What kinds of job industry are you trying to break into…the better question to ask is what steps do you take to make yourself stand out from the masses?

It’s clear, times are changing, people are becoming more tech savvy and millions of social media networks are popping up everywhere and some people are putting social media to good use.

Putting together a really good resume takes a lot of work and sometimes a lot of time.

So, I’m going to ask you another question, have you ever come across a crazy wacky resume that made your jaw drop?

A resume that made your jaw drop to the point that you had to meet the person who took the time to create it.

Given that we have decided to show you the top 5 creative wacky resumes that landed these individuals job interviews.

1) Joe Kelso – Created a resume that resembles a movie poster and it never failed at landing him interviews.

2) Sabrina Saccoccio – Submitted her Facebook profile as a resume and she even included all her work experiences and comments from her followers

3) Eric Gandhi-Made a Google Themed Resume on Linked. It was well done that he was referred to someone at Google who called him to come in for an interview.

4) Francis Homo-Split his experiences between his right and left brain.

5) Sophie Tatlow-Put a lot of work and effort creating her resume!

Many employees find themselves in a situation where their company has repeatedly promised to take care of them, however after months of waiting, it can begin to feel like they’re just paying lip service to the idea.

If this is you, it’s time to consider a high risk-strategy that some career-minded individuals are reaping the rewards from.  It’s not for everybody – but worth considering if you are determined to progress your career and want to give the process a kick start.  Do you want to live with the frustration of waiting to see if promises come to fruition – or are you willing to do something about it?

Leverage Can Work

If you’re good at your job and you know – or think – you are valued, there’s one sure-fire way to find out.  Get yourself an offer.  Prepare your resume, apply for opportunities outside your current company and get some leverage.   What’s the worst that can happen?  If you end up with a great offer on the table from a competitor to present to your boss, it’s crunch time.  Either they step up and increase your responsibilities or fulfill that promised pay rise – or they don’t.  If they don’t, you’ve got a good opportunity to pursue.  If they do, mission accomplished!  It’s win, win.

More often than not, its medium sized businesses where this strategy works best.  Small companies may not be in a position to boost your role; and large organizations often don’t have as much riding on individual responsibilities, unless you’re already on the management team.   Busy – and bottom-line focused – executives will overlook successful individuals over for promotion time and time again.  Whether you’re flying under the radar, too good at your current job to move on, or need progression but don’t have anywhere to go,  you need a catalyst for change if you don’t want to stay stuck in a rut.

Nicky Hoffman decided to take this approach last year – and has never looked back.  A sales rep at a successful engineering firm, she had long been promised a senior account manager role.  She knew she could procure another position, had established a huge book of business and was confident that her clients loved her:   “One year after the promotion had been broached; I knew I had to speak to my employer yet again, but it had got to the point where it was unprofessional to keep bringing it up.  I felt I had to take control of the situation.”  Nicky soon found out if she really was a valued employee, as she had hoped.   She secured an offer with a competitor, re-approached her company and the very same day she found herself in front of the CEO accepting the role of senior account manager, along with a 45% increase.  “They knew that if they lost me, it could have been a big problem.  Some clients would have been unhappy, some may have followed me to the competitor, plus it would have been hard to replace me – or swallow the cost of retraining – in the industry I’m in.”  By proactively seeking some leverage, Nicky helped her company realize they’d dropped the ball.  She didn’t complain, so she was still viewed as a team player; instead she succeeded in strengthening the respect of her peers for making a strategic move.

It’s true, the majority of those electing to use a counter offer find it doesn’t come to fruition.    But it’s a guaranteed way to establish your true worth – and that’s as good a reason as any to give it a try.

Have you successfully procured a counter offer and ended up with a promotion or pay raise? Or did job-seeking help you realize it was time to leave?  Would love to hear your stories!

Firstly, any job-seeking professional knows that the first thing you do before applying for a job is check out the company’s website.  Not only to arm yourself with valuable information for your application and hopefully interview, but also to decide: Is this a company that you even want to work for?  Are they a big player or a one man band?  Are they ethical and financially stable?  Are they a good fit with your career path?

The second problem that anonymous job postings present occurs when it comes to the all-important cover letter and resume preparation. It is of course imperative, as a professional, to tailor your cover letter and resume to the company and the specific role.  But if you don’t know the name of the company, how are you going to do this effectively?  If you knew what the company did, you could make a much stronger case as to why you’d be perfect for the job.  Not to mention highlighting and re-wording relevant aspects of your resume to ensure your potential employer can see that your experience is a great fit – especially if it’s an executive position. You certainly wouldn’t call on the resume writing experts to work their magic for an anonymous position.

The answer?

The solution is, don’t waste your time with a killer cover letter and tailored resume.  Get their interest piqued and find out who the company is, before you let them see more about who you are.

Simply send your cover letter as the body of an email.  Explain that you are conducting a confidential job search, that you’re incredibly interested in the role, and that after reading the job description you are sure it’s a position that you are a good fit for.  Then outline that if they’re interested in connecting with you, they can call or reply with details about their company and you would love to send them your resume.  Even include a link to your LinkedIn profile, but do not include your resume.

Provide them with an incentive to call you.  There’s nothing wrong with saying “If you’re confidential, then so am I.”  Leave the ball in their court – if they’re genuine and are in a position to hire, they will have no problem disclosing more information at this stage.

Get wise to anonymous postings.

The company you are applying to could have a legitimate reason for posting a position anonymously – many do.   They may not want internal applicants.  They may be about to re-shuffle or lay off current employees and don’t want the job-holder to get wind of upcoming changes.  The position may be funded off the back of a confidential contract they’ve just won.

