Reviewed by Katharine Hansen It's hard to imagine a resource much handier for cramming right before a job interview than a set of easy-to-hold, easy-to-carry cards that fit into a pocket or purse. Acing the Interview Tip Cards are such a resource. The cards come in a jewel case the size of a Zip-disk case, and as illustrated on the Workwise Web site of card author Mary Jeanne Vincent, you can even fashion the jewel case into a little easel on which you can stand the cards up and study them. Twenty of the cards offer frequently-asked job-interview questions. Instead of providing canned answers, however, Vincent wisely offers tips describing the hidden opportunity in each question, ideas for preparing a response, content hints for the response itself, and variations on how the question might be asked. On the back of each card are guidelines for scripting a response, along with space for writing your planned answer. Bonus cards offer tips for responding to illegal and trick questions, preparing for interviews, and avoiding 10 deadly interview mistakes. I think my only qualm about the cards would be actually committing my responses to writing on the back of the cards. What if I later thought of a better way to respond? It may be better to use the guidelines for writing responses but doing the actual writing elsewhere. That way, the job-seeker can also avoid the temptation of memorizing his or her answers written on the cards. This nifty set of cards is, of course, not the be-all and end-all of interview prep; there's a lot more to readying oneself for an interview. But if I were on a bus or in a taxi on the way to the interview, or in the parking lot or lobby of the interviewer's building, being able to flip through these cards as last-minute interview prep would be invaluable.
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