cover tagline stating its inclusion of "450 Sample Questions" sounds very much like a dozen other self-help books for job seekers. But make no mistake, Tony is not pandering to the insecurities of those suffering from interview phobia with a warmed over collection of typical interview questions. As in his first book, "The Job Search Solution," Tony wants you to look inside yourself, and to question the common precepts about the job search process. Tony's "questions" include those you ask yourself and those you ask the employer, in addition to the questions asked of you in the interview.

Tony leverages his experience from interviewing more than 24,000 candidates in a 30-year career to make you understand that `acing the interview' is more about the research, planning, and practice you execute before the interview than it is about regurgitating rote answers in the interview.

Acing the Interview is a very strong sophomore performance from the acknowledged King of Recruiters. Those who viewed any of Tony's appearances on the Dr. Phil Show will recognize his conversational tone and sincere passionate concern for matching employers to employees. Not many recruiters can claim more than 6,700 placements in their career. Unlike most authors in this genre, who have very little, if any, real world experience in getting a job - Tony has done it, and is still doing it, every day.

By Marilee Johnson

Interesting book. I jumped on the first job offer after college but was burnt out in less than a year. I like reading and was strolling through Barnes & Nobles when I came across a number of books on how to get a job. I started thinking about changing jobs and ended up going on a few interviews. It was very frustrating. One part of me wanted to just quit and stay at that same lousy job but the rest of me knew I was too young to give up.

Then I saw Dr. Beshara on the Dr. Phil show. Something in his energy and sincerity made me know that what he was saying was true. If he could get that loser Dr. Phil threw at him a job, he could get me one. I bought the Job Search Solution and couldn't put it down.

Have you ever seen those TV shows that reveal how magic tricks are performed? That's what this book is like. There's no rabbit in the hat, the lady really isn't floating in mid air, employers hide behind a bunch of smoke and mirrors. Yet if you look closely, like Tony teaches you, it all makes sense.

It's crazy, but there really is a method to the madness - just as Tony tells you. The key is working your plan and staying motivated.

WARNING: don't skip past his chapters on personal motivation. You may think you're pumped up at first, but finding a good job takes time and you have to stay pumped.

I got a good job. I did interview for a couple of others that seemed even better, but they couldn't get their act together so I think they probably weren't really that good. After reading Dr. Beshara's book it all made sense. Buy this book - it'll be the best career choice you ever made.

This book is amazing! Basically, it's a compilation of interviews of the most important female performing artists from the past couple of decades. Fascinating, stereotype-destroying, and informative.

This book should be required reading in any discipline. A wonderful introduction to an array of artists who challenge the conventions of society, because they believe that iniquity does not equal freedom.

The interviews are very excellent and thorough and you really get to know more about these women more from it. I felt invisible threads weaving in and out of the book and inside and outside of me, forming some unexplainable connection to these women. My sculpture teacher Jeniifer Pastor made some comment on how women performance artists have such good photogenic bodies and sort of questioned the their feminist nude poses in the pictures (such as Caroles Schneemann's photo "Body Collage, 1968" on page 72 of the book), and I passively-aggressively thought inside ...I agree with you, they are beautiful! They are in charge of the messages from their bodies in their space..they are not passive to the male gaze... I admire these women for all they have done for women artists..This book is good because afterwards I explored these artists further through their individual works whether it is music or a book or a video. My performance art class barely covered these artists so I decided to learn more about them on my own and these interviews helped out alot.

This book presents many unique ideas on being a woman. Juno interviews a variety of artists on life, sexuality, sensuality... femininity and masculinity. From the cultural critiques of bell hooks to Annie Sprinkle's smiling cervix, new brilliance and hope is imparted. If you are looking for inspiration and wisdom from activists by trade, rather than some ivory tower dworkinite, look no further.

