Walking into a job interview is a nerve-wracking process. Many of us enter dressed to the nines, carrying a note pad and something to write with. Maybe we’ve done some prep work, Googled the company, run through typical interview questions, and maybe even tried to find the blog or Twitter feed of the HR manager so we know what they care about. And everyone comes in with a stack of expectations, hopes, and dreams.
But not very many people bring a book to a job interview.
This isn’t terribly surprising. Your focus is supposed to be on the interview. You’re supposed to wear clothes a step above the everyday dress code. You’re supposed to follow six thousand different pieces of advice, and bringing a book is never one of them. 
I’m unclear on why the “bring a book that makes you look like a super-genius” approach to job interviews hasn’t caught on yet.
But here’s the thing about all of that advice: The bottom line is that you’re supposed to get yourself hired. So, whatever works will do the trick.
Our friend DJ went to a job interview the other day. He brought a copy of Bring Your A Game to Work with him, and after discussing what he had learned from reading the book, he was hired. Now, we’re not shy about making it known that our goal is to eventually have every employer require that a teen applying for a job complete A Game Certification, so we took this as great news.
But it also got us thinking. There are tons of great business books out there. So, if you had an applicant walk in the door today, what book would you hire them on-the-spot for mentioning that they’ve read? What book would they have to have read to even get your consideration for the job?
Post thoughts to comments.
TJ Wihera is the Director of Development for the Bring Your A Game to Work Initiative. Contact him via e-mail or check out www.theagame.com. The A Game helps youth learn that work isn’t a bad thing so that they can lay the foundations of great careers.
Tags: books, interviewing, job interviews, selection