You’ve found it! Found it! The perfect job for you! It’s exactly the type of job you want, and you’re sure the work, people, and salary will be great, right? Maybe—but maybe not. This scenario is not uncommon to many of us. We have all gotten very hopeful at one point or another during our job search, and why shouldn’t we? There is nothing wrong with being hopeful; staying positive is a great attitude to have while looking for work. But the rules of finding a job can be a lot like the rules of dating—you don’t want to get too attached without getting to know each other first.

Things to Find Out Before the Interview

Job description. Job boards will usually have some kind of job description, but you may encounter jobs that don’t have a clear, written description at career fairs or other networking events. Ask yourself if you know the following:

•    Areas of responsibility and job functions
•    Required education, experience level, and technological experience
•    Location of the job
•    Time requirements (how many hours per week you are expected to work and the shift you are expected to work)

Based on this information, decide if this is the right job to apply to. If you cannot find this information in the job description, either try calling the HR rep to find this information out; or if this is not possible, apply to the job and find out this information during the interview.

The company’s products, services, and mission. Let’s say you’re a PR graduate who wants to work in meeting planning. You apply for a meeting planning position for PETA—but you own a crocodile skin purse and a fur coat. It doesn’t seem like your values align with the company’s mission, so this may not be the best fit for you. If you don’t find this information on the company’s About Us section on its Web site, you might be able to find out more on sites like www.zoominfo.com where you can get detailed information about companies and their industry leaders. You can use LinkedIn to find out more about the company by using the Search Companies option. You might also want to find out who will be interviewing you and search for that person through LinkedIn, using the Search People function.

Things to Find Out at the Interview

Company culture. The company wants to decide if you are the right fit for an organization, and conversely, you are deciding the same. Ask the interviewer about the company culture—the shared values and actions of the employees. This might be something difficult for an interviewer to define (and what the interviewer says may or may not actually be what the culture is), but pay attention to keywords like casual, friendly, busy, efficient, ethical, and so on. Take notice of the way the employees are dressed and how they interact with one another. Ask questions like, “Would I be expected to work more in teams or individually?” “What is the company’s growth plan?” “Why is this position open/what are the primary reasons for people leaving this company?”

Expectations for this position. Just because you’re interviewing for the same title you had at your last position, doesn’t mean the job expectations are the same! Find out the following:

•    What kind of traits does the ideal candidate have for this position?
•    What are some of the challenges in this position?
•    Do you see any significant changes in this position in the near future?

Things to Find Out After the Interview

With dating, there are certain things you may not want to ask your partner until you are “official.” The same is true with waiting to ask certain questions until you get the official job offer. After you have received a job offer, there is a litany of questions you may want to ask to find out if the job is the right fit for you:

•    What is the yearly/hourly salary?
•    How many paid vacation days do I have?
•    What is your benefit package?
•    Am I expected to work overtime? Do you pay for overtime?
•    When do you assess raises; what is the typical raise rate?
•    Do you give bonuses, and what is the typical bonus amount?

Just like finding the right partner may take a long time, so might finding the right job. Find out everything you need to know to create a successful partnership, and make sure you don’t settle!

Doctors get a lot of questions from friends and neighbors about medications and illnesses.  As a Human Resources professional in this tough labor market, I’ve been getting a lot of employment and job search questions from friends and acquaintances.

In the last week I was approached with two job-related situations. Here’s to dispelling job search urban legends and fears!

Situation # 1

A college friend of my daughter is getting ready to graduate.  She is applying to companies and putting together a few versions of her resume.

This friend had an internship last year.  Her supervisors thought highly of her and gave her additional work because they knew she could handle it.  Late in the semester she had some personal family issues arise.  As a result, she needed to end the internship because she needed to use her time to help out her family.  She feels her supervisors were disappointed.  Now she is a bit skittish about putting the internship on her resume.

The friend’s questions to me were, “Do I list this internship on my resume? What do I say if I’m asked why I left? and If I think they were disappointed that I left; should I use them as a reference?”  Great questions.

First I told her that she should absolutely list the internship on her resume.  It was an experience that gave her insight into the working world.  She learned a lot from it and helped the organization.

Next, I said that when she interviews she should be ready to talk about why the internship ended.  The truth is that she really enjoyed her role, what she learned and contributed, and the people there.  I said she needs to say she left because of an urgent family matter that needed her immediate attention.  She should mention she was excited about the experience she gained while there.  If asked, she will have the chance to elaborate on her role and her accomplishments during the internship.