I have been looking at this book again and again ever since finding it 3 years ago, each time gaining inspiration to be who I am with no appology. It and the women interviewed in it have inspired me greatly to push my own boundaries and explore society's taboos in a conscious way. I especially love the cover--an illustration of Medusa with pieces of culture's constructions in her snaky hair. Lots of photographs, which is a big plus!

Joseph Horowitz does a great job of collecting these interviews in order to preserve the ideas and feelings of the last great link we had to the high period of 19th century pianism. You get a good look at Arrau's unusual and rather sheltered life. Horowitz reveals both the simple and the complex in Arrau's nature. A natural born aristocrat, despite facing hard times in his early years, Arrau is quite simple as a man, but as a musician he is even more complex.

A very good and accessible read. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with artists such as Garrick Ohlsson and Daniel Barenboim, among others, at the end of the book.

This is a great book. (Note: It was previously available under the title "Conversations With Arrau.") It does not shoot over the heads of the average reader, but it doesn't dumb down its subject either. Horowitz spoke for hours upon hours with the great Claudio Arrau. What emerges is the portrait of a man devoid of irony or pretense. The biographical part is fascinating--we learn what living in Berlin during the 1920s was like, for example, and while it was harsh, it was also deeply spiritual and enriching for artistic types. The sections on interpretation are interesting conversations that I wish more authors would have with more artists. Next comes a chapter where Arrau speaks openly about psychoanalysis. Then there are sections where colleagues and friends talk about Arrau, revealing their insights of his character. (Colin Davis is particularly devoted.) Finally the author gives us a complete discography and discussion of selected recordings. A must-own for piano or Arrau fans, although I understand this latest version of the book inexplicably skips the discography. Look for a used copy under the previous title instead.

Claudio Arrau was a great child prodigy, and later had a long career as a performing pianist. This book deals in a sensitive way with both the man and his music. I found Arrau, the person, a compelling individual whose virtuosity was both a gift and a challenge. Joseph Horowitz does a superb job of blending narrative with question and answer sessions with Arrau himself. I EXPECTED a nice biography, and I got that. Beyond that, I got numerous invaluable tips as a pianist about playing individual composers and technique.

This book is amazing. Arrau is my favorite pianist, but even for those who aren't yet converts this book is still fascinating for allowing us glimpses into a towering, fantastic musical mind, and his deep and well thought-out ideas on musical interpretation and piano technique. Indispensible.

This book should be owned by all pianophiles. Claudio Arrau was one of the great recorded pianists of all time, even though you may not always agree with his interpretations. It's the same here: Even though you probably won't agree with everything he says about music and other pianists (I personally don't), these are great insights from a pianist whose brilliant career spanned over eight decades and who had personal contact with many musical giants at the turn of the last century. Joseph Horowitz has also done a superb job discussing most of Arrau's recordings and writing biographical notes about several phases of Arrau's life. My only complaint is that the discography that used to be in the first edition (entitled "Conversations with Arrau") is not included in this new edition.

This book was required for my Contemporary Art class. Great pictures....the accompaning DVD goes into more depth about each artist and provides more info about each artist than does the book.

I am a practicing artist and really enjoyed listening to other artists share themselves and their art in a very intimate and informative format,

I am a faithful follower of this series, and use the dvds in my contemporary art history class. The companion books make wonderful text to supplement the television series.

This is an excellent book and an excellent series for anyone who wants to know more about art being creating today. My Art History professor uses this book at the text book for her Contemporary Art class. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in seeing art history in the making.

I have the first two books in the series and hope to spend the rest of my life watching the PBS program and looking and thinking about the artwork presented both on video and in the beautifully crafted texts.

"The Best of Pif Magazine Off-Line" offers a refreshing assortment of new stories and new voices. A standout among them is Mimi Carmen's "Love Birds". Ms. Carmen's tale of an aging mother and conflicted daughter resonates with idiosyncratic vision and gritty passion. The bird imagery is breathtaking. I also very much enjoyed "23 Johnson Avenue, 1985" by Diann Blakely. If writers were race horses, and I had money, I'd bet my wad on these two.

