The Rites of Passage belongs on anyone's bookshelf who's interested in actively managing their careers and gain that extra edge. Even if you're not close to $100k, the book gives you valuable insight into that realm. Understanding your boss and your boss' boss will make you a more valuable employee and may advance your career more than you realize.
If you are at $100k+ I can't imagine successfully managing your career without Lucht's insight. His decades of experience will help you manage transitions properly and in a proactive manner.
My only minor gripes are (1) The typesetting. I have a nagging feeling he did this himself, it could definitely be done better (2)The minor section on usage of the Internet is dated and could be done better. I doubt John had someone appropriate look this over. Still, he earns top rating.
Thanks to manager-tools.com for recommending this book.

In close to 600 pages that are much denser than most business and self-help books, John Lucht doles out a thorough treatment of every topic you'd expect to see, and then some.

Lucht's description of the executive recruitment business is espeicially illuminating - I would have distributed my resume far too freely if I hadn't read this book. Several chapters are dedicated to finding recruiters, separating the good from the bad, and recruiter interactions.

Of course, there is also plenty of networking, interviewing, and resume-writing advice. It seems that Lucht approached this book as if writing his own resume: it's jam-packed with facts, and doesn't mince words; it has a flowing narrative style punctuated by headlines for easy scanning; it touts his credibility, accomplishments, and recruiting services without inflated, ambiguous adjectives.

It's not perfect, though. Lucht overhypes the subscription services on his Web site, ritesite.com. He repeats certain points mind-numbingly often. He suggests that people include marital status, height, and weight on resumes; as a small, single woman, I doubted that. Some of his internet job search suggestions are already outdated, and his preference of old-fashioned direct mail is questionable for technology industry jobs. But given his vast experience, his opinions are certainly valid. And most of his suggestions are painstakingly justified by facts and examples.

I recommend buying the accompanying Executive Job-Changing Workbook. It provides additional resume and interview coaching, and its worksheets are useful tools for organizing thoughts.

I am in the salary range that this book is targeted at and I can confidently say that there is no other job search book like it. Most job search books try to be evrything to everybody and therefore end up dispensing advice that's applicable to people searching for jobs in the $30K to $60K salary range. There's nothing wrong with that advice but it's useless to people seeking jobs that pay well over $100K.

John Lucht walks the reader step-by-step through all of the activities required to successfully find a new job and shatters a lot of myths along the way. Like many others, I have been promoted several times within my own company so the last time I actively searched for a job, I was making about 1/4 the salary that I do now. Although I thought I knew everything I needed to know to search for a new job, this book made it clear how wrong I was. What really impressed me is that as much focus is placed on discussing your possible weaknesses as is placed on strengths. At this salary range, you need to anticipate everything that a prospective employer might hold aganst you. Mr. Lucht goes through all of these (even being overweight) and offers indispensable advice on how to deal with each. Similar focus is placed on identifying and effectively selling your greatest accomplishments to persuade a prospective employer why you would be their best choice.

Following the advice presented in this book will require a lot of hard work. But the advice is so good that the work is certain to eventually result in a job offer (assuming you have the qualifications - no book can overcome that). I would also add that purchasing the companion workbook is a must.

This is the book that puts it all together. If you have used recruiters before, then this book is a must read. It has such an amount of helpful information that it is very difficult to call out any one specific point. If you aspire to be a CEO some day, or are striving towards the top rung of that corporate ladder, this book will help you get there. You get to see the hiring process for the upper level executives. And, it is really helpful and beneficial for anyone who has any degree of business experience. I whole heartedly recommend it.

Yes, it is a very good book. However, I knocked off a star for the following:

1. It sells its website RiteSite.com SO HARD that the book at times comes off as being somewhat of a written infomercial.

2. The use of so many bold-faced words in varying font types and sizes I found distracting and unprofessional.

Other than these minor issues, the book is a MUST! It does a good job without bias in explaining the contingency and retained recruiting side of the business. The tips I got from this book alone was well worth its cost.

Note - One solid advice that should be mentioned in this book in the next edition is the following - headhunters use tracking software. So if you are registered on sites like HotJobs and Monster and allow cookies to be read, it is possible under certain circumstances that they can see which companies and opportunities you're interested in. My guess is so they can "float" your resume there and put a price tag on your head. And if you think they can't get a hold of your resume, these headhunters do talk to each other. Bottom line - Network! Network! Network!. And if a recruiter cold calls you, tell them to speak to the dial tone! Ha!