The best 29 Interviewing books

1
How to Talk to Anyone

How to Talk to Anyone

Leil Lowndes
92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships
4.2 (1,726 ratings)

What's How to Talk to Anyone about?

How To Talk to Anyone (1998) is an indispensable guide to improving your conversations and becoming more graceful and effective in your social interactions – no matter the situation. Leil Lowndes offers readers a treasure trove of techniques and tips that will help any socially awkward individual gain more confidence in workplace environments, meetings, their private lives and at parties.

Who should read How to Talk to Anyone?

  • Businesspeople who want fantastic working relationships
  • Readers looking for better ways to communicate with their partners
  • Awkward folk who’d like to improve their social skills

2
The Fine Art Of Small Talk

The Fine Art Of Small Talk

Debra Fine
How To Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills – and Leave a Positive Impression!
4.1 (660 ratings)

What's The Fine Art Of Small Talk about?

The Fine Art of Small Talk (2005) offers practical advice for cultivating conversation skills. Drawing on anecdotes from the author’s own journey to becoming a confident small-talker, these blinks will teach you how to initiate, sustain and exit conversations with ease and grace.

Who should read The Fine Art Of Small Talk?

  • Professionals looking to sharpen their networking skills
  • Introverts seeking confidence in social situations
  • Parents who want to strengthen their relationships with their children

3
Crucial Conversations

Crucial Conversations

Kerry Patterson
Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
4.2 (348 ratings)

What's Crucial Conversations about?

We’ve all been in situations where rational discussions get quickly out of hand, and Crucial Conversations investigates the root causes of this problem. You’ll learn techniques to handle such situations and shape them into becoming positive and solutions-oriented, while preventing your high-stakes conversations from turning into shouting matches.

Who should read Crucial Conversations?

  • Anyone whose job requires dealing with other people often
  • Anyone who wants to improve conversations in their personal relationships
  • Anyone who offers professional communications training

4
Talk

Talk

Elizabeth Stokoe
The Science of Conversation
4.2 (228 ratings)

What's Talk about?

From small talk with the barista to water-cooler chat with colleagues, we spend a lot of our time talking yet very few of us understand the science that underpins how we talk. Talk (2018) breaks down the fundamental building blocks and typical patterns of conversational encounters to reveal the structures and strategies behind what we say, and offers a blueprint for how we can learn to talk and listen more effectively.

Who should read Talk?

  • Anyone who’s ever had trouble getting a point across
  • Anyone who’s ever suffered a communication breakdown
  • People who want to take their conversational skills up a notch

5
Difficult Conversations

Difficult Conversations

Douglas Stone
How to Discuss What Matters Most
4.1 (276 ratings)

What's Difficult Conversations about?

Difficult Conversations (1999) takes a look at what makes a conversation difficult and why we often try to avoid them. It outlines how to correctly approach and maneuver through tough topics to build positive and meaningful relationships.

Who should read Difficult Conversations?

  • Politicians and business leaders
  • Teachers
  • Parents

6
Captivate

Captivate

Vanessa Van Edwards
The Science of Succeeding with People
4.2 (165 ratings)

What's Captivate about?

Captivate (2017) is your guide to human behavior and social success. Whether you’re trying to connect with others at home, at work or out in the world, Van Edwards set about breaking down the mechanics of how to capture people’s attention and engage in meaningful interaction.

Who should read Captivate?

  • Young people who want to improve their social skills
  • Singles looking to become dating pros
  • Managers and entrepreneurs who want their employees to do their best

7
The Bullseye Principle

The Bullseye Principle

David Lewis and G. Riley Mills
Mastering Intention-Based Communication to Collaborate, Execute, and Succeed
4.1 (115 ratings)

What's The Bullseye Principle about?

The Bullseye Principle (2018) is a practical guide to confident, clear communication in contemporary business settings. Covering everything from personal branding to inspiring others and running meetings effectively, these blinks will show you how to deliver your lines with style and win over your audience.

Who should read The Bullseye Principle?

  • Leaders looking to find their voice
  • Public speakers with stage fright 
  • Interviewers and interviewees

8
Getting More

Getting More

Stuart Diamond
How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life
3.8 (83 ratings)

What's Getting More about?

