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Pedigree
Summary
Americans are taught to believe that upward mobility is possible for anyone who is willing to work hard, regardless of their social status. Yet it is often those from affluent backgrounds who land the best jobs. Pedigree takes listeners behind the closed doors of top-tier investment banks, consulting firms, and law firms to reveal the truth about who really gets hired for the nation's highest-paying entry-level jobs, who doesn't, and why.
Drawing on scores of in-depth interviews as well as firsthand observation of hiring practices at some of America's most prestigious firms, Lauren Rivera shows how, at every step of the hiring process, the ways that employers define and evaluate merit are strongly skewed to favor job applicants from economically privileged backgrounds. She reveals how decision makers draw from ideas about talent - what it is, what best signals it, and who does (and does not) have it - that are deeply rooted in social class. Displaying the "right stuff" that elite employers are looking for entails considerable amounts of economic, social, and cultural resources on the part of the applicants and their parents.
Challenging our most cherished beliefs about college as a great equalizer and the job market as a level playing field, Pedigree exposes the class biases built into American notions about the best and the brightest, and shows how social status plays a significant role in determining who reaches the top of the economic ladder.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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- Amazon Customer
- 13-02-18
Invaluable information for university students
Extremely useful book for university students who are looking land jobs with elite professional services firms and elite firms in general. Wish I listened to this years ago!
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- wayne
- 18-04-18
Great book about cultural capital
Would you listen to Pedigree again? Why?
Yes, very well done.
What did you like best about this story?
Highly relevant for anyone in college or looking to graduate.
Which character – as performed by Dina Pearlman – was your favorite?
There are not any characters, the book is non-fiction and based on a study
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The stories about the degree of blatant irrationality for the goal of reproducing a workforce similar in taste and culture.
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- Mihály Kertész
- 13-08-17
Outstanding study
Comprehensive descripton of the admission process of law, investment banking and consulting firms with full of insights of the elite students
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- Pavel Shumarov
- 07-05-17
Amazing
Truly amazing book. I am going to buy a paper version in addition to audio
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- Sam
- 25-04-16
Very insightful
I loved this book! I recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting college or to anyone studying the American class system.
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- Amazon Customer
- 22-06-15
Every one needs to read this.
appreciate the exposure of information about privileged schooling and hiring. need hiring practices to change.
Thank you.
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- Nick
- 22-08-15
This should have been a much shorter narrative
Incredible amounts of repetition - go for the cliffs notes version plus the appendix. Can not recommend.
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- Kevin Zhang
- 26-06-15
Very informative book
A great inside into the high paying job's interview and selection process. Good read for MBA students and young people who are thinking to join the ranks.