A wonderful collection - refreshingly different, but solid. My favorite is "Love Birds" by Mimi Carmen. I'd like to read more of her work.

This is easily the greatest work in the world, the new wave of writing. So fresh, so new, so off the page. This is where the future lies, and I mean it.

I am bored with many print magazines nowadays. The same things, the same things. Ho-hum. I've been following this zine for a while now, open it every month with relish. They've definitely picked a lot of their best, and Camille Renshaw's intro says a lot about WHY I don't like other magazines. Here is something worth a read, something that will make you want to get everything the magazine has put out since the beginning. There's even a rationale for professional wrestling, something that wants me to buy a tape of the event with the Undertaker/Mankind Hell in the Cell match, and I NEVER watch that stuff! You should definitely have this on your shelf--impress your friends with how in the know you are.

Finally! A magazine that will put a foot in each world - print and electronic.

Collection includes Rick Moody, Richard Weems, Ricki Garni, David Ryan, Aimee Bender, Ken Kalfus, Rachel Barenblat, Tami Haaland - both old and new writers are outstanding! Includes fiction, essays, poetry, and interviews. I first read about Pif in Yahoo!'s print magazine - its Web site got a great write-up - and I'm thrilled to have found them.

Although the first sentence of the intro reads, "I hate everything in print," it's clear Pif's out to make it in both worlds.

I bought this book for my mother for Christmas. She is a working woman after all... She finally had a bit of time to read the book in the morning before she gets ready for work, and she loves it. She said that it's very inspiring and motivates her. It fits the working woman status. The book is great. I have other Chicken Soup books and so far, I've loved them all.

I have enjoyed most of the "chicken Soup" books I have picked up to read. This one was for my daughter who is struggling with work and being a new mom. I felt like the stories would give her insite.

This book will lift your spirits any day no matter how bad a day it has been. This shows so many things that women in the workplace encounter and also the lighter side of things. Great book. I especially like it because the stories are short so you don't need a lot of time to get a quick lift.

Here is yet another amazing collection of stories that will make you laugh and cry and everything in between. This is an ideal gift for the workplace and for anyone who is in the workforce.

Every woman alive is a working woman, no matter whether she has a husband and/or children, or not. There are daily struggles with family, weekly struggles with work and ultimately, very emotional struggles with just living! Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul is a moment of relaxation. It's a chance for a woman to sit down with a soothing drink, put her feet up and dive into the issues that we all face - as seen through the eyes of our peers. As a mom, it's a chance for me to see that my kids aren't as wild as I sometimes feel they are ... as a woman, it was the opportunity to see that work and balancing issues happen to everyone ... and as a wife, it gave me a firm appreciation for the amount of work that my husband and I accomplish as we take care of our family. The one point of this book that isn't mentioned enough is that our souls need to be in shape before we can contend with the world around us. Chicken Soup for the Working Woman's Soul gives a woman a chance to parlay her soul into the being that she wants it to be, while allowing us to view inside a slice of another's soul. It's thought provoking, entertaining and reassuring to see that other women are in the same places in their lives that we have been with various issues. It's a chit-chat, without the other person sitting in front of you. I believe this is one of those books that you read, set on your bookshelf, and read again when the world around you is pulling you in every direction. It's a safe haven in turmoil, and it's a chance for a woman to recharge after a rough one! It's, well, it's chicken soup for the working woman's soul!

I just finished reading this book in one sitting. It seems as if you're in the same room as Anne & Michael Riley. He knows exactly what questions her fans want answered. It's refreshing to read Anne's own responses in their entirety without having a reporter interpreting her "meaning". I give this a "9" because the only thing that would have made it better would be if Anne had offered pictures of herself & environment.