Getting More (2010) lays out precisely how to negotiate your way toward a fuller, more satisfying life. The strategies and tools described in this book can be used in any situation, from finding a happier outcome when sparring with a partner to convincing your boss that you’re long overdue for a raise.

Who should read Getting More?

  • People looking to improve their negotiating skills
  • Sales managers, sales reps or anyone involved in cutting business deals
  • Anyone who feels they never get what they want when negotiating

9
The 11 Laws of Likability

The 11 Laws of Likability

Michelle Tillis Lederman
Relationship Networking … Because People Do Business with People They Like
4.1 (178 ratings)

What's The 11 Laws of Likability about?

The 11 Laws of Likability (2011) is a guide to networking built on one simple fact: people do business with people they like. These blinks will explain how to discover your most likable characteristics, start conversations and keep them going, and make a lasting positive impression on people.

Who should read The 11 Laws of Likability?

  • Anyone who wants to build a lasting professional relationship
  • Anyone starting a new job
  • Recent graduates looking for a job

10
Just Listen

Just Listen

Mark Goulston
Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone
4.2 (185 ratings)

What's Just Listen about?

Just Listen (2009) combines time-tested persuasion and listening techniques with new methods to help you get your message across to anybody. By learning how to be a better listener, how the brain works and how people think, you’ll be able to motivate people to do what you want because you’ll better understand their needs.

Who should read Just Listen?

  • Anyone who wants to improve their communication skills
  • Anyone working in therapy or mediation
  • Anyone who wants to be more persuasive

11
You're Not Listening

You're Not Listening

Kate Murphy
What You're Missing and Why It Matters
4.5 (281 ratings)

What's You're Not Listening about?

You’re Not Listening (2020) casts a spotlight on the undervalued skill of listening. It’s filled with examples of talented professional listeners, as well as practical advice for getting more out of conversations with others – not by saying more yourself, but by listening more closely to others.

Who should read You're Not Listening?

  • Couples looking to improve their communication skills
  • Professional listeners, from journalists to business negotiators
  • Everyone who wants to have better conversations

12
Got Your Attention?

Got Your Attention?

Sam Horn
How to Create Intrigue and Connect with Anyone
4.1 (65 ratings)

What's Got Your Attention? about?

Got Your Attention? (2015) is the ultimate guide to grabbing and holding the focus of distracted people in today’s fast-paced world. You’ll learn how to overcome the impatience and chronic distraction of your audience to make yourself a compelling, engaging speaker.

Who should read Got Your Attention??

  • Anyone who wants to get the attention of distracted minds
  • Job seekers looking for advice on how to stand out
  • People who want to create meaningful connections

13
Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies

Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies

Romilla Ready and Kate Burton
A beginner's guide to one of psychology's hottest topics
4.0 (249 ratings)

What's Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies about?

Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies (2015) is an introduction to the basic principles behind NLP. If you’ve ever struggled to say what’s on your mind, NLP may be of use to you. Discover the human traits that can keep us from understanding each other and the helpful methods that can lead to clear and effective communication.

Who should read Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies?

  • Readers who strive to communicate clearly
  • Students of neuroscience and linguistics
  • Anyone open to new ideas and techniques for improvement

14
Doesn't Hurt to Ask

Doesn't Hurt to Ask

Trey Gowdy
Using the Power of Questions to Communicate, Connect, and Persuade
4.3 (618 ratings)

What's Doesn't Hurt to Ask about?

Doesn’t Hurt to Ask (2020) teaches the subtle art of persuasion through one unconventional tool: asking questions. Former congressman Trey Gowdy explains how thoughtful questions can help you reach your audience, communicate your message, and win people over – whether that’s in a courtroom, a business meeting, or at the dinner table.

Who should read Doesn't Hurt to Ask?

  • Exhausted parents looking to win their kids over in arguments
  • Politically engaged people who want to advocate for their beliefs more effectively
  • Anyone looking to improve their negotiation skills in their private or professional lives

15
60 Seconds & You’re Hired!

60 Seconds & You’re Hired!

Robin Ryan
How to nail the interview inside a minute
4.1 (185 ratings)

What's 60 Seconds & You’re Hired! about?