Now the tricky part – using the internship as a reference.  I told the friend that she should find someone she worked with there who would be willing to talk to a future employer about her.  Since she did a great job, there should be someone who can help her out.  Alternatively, her college counselor could probably speak on her behalf about the internship.

The takeaways:  1) List your relevant experience.  2) Be prepared to explain why you left a position, even if the reason is a family emergency.  I would make sure you add what you contributed and what you gained from the experience as well. Never speak negatively about a past employer.  3)  Have references available to talk about you to prospective employers.

Situation #2

My neighbor is doing well at his job, but he heard about an opening with another company.  The new job would pay more and have more advancement opportunities.  He has heard stories of his current employer seeing some of its employees’ resumes on Internet resume databases and firing them. He also knows his current employer is struggling in this economy, so he would like to move on.  He is worried that A) If he puts his resume on one of the job boards his company will see it and fire him and B) If he gets an interview with the company with the opening, the new company will call his current company to verify employment or find out about his work habits and ethics.

My advice back to him:

A)  He can put his resume on the job boards, leave out his last name, and have the name of the current company “Confidential.”  He needs the resume to have an e-mail address and phone number so that recruiters and employers have a way to contact him.  Author’s note: It is disheartening that a company would fire someone because he or she put his or her resume on a job board.  I do have a friend who saw his current job posted on one and confronted his boss.  That is how he found out the company was letting him go.

B)  In general, a prospective company will ask candidates on an application if they can contact the current employer.  It is completely acceptable to say “no” or to say “after an offer is made.” Many companies do employment verifications but only after an offer has been made.

The takeaway:  If you are worried your company will find you on a resume board, keep your last name off your resume and your employer confidential but make sure your email address is listed.  Don’t worry that prospective companies will call your current employer during the interview process.  It really doesn’t work that way.  Companies may do employment verifications after they have made you an offer.

How does one go about getting the name of someone in human resources or the name of a hiring manager? Job listings posted all over the place simply read: No phone calls and direct résumé to BD or some other letter combination at some post office box or no-reply email address. Getting a name is like pulling a needle from a haystack. A good read might be something from Sherlock Holmes or a day with reruns of Get Smart to help solve the dilemma.

I won’t lie; getting a name can be tough, very tough. It can be done though! It takes work and a bit of sleuthing. Anything that is worth something is worth working for - right? So, here are some ways to win the holiday turkey - THE NAME.

1. Try calling the receptionist at the company where you are applying. You can ask the receptionist for the name of a person in human resources. If you are nice and engage the person on the phone, you will likely come away with a name.
2. When calling a company, ask to be directed to the human resource department; you will likely get the voice mail of a person within the department. Even if he or she is not the right guy or gal, when your résumé shows up, he or she will pass it along to the appropriate counterpart in the department.

Looking for the name of a hiring manager? This takes more digging.

1. Use LinkedIn and Facebook to find people. If you are on LinkedIn you will need to do a lot of looking to identify people that are associated with the company you are targeting. Join affiliated groups so that you can write to those people directly without an introduction. Is that sneaky? No. LinkedIn is a tool like any other. You need to know how to use it. From there, you can introduce yourself to a person at your targeted company, network with them and obtain a name. Facebook takes a little more work, because you need to introduce yourself and be added as a friend.
2. Traditional research also works. When doing research on a company, oftentimes the company will have a listing of senior management. You can start there. Send a letter or email to one of those people. You never know, you might get a response asking you to send your résumé to them directly, or they might even give you the name of someone to reach out to within the company.
3. Network with everyone you know. The rule of six degrees of separation is what LinkedIn is all about. You can get names from friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and many, many others.

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People often think that December is the wrong time to find work, because “who leaves a job at the holidays” or because “bonuses are pending” but that’s definitely not the truth. Far too often, people decide to put their job hunt on hold between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but that's a huge mistake. Although new budgets often take effect in January, HR teams receive job requisitions for budgeted new spots much earlier than that, and it’s quite likely that waiting until January might mean that someone else got the job of your dreams.

