Description
Book SynopsisAmericans 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 readers behind the closed doors of top-tier investment banks, consulting firms, and law firms to reveal the truth about who
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Max Weber Book Award, Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section of the American Sociological Association Winner of the 2016 Mary Douglas Prize for Best Book, Sociology of Culture Section of the American Sociological Association Co-Winner of the 2016 Distinguished Book Award, Sociology of Law Section of the American Sociological Association Co-Winner of the 2016 Silver Medal in Career (Job Search, Career Advancement), Axiom Business Book Awards One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2015 "Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs is an academic book with the requisite references to gender theory and Marxist concepts of inequality. But read it carefully and it becomes something far more useful--a guide on how to join the global elite."--Economist "[Rivera's] richly described account is mesmerising--and horrifying."--Gillian Tett, Financial Times "[Pedigree] provides an insider look at how top-notch places hire, and explores how their processes serve those with the most privileged and affluent backgrounds."--Bouree Lam, The Atlantic "Sociologist Rivera has written an exceptionally useful study of how hiring for elite starting jobs is actually done in the US. This insider study shows how the top investment banks, law firms, and consulting companies hire only from a double handful of leading universities, law schools, and business schools... This significant sociological study will also likely be read as a how-to manual."--Choice
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xi 1 Entering the Elite 1 2 The Playing Field 29 3 The Pitch 55 4 The Paper 83 5 Setting the Stage for Interviews 113 6 Beginning the Interview: Finding a Fit 135 7 Continuing the Interview: The Candidate's Story 147 8 Concluding the Interview: The Final Acts 183 9 Talking It Out: Deliberating Merit 211 10 Social Reconstruction 253 11 Conclusion 267 Appendix A Who Is Elite? 287 Appendix B Methodological Details 291 Appendix C List of Interviews 307 Notes 315 References 347 Index 365
