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Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+: Your Insider's Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress in the 21st Century

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Revised and updated to incorporate the harsh realities of the twenty-first-century job market, the popular career book for executives continues to provide valuable advice on surviving a layoff, conducting a job search, and much more. 50,000 first printing.

643 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1988

14 people are currently reading
818 people want to read

About the author

John Lucht

25 books3 followers

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5 stars
90 (32%)
4 stars
97 (35%)
3 stars
67 (24%)
2 stars
12 (4%)
1 star
11 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Vince Deuschel.
90 reviews1 follower
November 23, 2020
Like many of us - I have been unemployed since the first COVID -19 in shutdown in March. Over these past eight months, I have been doing everything in my power to look for employment. This includes reading extensively, trying to get a leg up in this daunting search. Rites of Passage was the latest. It was a tough read.

The good - I pick up a few hints on cover letters, resumes, and search methods. There is a list of the more reputable retainer recruiters - a few of which specialize in Hospitality (my field). If these good points help me get a job - well worth the time.

The bad - over 500 pages - it is a long read. It is a bit preachy - a bit dated and a bit self serving ( a lot of promotion for the author’s web site).

Perhaps more suited to skimming that reading?
Profile Image for Sooraj.
39 reviews
May 1, 2018
Job changing is easy at lower career levels. You can apply for several jobs via job postings and in a matter of time something will work out. But at the top i.e. executive level, everything changes. Executive jobs searches are outsourced to recruiters. At that level to manage job changes successfully one needs to know the motivation of recruiters, how they operate and how to manage your relationship with them. Rites of passage deals exactly with this Recruiter Relationship Management.
41 reviews
December 24, 2017
Very informative book overall. Some timeless advice.

The parts related to the Internet or Internet-related tools were quite dated. Some of the tools or technologies listed do not even exist today. But skim over these parts and you'll be satisfied with the body of knowledge the rest of the book offers.
Profile Image for Anthony.
224 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2023
Certainly some useful reminders. The outside work social networking aspect is a tiring thought, and an obvious detractor from normal tendencies to be away from family. Interesting to see how much has changed in the two decades as well as what translates to remote/distributed teams.
6 reviews
June 29, 2020
The ultimate playbook to help you effectively manage your professional career.
Profile Image for Eric.
693 reviews9 followers
November 21, 2020
Now nearing the end of the year in 2020, just doesn't feel %100 relevant anymore. Some of the info is useful, but I felt the examples dragged on. It was an ok read.
Profile Image for Mark Dunn.
215 reviews5 followers
September 4, 2012
Fantasitc insight to executive recruitment (both retainment and contingency) in the U.S., and possibly a life-changer, although too early to tell. Covers when and how to deal with recruiters, preparing exec resumes, interviews, internet job searching, and what to do based on your current state of being.

Especially revealing is the fact that, as a general rule, you want to get to an employer before either a retainment or contingency recruiter does. This is to avoid a price on your head that comes with a contingency recruiter and because in the case of retainment recruiters the restrictions they live under means that you may not be presented by them on their own despite being the best choice (eg if they're currently prevented from recruiting from your employer or if someone else at the recruiting firm currently has your name in their search).
Profile Image for Andrew Doran.
171 reviews9 followers
June 25, 2015
I picked this book up after hearing it mentioned multiple times on the Manager Tools podcast. This book provides an excellent insight into the world of recruiting and provides invaluable advice for working with recruitment firms and managing your career. The text is very colloquial and the points that are somewhat laboured—this style annoyed me at first but I quickly got used to it a couple of chapters in. Even though the book has a US focus it is still relevant for executives elsewhere in the world. Recommended.
33 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2011
Excellent information on the recruiting industry. The rest of the material is just ok, but the recruiting chapters alone would be worth 5 stars if not for the occasional sales pitches for the authors site thrown in.

Don't miss the novella at the end, a fictional account of a retainer search that really highlights some subtleties of the industry.
Profile Image for Ray Kelly.
238 reviews2 followers
March 11, 2015
John Lucht's Rites of Passage at $100,000+ to $1 Million+ is an excellent executive career guide. It is particularly useful for providing a deeper understanding of the search industry. If you are looking for a new executive job you will find this guide easy to read, succinct and it will provide all the information you need to ensure that you prepare a strong resume and letter.
Profile Image for Tim.
29 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2012
Great book for how to market yourself, how to prepare a resume, and how to interact with executive recruiters or headhunters. It is a little dated, and does not discuss resume techniques in the age of computer submitted resumes that must rely on keywords, but still it is well worth a read.
Profile Image for Troy Swinehart.
79 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2016
This will be the #24 goal line for now. (After 24 I think I'll read fiction to lighten things up a little more.)
6 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2014
This is an awful sales pitch with absence of logical flow and any substance. There are about 10 useful advices maximum. Conclusion: stay away from the headhunters and grow your network.
Profile Image for Craig Delarge.
37 reviews8 followers
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September 22, 2016
Must read for excutives. Particularly like the network analysis method he discusses.
Profile Image for Brian.
Author 4 books27 followers
August 20, 2008
Presumptuous of me to read this? Maybe. I hope not, though.
5 reviews5 followers
February 19, 2009
excellent inside information on career strategies and an insiders review of head hunters
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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