This just isn't a biography of Ann Rice, it's as if she's telling you herself all the answers to questions we've all wanted to ask. This is her thoughts on her family, fans, characters, and herself. She shares her opinions freely and openly. I truly developed another view of this remarkable woman after reading this. Michael Riley had a good idea when he decided just to write this in interview form. That's exactly what everyone's been waiting for: 'Interview with Ann Rice'

Michael Riley takes the reader inside Anne Rice's worlds of reality and fiction through a series of extensive interviews. He's broken the text down into titled sections to emphasize the topic covered in each phase of the dialogue. Rice delves into where her characters and story ideas come from and just how much her life in New Orleans has influenced her work. It's interesting how the influences changed over time. First Lestat was her husband Stan and she was Louis but now she's more like Lestat than Stan. She discusses how her husband's poetry has had a great affect on her own work where certain lines will run through her head as she writes.

This is a good book for writers to read. Rice gives a lot of background on the movie biz and a view into the studio politics that occur when they purchase the rights to make a novel into a movie. The story behind the making of Interview With a Vampire is told in great detail. An interesting fact I learned was that when Hollywood buys the rights to a book any sequels that are written involving the same characters are contractually connected. Therefore the studio has the right to see them before any other studio can look at the books for potential development into movies. Rice also talks about rejection letters and how she dealt with them and provides in site into how the larger New York publishing houses operate. Highly recommended for fans and writers alike!

Why this books is so good??? Because Anne is allowed to talk. Everytime we see an interview with Rice, people dont let her talk. Michael is a close friend of Anne and they do this kind of talking all the time... If you are looking for motivations and in-depth talk of Anne Rice's books, this book is for you. After all, who better than Anne Rice and her friend to talk about her books??

She broke the mold of bestselling authors with her tormented vampires and complex witch families, often set against the mossy, misty backdrops of her native New Orleans. Anne Rice is one of the few authors whose lives and opinions are as interesting as what they write, and Michael Riley offers more insight than virtually any other interviewer has done.

Michael Riley was a friend of Stan Rice's, and met Anne Rice at her wedding to Stan; he remained a pal after Anne shot to fame. Yet "I had rarely if ever seen an interview or profile that I thought did justice to her." So the two sat down and discussed many things about Rice: Her youth and her Catholic upbringing, about good and evil, New Orleans, California, her mold-breaking fiction, the immensely popular vampire Lestat, the handling of sex in her books, intellectual pretentions and elitism, the movie adaptation of "Interview With The Vampire," and what in her life inspired aspects of her books.

A less respectful reviewer probably would have descended leering or sneering, given that Rice's works include erotica, S&M fiction, and a Lolita-type novel. But Riley is professional, affectionate yet not gushing, and his questions have brains behind them. (Not the usual "what's your favorite food? Do you have any pets?") His respect for Rice is clear, and it makes the book especially interesting that he has genuine interest in what she says. But of course, the book hinges on Rice and what she has to say to Riley -- whether or not you agree with what she's saying, her warmth and humor are in clear evidence, and she's clearly thought through what she says.

It may not be necessary to know the author to enjoy his/her works, but it definitely can't hurt. Fans of Anne Rice will find this a must-read, and even casual readers of her books should give it a shot.

This is a great way to learn about Woody Allen, his craft, and his films. Organized thematically and chronologically, you see what films Allen really cares about and what he did just to fill the time. Some of his films were clearly throwaways for him. He made them because he's always working, but hardly remembers them and doesn't care to (Scoop, Small Time Crooks, Sleeper). Others are passions, like The Purple Rose of Cairo or Husbands and Wives. Allen is also, not surprisingly, self-depreciating, believing that his career is mostly self-indulgence that only a small audience appreciates. Of course, this underestimates himself and how impressive it is that he can have a regular output of one or two movies a year that, regardless of whether they are one of his best, are always well made, well acted, and interesting. The insights into how Allen works and how quickly, are interesting for fans. It also makes those of us who fancied ourselves writers realize what a true talent is. The best part of this book, there is no diversion into Allen's personal life which may be of interest to some, but not this reader. This is a great way to read about Allen's career, his collaborators, and his methods.