60 Seconds & You’re Hired! (1994) is your guide to nailing your next job interview. These blinks are packed with actionable advice on how to grab a potential employer’s attention, sell yourself and land the job of your dreams.

Who should read 60 Seconds & You’re Hired!?

  • Job seekers
  • Career counselors
  • Students looking for their first job

16
The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management

The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management

Zachary Wong
Solving the Most Common People Problems for Team Leaders
4.4 (130 ratings)

What's The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management about?

The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management (2018) is a hands-on guide designed to help team leaders diagnose and solve people problems in today’s increasingly horizontal workplaces. The fruit of years of first-hand experience, Zachary Wong’s playbook for effective leadership is packed full of actionable advice on how to boost motivation, confront underperformers and push through fear of failure.

Who should read The Eight Essential People Skills for Project Management?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • Leaders and managers
  • Anyone fascinated by workplace psychology

17
Secrets of Dynamic Communication

Secrets of Dynamic Communication

Ken Davis
Prepare with focus, deliver with clarity, speak with power
4.0 (62 ratings)

What's Secrets of Dynamic Communication about?

Secrets of Dynamic Communication explains how to prepare and present a speech effectively. Through the author’s own SCORRE-method, we are guided through the six key components of a successful speech: subject, central theme, objective, rationale, resources and evaluation.

Who should read Secrets of Dynamic Communication?

  • Students and teachers
  • Pastors, executives and coaches
  • Anyone who wants to master public speaking

18
Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect

Bill McGowan and Alisa Bowman
How to Say it Right the First Time, Every Time
4.2 (82 ratings)

What's Pitch Perfect about?

Pitch Perfect presents advice and principles that can help anyone to communicate more effectively. It teaches you how to present an argument or story with confidence, in a memorable way, and how to make your points with more precision. The author introduces seven principles that will help you to use exactly the right tone in both your professional and private life.

Who should read Pitch Perfect?

  • Anyone who wants to improve their presentation skills
  • Anyone who wants to communicate more effectively in their professional life
  • Anyone who wishes to become a better conversationalist

19
What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021

Richard N. Bolles with Katharine Brooks
Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success
4.5 (82 ratings)

What's What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021 about?

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021 (2021) is a fresh edition of a book that’s widely regarded as the job-hunter’s bible. It’s packed with classic exercises and time-tested strategies that empower prospective employees to find, and secure, the role they want. This new edition contains essential updates that speak to the contemporary job market.

Who should read What Color Is Your Parachute? 2021?

  • Job-seekers wondering if they’ll ever land a coveted role
  • Fed-up employees who are ready to take on a new career challenge
  • Prospective entrepreneurs who need a kick start

20
Four Seconds

Four Seconds

Peter Bregman
All the Time You Need to Stop Counter-Productive Habits and Get the Results You Want
4.1 (96 ratings)

What's Four Seconds about?

Four Seconds (2015) gives precise examples of how to rid yourself of self-defeating habits at work, at home and in your relationships. A four-second pause helps slow down hasty, unhappy reactions and is the first step to reworking the way you communicate with others and receive feedback from them. You really can be prepared for anything if you just take a breath first.

Who should read Four Seconds?

  • People with a sneaky feeling that their communication skills need improvement
  • Anyone with bad habits that need to be broken
  • Stress bunnies looking for a straightforward solution

21
Case Interview Secrets

Case Interview Secrets

Victor Cheng
A Former McKinsey Interviewer Reveals How to Get Multiple Job Offers in Consulting
3.7 (53 ratings)

What's Case Interview Secrets about?

Case Interview Secrets (2013) is a practical guide to nailing your interview at a big consultancy, such as Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey or Bain and Company. These blinks offer a crash course on the questions you’ll be asked and how you should answer them.

Who should read Case Interview Secrets?

  • Anyone aspiring to be a consultant
  • People in all professions hoping to boost their brainpower
  • Any reader interested in what consultants actually do

22
Brief

Brief

Joseph McCormack
Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less
4.5 (74 ratings)

What's Brief about?

Brief (2014) is a guide to having more impact and influence by saying less. These blinks show the reader the power of brevity in the information age, explain the barriers to being brief and give helpful instructions on how to improve your communication while saving your own time and everybody else’s.