It’s also very likely that you might be one of the few qualified applicants for a great job when you’re interviewing in December, simply because other candidates think it's a bad time to hunt. After all, positions become open for a variety of reasons: people find better opportunities or they move or even get promoted. With the economy starting to recover, more work equals new jobs, but this is definitely a case of being in the right spot at the right time.
There are also many personal benefits to continuing a job search at this time of year, such as avoiding holiday depression simply by being dressed each day and feeling a sense of worth. Let’s also remember that being active is powerful – and being home depressed, simply waiting for the calendar to change to January can feel really powerless. There are also many hidden opportunities to being out there job hunting. Even if you’re not chosen, for instance, you might be offered temp work or freelance assignments, which can lead to networking opportunities and of course INCOME. And we know that someone who is already employed, even in a temporary capacity, is a far more attractive hire than someone who isn’t.

There are also some very unique opportunities in December -- holiday parties, for instance, are a great time for networking. You never know who will be there or what opportunities they might have opening up at their company – so be sure to remain professional and poised at all times – this isn’t the time to take risks or be the life of the party! And definitely have business cards with your contact info in your pocket.

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For this holiday season, give a gift that will make a positive difference in the life of a job hunter. Give him or her The Ultimate Job Search Toolkit.

Get 25% off of the course by entering in"holiday" as the discount code. This promotion is good until the end of December, so be sure to order it before the end of the month!

The other day we had our first free virtual career coaching session on GoSavant.com. We had quite a number of people come in and ask multiple job search questions! It was so busy for our career coach that we have decided to limit the number of people next time or have 2 coaches available at once (depending on expressed demand). We hope we were able to answer the most pressing of your job search questions, and we empathize with those who need one-on-one career coaching beyond the hour. We are planning on having future virtual career coaching sessions, but if you have more than a few questions that can be answered via chat in an hour, visit www.gosavant.com to select a career coach for more personalized coaching.

So what were some of the questions and answers during our first free virtual meetup?

What can I do to increase my chances for a phone call for an interview?

Coach: The market is tight, so being able to stand out from the crowd helps. In your resume, include any unique information that will be a "hook" and grab people's attention-- maybe it is some background or perhaps a skill.

I have really strong writing skills so I'm not that concerned about the cover letter but more the resume itself.

Coach: I suggest that in today's economy a well-crafted and individualized cover letter can be very important. It can allow you to articulate very specifically what you bring to them. Other people will send generic cover letters… you will want to stand apart and be noticed with your specific skills, knowledge and ability that meet the job. For instance, you can highlight an experience that you perhaps can't do as well in a resume.

I see..good point.

What’s an elevator speech and what should I include in it?

Coach: Use your ingenuity! An elevator speech is what you would say to someone about yourself in the amount of time you spend on an elevator with him/her. Intro, goals, skills….

How do I find the unpublished jobs?

Coach: Good question. Do you have the ability to develop and maintain personal connections and professional contacts? These contacts may generate some leads.

I meet people, but where do I go from there?

Coach: Ask them if they know of any opportunities or contacts. You can also explain your skills and see if they have any ideas based on that. I also suggest using LinkedIn.com to keep in contact.

I admit it — I am addicted to job advice. I love reading advice on Twitter, rummage through my RSS feed of career blogs on LinkedIn, and regularly check out the latest career musings on BrazenCareerist. Based on all I read and my own experiences acquiring and maintaining 3 jobs in the past year, here is a compilation list of the 10 things you can do right now to jump start your job search.

1. Create a great LinkedIn profile. Sure, it’s pretty easy to sign up for LinkedIn, include your current and past positions, and add a few people to your network, but you can and should do so much more. Recruiters are using LinkedIn more and more to find candidates, even those who aren’t actively looking. Part of the reason why recruiters are coming across LinkedIn profiles of those who aren’t actively looking, is how well their profiles are put together.

What do you need to do to create the beginnings of a great LinkedIn profile? Here are the starters:
• Make your LinkedIn URL your first and last name. This can improve your LinkedIn visibility on Google
• In addition, if you include your blog in the Websites sections, instead of naming it the default “My Website,” rename it the blog name
• In the Specialties section, use resume keywords; otherwise known as core competencies
• List accomplishments in addition to duties to your experience (much like a resume)
• Ask for recommendations, and give recommendations!
• (Read these additional LinkedIn tips from LinkedIn)

2. Volunteer your career services. If you haven’t been working for a few months, you need to volunteer. Why? One of the first things recruiters will notice is gaps on your resume, and they will wonder what you have been doing to be a savvy job seeker during your time-off. Interested in a social media position but don’t have the formal experience? Find a local organization that’s lacking a Twitter or Facebook Fan Page and volunteer to create them. (Put this experience on your resume and LinkedIn page, and then ask for a LinkedIn recommendation from the boss.) Want to work in a project management role? Join your condo’s board of directors. (You can learn fiscal responsibility, teamwork negotiation, and leadership skills and include those competencies on your resume.)