If you are a die hard Woody Allen fan you will love this book. It's a ringside seat to what goes on in his brain from writing to casting to directing to when the film is released. If you aren't a die hard fan, but simply like some of his movies you will appreciate him as a writer and a filmmaker. It's a really interesting book about Woody and his movies over a 30 year period!!

This is one of those rare books where we actually get a clear insight into the creative process of a great filmmaker. Techniques, style, philosophy and approach are covered in great detail. Gives awesome insight into the man and the movies he made. I really enjoyed it.

For sheer inventiveness and variety of films, the work of writer and director Woody Allen is unmatched. Their number, also, is impressive, almost forty movies since his first one, the hilarious fake documentary (it was made before anyone had coined the word "mockumentary") _Take the Money and Run_ in 1969. Not every one is a classic, but some certainly are, whether comedy (_Annie Hall_), comedy with a dramatic edge (_Manhattan_), fables (_The Purple Rose of Cairo_), comic intimations of the godlessness of our universe (_Crimes and Misdemeanors_), or drama (the recent _Match Point_). So if you are familiar with the movies, you will be fascinated with _Conversations With Woody Allen: His Films, the Movies, and Moviemaking_ (Knopf) by Eric Lax. Lax was a reporter in 1971 when he was assigned to check out the new director. The conversation didn't turn into an article, with Allen replying just "Yes" or "No" too often, but Lax tried again, this time for just a chat, which grew into more formal interviews, and as the years went by, discussions about his projects as Allen was working on them. Allen has participated in recent conversations with Lax just to make this book current, and has clarified and added to the text, so that the work is a unique look into the mind of one of America's great filmmakers. Because the conversations are with Woody Allen, too, they are funny and self-deprecating, but also generous in giving credit to others.

It is fun to learn where he gets his ideas. "When I go to sleep at night, put my head on the pillow, or walk down the street, I like to be thinking of story ideas. I'm always thinking about new plots. I would do anything to avoid that horrible moment of What do I do next?" It is a fruitful method; he knows he will have more story ideas than he can ever get done (he is now almost 72). It is part of his work, and it keeps the existential despair away: "To _practice_ the clarinet, to _get_ on the treadmill, to _get_ in the room and write - all that stuff helps. It helps militate against giving oneself over to the horrid gloom of reality." Allen has much to say about himself as an actor. He knows he has a narrow range: "I can play some versions of what I am, a New York character." He may be modest about his own acting talents, but over and over he praises the actors he has worked with. There have been many great ones, often repeatedly, and they must love working for him, since with his budgets (around $15 million a movie) they cannot expect star wages. "You hire Ian Holm and Gena Rowlands, what does it take to get superb performances out of them? Nothing. You just have to tell them what time to show up and provide the coffee and doughnuts." He praises his audiences, too, and frets about over-explaining: "You think the audience is not going to get it, so you explain it, clarify it, but the truth of the matter is, they're _always_ far ahead of you. [_He smiles._]"

There is so much here about the making of specific films and specific techniques. It is a revelation, for instance, that a climactic scene within _Manhattan_, in a classroom where he chastises a buddy over moral issues and makes references to mortality based on the display skeletons in the room, that the skeletons just happened to be there in the classroom for the filming. "I would not have thought to write them in." Here is his one-word explanation for why he so often uses long master shots: "Laziness". Shooting over and over again from different angles to be combined in the editing room is not (usually) for him: "We'll be here all day today and all day tomorrow doing this scene. I don't have the patience or concentration... I design a shot and will get all the information in and we'll finish it and move on." Long master shots are not from any artistic need, and he doesn't think of himself as any sort of artist. "I see myself as a working filmmaker who chose to go the route of working all the time rather than making my films into some special red carpet event every three years. I'm not cynical and I'm far from an artist. I'm a lucky working stiff." I don't agree, but I do think his audiences are lucky to have such a great body of work to enjoy and to think about, and that they are lucky to have this book as a guide to his own interpretation of a long and successful career.