Who should read Brief?

  • Anyone interested in improving their communication skills
  • Those wanting to grab the attention of others
  • Business leaders whose ideas need to stand out

23
Humble Inquiry

Humble Inquiry

Edgar H. Schein
The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling
4.2 (63 ratings)

What's Humble Inquiry about?

Humble Inquiry (2013) sets out the basic principles of the art of asking the right questions in the right way. It examines how your approach to inquiry affects your relationships at the office, your ability to get quality work completed and, ultimately, your success as a leader.

Who should read Humble Inquiry?

  • Anyone who wants to improve how they communicate at work
  • Anyone who wants to be a great leader
  • Anyone who wants to learn how to ask the right questions

24
Radical Collaboration

Radical Collaboration

James W. Tamm and Ronald J. Luyet
Five Essential Skills to Overcome Defensiveness and Build Successful Relationships
4.2 (48 ratings)

What's Radical Collaboration about?

Radical Collaboration (2004) offers invaluable methods to help you build effective and high-functioning collaborative relationships, as well as strategies to manage any kind of conflict that you might run into. At the heart of these methods are five skills that can turn anyone into a better teammate and turn any organization into an efficient and productive partnership.

Who should read Radical Collaboration?

  • Business leaders
  • Managers and teammates
  • Readers interested in becoming better collaborators

25
You Only Have to Be Right Once

You Only Have to Be Right Once

Randall Lane
The Unprecedented Rise of the Instant Tech Billionaires
3.9 (27 ratings)

What's You Only Have to Be Right Once about?

Based on Forbes magazine interviews with some of Silicon Valley’s most successful tech entrepreneurs, You Only Have to be Right Once outlines how today’s tech wunderkinds achieved their successes.

Who should read You Only Have to Be Right Once?

  • Anyone interested in how the world’s most successful entrepreneurs made their money
  • Budding techies and business people
  • The next Mark Zuckerberg

26
Talk Lean

Talk Lean

Alan H. Palmer
Shorter Meetings. Quicker Results. Better Relations.
3.8 (71 ratings)

What's Talk Lean about?

Talk Lean will teach you how to express your thoughts in a direct, candid, yet courteous manner. The author shares effective, easy-to-apply tips for having a productive conversation that helps achieve your goals.

Who should read Talk Lean?

  • Anyone who has trouble communicating at work
  • Anyone who has to confront difficult people on a daily basis
  • Anyone who hesitates to express their true thoughts and feelings

27
Get Better

Get Better

Todd Davis
15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work
4.1 (44 ratings)

What's Get Better about?

Get Better (2017) offers valuable insight on how to build and maintain better relationships at work. With a wealth of practical advice that you can put into action today, this is a useful guide, both to nurturing important relationships and to avoiding all the typical pitfalls that can cause trouble in the workplace.

Who should read Get Better?

  • Executives and managers
  • Employees who deal with coworkers
  • Students of business and psychology

28
The Job-Ready Guide

The Job-Ready Guide

Anastasia de Waal
Employability Skills and Strategies for Career Success
4.0 (31 ratings)

What's The Job-Ready Guide about?

The Job-Ready Guide (2019) is a helpful roadmap for anyone seeking to get themselves on the first rung of the career ladder. In addition to offering advice on job-searching, writing a compelling resume, and performing well in interviews, it provides insight into what modern employers are really looking for.

Who should read The Job-Ready Guide?

  • Students leaving college
  • Teachers or mentors wishing to give young people up-to-date career advice
  • Young professionals seeking a change in career

29
Works Well With Others

Works Well With Others

Ross McCammon
An Outsider’s Guide to Shaking Hands, Shutting Up, Handling Jerks, and Other Crucial Skills in Business That No one Ever Teaches You
3.1 (41 ratings)

What's Works Well With Others about?

Works Well With Others (2015) is a guide for professionals – both new and old – seeking tips and tricks for handling themselves in the modern workplace. From mastering the interview process to fitting in on your first day, these blinks teach you those crucial social rules that no one ever talks about.

Who should read Works Well With Others?

  • People looking for advice on hiring interviews
  • Professionals preparing to enter the workforce
  • Anyone interested in workplace etiquette

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