Aside from the skills and resume experience you get from volunteering, you also gain a crucial opportunity to expand your network. Which leads us to…

3. Network everywhere, all the time, with everyone. Networking doesn’t mean you’re holding up a business card with sad, trembling eyes, and you ask a person who you just exchanged 2 words with an elevator: “Do you know of any jobs?” Networking is about getting to know a person—who he/she is, what kind of work he/she does, what his/her interests are—and striking up a conversation about who you are, what you have to offer, your interests, and what kind of work you are looking for. If all goes well in that conversation, that person will be more than happy to share pertinent information with you!  Many times, that person doesn’t have pertinent information for you at the moment—but he or she might in the future. Maintain communications with your contacts whether it’s through a holiday card, LinkedIn, or sharing lunch. Additionally, make sure you don’t let your membership to organizations you are already a part of expire—your networking experiences and opportunities to hear insights into the industry are often worth the annual fee. You might also want to consider joining job seeker groups on www.meetup.com where you can meet other job seekers and industry professionals who are all enthusiastic about helping each other out.

4. Treat your resume as if it is the most important financial document you will ever own. This quote is borrowed from GoSavant’s Martin Yate, but I believe in it 100%! Your resume is what gets you or what keeps you from getting the job you want. If you aren’t getting interviews after months of applying for jobs, chances are something is wrong with your resume. If you’re still not getting the interview after updating your resume per expert opinion, hire a professional resume writer. It can seem expensive, but it is an investment into your future, an investment into the future of your income.

5. Write a cover letter for each job you apply to and personalize it. Even if a company doesn’t require you to submit a cover letter, submit a cover letter. Don’t let your cover letter be a boring recitation of everything on your resume in an equally boring 4-paragraph form—keep your cover letter concise and personal to the company, and let your personality shine through!

6. Clean up your “digital dirt.” Google your first and last name. Click on those sites. Do you see anything that can keep you from getting the job you want? Get rid of it. Keep in mind that although your Facebook profile may be “private,” your profile picture may not be. What you write on your friend’s walls may not be private either. If you have a personal blog that includes your personal feelings on personal topics and your name is linked to it, you will want to keep that from public view.

7. Do not just use job boards. Here’s the truth: a few of the jobs I’ve gotten were indeed from CareerBuilder, but that was during a different job market with less competition and more time for HR recruiters to look at resumes. In conjunction with talking to your networking contacts for job opportunities, create new networking contacts through social media platforms like Twitter by creating an appropriate job hunting profile that discusses who you are, your skills, and what kind of work you’re looking for, then follow and network with  businesses and thought leaders pertinent to your job search. Use www.linkup.com to view job openings on company websites. And of course, use LinkedIn to look for job opportunities or to find hiring managers behind company profiles and find ways to be on their radar.

8. Don’t have one-size-fits-all approach to your job search. There’s a reason why they don’t make jeans all in one size: they wouldn’t fit! You have to focus your job search on the kind of work you are suitable for and not have or communicate the “I’ll take anything” approach. For each type of job you are looking for (ie, sales vs. marketing job), have a different resume. Always have an individualized cover letter. Don’t give canned answers to interviews. Be aware of what the company is looking for and put your focused energy into a personalized resume, cover letter, and interview. If you’re not finding success after several months of job hunting and interviewing, hire a job coach.

9. Have a daily job search plan. Looking for a job should be a full-time job until you find a full-time job, but that doesn’t mean you need to spend 8 hours looking at a computer all day. It may help to prevent job search burnout by organizing a daily job search plan that includes a myriad of tasks during the course of the day. Have a day that looks like this: look for jobs for an hour, read trade magazines and articles specific to your industry (which might give you leads into the hidden job market) for about an hour, write cover letters for 2 hours, volunteer for 2 hours, and go to a networking event for 2 hours that night. Switch up your tasks per day! Your job search won’t seem as tasking.