Ok I don't like Mr. Allen...I simply thrive upon his presence in this universe.

I never just saw a Woody Allen movie, read a Woody Allen short story or listened to a Woody Allen monologue...I was a participant in them. No I don't think I am psycotic, maybe a semi-adjusted bipolar person, who is cynical and overly critical about most things in this life, however swimming in the wake of Mr. Allen I somehow manage to smile at the "awful grace" of this existance. I do feel guilty since he does the heavy lifting and I benefit from it.

Recalling his movies is like recalling my first kiss, scoring my first touchdown, pineing my first broken heart or noticing death for the first time.

I recall each flick; when, where, who I saw it with, and the state of mind I left the theater to pursue the endless nuances of the adventure.

To the book. I hesitated picking it up as it is four hundred pages and did I really want to be mesmerized by Mr. Alllen and Mr. Lax during this very busy time. I resisted for almost four days then I was seduced, trapped and on my way to an intellectual orgasm that seems to continue when I turn each page.

These two guys are like friends you wish you had who made you totally comfortable hearing them talk and thilled that you are allowed to just be in the room and honored to be listening.

If you are an educator you must study it, if you are a doctor you must examine it, if you are performing artist you must value it, if you are a writer you must consume it and if you are, like myself an everyday person you gotta love it.

Bravo guys you gave me a great holiday gift.

A nicely written account of the author's personal journey through boxing in the 90s. The author vividly describes his encounters with some of the big names in the sport: Oscar De La Hoya, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr. and especially, James Toney. What's interesting about these sections of the book is that McRae really seems to get to know the people he's writing about and is able to reveal sides of their characters that aren't normally seen. I read this over a weekend, neglecting everything else I had planned to do because I couldn't put it down.

It took awhile for me to get into this book. If you can get past the white person growing up in racist South Africa yet I feel the pain of my fellow man opening paragraph this book will enthrall you.

Yes, you'll LOVE IT.

Every story about boxing is spelt out. The hangers on, the women, the entourage, the scum, the promoters, everyone. The story about Azuma Nelson will amaze you. It is one of those books I read 5 years ago, 2 times since and can still quote verbatim.

Give this book a chance. A great writer who realizes in the 2nd chapter that he is not the story. This isn;t a history or the sport but a snapshot in time. Well worth the money and the read

I could not put down this book. Somehow, McRae has turned some of the most fearsome men in the world into pussycats. How he could make James Toney et al sympathetic characters is beyond me. I am a sports fan, but I believe this is a book that can be read and enjoyed by all.

the "professional" reviews of this book all talk about its relevance for people with an interest in boxing. certainly that might lead the casual buyer to the book but it quickly becomes clear that this remarkable work provides a door to an underworld of british and american subculture that is normally hermetically sealed to the rest of us. quite how mcrae pulls off this connection to an alien society is never quite clear but the overall effect and the material that he refines is an extraordinary trip into motivations and manipulations that leave the reader wondering if a fiction might not be easier to deal with

This is perhaps the best book on sports that I've read, and I've read many. Mcrae does an excellent job at making an inhumane sport suprisingly humane. An immensly joyable book.

Full of surprises. If you liked Marian Christy's previous books, you would enjoy this one.

A fun read with behind-the-scenes insight into the challenges faced by a female reporter in the worlds of a variety of famous and powerful men.

This was a terrific read, it left me wanting more than ten ... In today's tell all, self-confessional era it is refreshing to read and learn so much about each of Christy's subjects in such a manner. So much disclosed, while at the same time their dignity remaining in tact.
Grace M.
Boston, MA

Marian Christy has crafted a delightful collection of her recollections surrounding the interviews of these larger-than-life men. You feel like you are sitting with a friend hearing the inside scoop! It's an easy read, I enjoyed it!

Artfully draws reader in to reveal utmost triumphs and fears of these larger than life personalities.