10. Be positive. This is not meant to be hokey advice that equates to having an unrealistic attitude and a forced smile. The bottom-line is this: you will get hired. If you arm yourself with all the tools you need like the right resume, a creative cover letter, awesome interviewing skills, and an optimistic outlook, you will find work. Having a positive attitude in your job search will extend to your networking events, your cover letters, your interviews—and employers will infinitely prefer to hire someone who has a positive, optimistic attitude as opposed to a depressed and pleading one.

Have I missed any major pointers on improving job search? What have you done to have a successful job search? Sound off below!

A protégée of GoSavant.com, Molly Mann, has been profiled in the Chicago Sun-Times! Molly’s job search success has been realized after taking GoSavant.com’s “Ultimate Job Search Toolkit” and working with one of GoSavant’s coaches, Karen Marvinac.

After watching GoSavant.com’s “Winning Interviewing Techniques” before the interview that led to her job offer, Molly noted: "The tips, along with my coach Karen Marvinac's help, gave me a lot more confidence and acted as a refresher course… GoSavant gave me a structure and a feeling that things can turn around."

Natalie Petouhoff of Forrester Research also notes that GoSavant is unique because it allows job seekers to practice interviewing skills by speaking to a job coach, rather than rehearsing in their heads, and can role-play their resumes in the best way possible.

To read the rest of the Chicago Sun-Times article on GoSavant.com, click here.

We will be hosting a FREE virtual meetup in which you can ask Career Coach, James Persing, any of your job search questions on November 10th from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST.

Wondering if your resume has the right keywords? Curious about how to answer a dreaded interview question? Anxious to learn how to close the interview to get the job? Just go to www.gosavant.com on November 10th between 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST (you may join 15 minutes before the session) and click on the Free Advice from a Career Coach button. You can then join in the chat session, all from the convenience of your own computer. You don’t have to drive anywhere or get dressed up; all you have to do is be on your computer between 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST on November 10th and type your queries.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you November 10th and are happy to help you in your job hunt and career advancement!

It looked promising for Chicago—we had tremendous clout with President Obama, Michelle Obama, and Oprah campaigning for Chicago to get the Olympics in 2016. Michelle Obama spoke impassionedly about growing up in Chicago, and President Obama said powerful statements like “One of the legacies I want to see coming out of the Chicago 2016 hosting of the Games is a reminder that America at its best is open to the world." Chicago also showed videos of the beauty of its lakefront location and mesmerizing Millennium Park to the Olympic committee. So what went wrong? What can job seekers learn from Chicago’s failed “Olympic interview”?

Don’t go for the personal plea in the interview; describe the technical reasons why you would be a good fit for the organization.

There were so many powerful, personal sentiments behind the Obamas plea for the Olympics. Statements including “with hard work and discipline and dedication, [Chicago] can make it if we try” and “That's not just the American dream, that is the Olympic spirit. That's why we see so much of ourselves in these Games. And that's why we want them in Chicago. That's why we want them in America.”

As beautifully said as these statements are, they don’t give any indication as to what Chicago can offer the Olympics. In an interview, describe what you can offer the organization,. It seems as if the Obamas were asking what the Olympics could do for Chicago and not what Chicago could do for the Olympics. In fact, Michelle Obama specifically said: “Chicago's vision for the Olympic and Paralympic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the Games. It's about what the Games can offer all of us. It's about inspiring this generation and building a lasting legacy for the next.” In an interview, however, you should explain what you can an offer an organization.

It had been reported that Chicago avoided reporting “stodgy technical details”…but maybe the Committee wanted to hear technical details. Maybe the Olympic Committe wanted to hear discussions of finances. Chicago instead showed videos of blues legened Buddy Guy and snapshots of the pretty city. Mayor Daley emphatically noted “It’s not about the words. It’s about the heart and soul.” But “some of its speakers looked nervous and parts of the presentation came off as stilted. It also was surprisingly low-key…” If you are relying on an image mainly to sell your point (which you shouldn’t), it should at least come across as professional as possible.

Chicago had the passion, the skills, and the right “references” to sell the city to the Olympic Committee. But it didn’t focus on what the Olympic Committee wanted to hear of  what Chicago could offer the orgnanization. Job seekers may have the passion, the skills, and the right references, but that won’t mean much in an interview unless a job seeker can display how those qualities will benefit the organization.