For every legitimate anonymous job posting, however, there’s one waiting to lead you up the proverbial garden path.  Often (perhaps unprincipled) job agencies will post fictitious job roles to hook you in as a candidate, perhaps even try to charge you a fee for finding you a genuine position.  That’s the nature of job-hunting though – and if you haven’t put a huge amount of energy into your application, by replying as a confidential applicant, you can happily chalk it down to playing the game.

Have you had an experience (successful or otherwise) with confidential job postings?  Did you find it was a genuine position, a scam or a job agency?

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Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

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Our ideal candidate must have:

A strong work ethic
A tenacious hunger to succeed
A need to have ownership in their role
A good track record in sales
Technical and business savvy

Typically, the ISS directs the entire sales process from initial account identification and on-going customer relationship. ISS represents the company to the customer (partner) and retains overall client responsibility. ISS are the primary contact and engagement point between the client and must be self-governing.

Our ideal candidate is a highly motivated, result driven and dynamic leader that can influence and drive new and renewal business of Service Solutions and Offerings to our customers helping them realize the potential use of their our programs.

The Role is also expected to continuously adapt the organization’s changing conditions, evolving priorities and ensuring readiness to meet future demand. The ISS will personally drive interaction with key clients

Primary Responsibilities include:

Manager coaching and development, and maintaining highly successful report that produce a healthy Services pipeline; Driving development of business growth in cooperation with Analyst Teams; Increasing customer satisfaction; Meeting services revenue commitments; Refining existing and developing new sales processes to improve efficiency; Partnering closely with the all directors, HQ Sales and Marketing team.

The ISS adds value to customers by providing an executive/professional presence and continuity to interface with customers at every level. Success in this regard is measured by customer satisfaction scores and anecdotal feedback, an expanded # of customer contacts and increased Services penetration into other areas of the customer’s network.

The ISS candidate must have proven experience in growing and managing a services pipeline utilizing CRM technologies. The candidate must have superior, business development and business management skills. The candidate should demonstrate an senior level of proficiency in conflict and negotiation management with a proven ability to provide timely feedback and influence direction. Depth of experience in a variety of applicable solutions sales is recommended and strong services business knowledge is needed. This individual must be able to understand and articulate vision to a variety of audiences.

Primary Commitments (Goals first year)
Services Quota Attainment
Services Strategy Target Attainment

Qualifications:

The candidate will have a minimum of 3+ years or more of proven experience in Solutions Sales/Services selling, with a minimum of 1 year proven Sales Management experience, preferably Services Sales Management, combined with a BA/BS degree or equivalent professional development and work experiences.

+++ CRM knowledge is a must (salesforce, zoho, Infusionsoft)
Desired Skills & Experience

Proven track record of sales success, meeting and exceeding sales targets, and penetrating new accounts/markets/competitive through proficiency in prospecting, lead qualification, sales and negotiations

· Highly motivated goal-oriented self starter with ability to work autonomously and as part of a team, takes initiative to make things happen, identifies what needs to be done and does it.

· Exceptional interpersonal skills strong verbal phone communication, effective benefit-oriented presentation skills and robust influencing skills with persistence to overcome objectives.

· Excellent organizational, project management and time management skills, including multitasking and ability to prioritize and meet deadlines, follow up and attention to detail. Adaptable to multiple requests and daily changes.

· Ability to interact effectively with all levels of an organization, both internally and with external customers.

· Creative Problem Solving –Strong analytical skills demonstrating ability to identify root causes of problems; generate and evaluate creative alternative solutions; implement problem resolutions quickly and effectively with fact-based decisions.

· Dependable: Being reliable, responsible, dedicated, committed, and fulfilling obligations

· Adaptable/Flexible: Being open to change (positive or negative) in response to new information, different or unexpected circumstances, and/or to work in ambiguous situations in a high paced environment with changing needs

· High Integrity: Accepting and adhering to high ethical, moral, and personal values in decisions, communications, actions, and when dealing with others

· Experience with Customer Relationship Management tools

Please forward your resume in confidence to: amos@resumetarget.com

A recent survey done by ResumeTarget.com on LinkedIn confirmed what entry-level professionals already know when looking for a job and going to job interviews: the biggest problem breaking into the market nowadays is a lack of experience. According to the numbers, 61% of the participants believe this to be the biggest issue.

“I am going to be a new grad in April 2012, so I have begun my professional job search just recently. Most of the job postings I have found require at least a year of experience. I don’t understand how entry-level positions can require that much experience. You would need at least four internships to get a year’s worth of experience”, says Curtis Denos, Math tutor at BYU-Idaho.

The survey also showed that (12%) chose lack of confidence as the other biggest issue.

11% of the survey’s participants pinpointed lack of information about the opportunity when they apply and read job descriptions. Lack of coaching for job interviews –  received 10% of the votes – and “difficulty in building a resume” came in at 7%.

The majority (60%) that answered the survey were men between 18 to 29 years old. The survey was done between September 19^th and October 4^th.

Because of the recession, young people have been finding it difficult to break into the corporate world. A degree is no longer a certainty of getting a good job after all. “School brilliance does not necessarily translate into real life applicability. I think those grads that have real work experience or solid volunteer experience demonstrating their skills and abilities will have a leg up when it comes to getting a first chance”, says Stephanie Douglas, owner and operator at Culture & Diversity Consulting for Our Colourful World.

For Hardik Jogani, Senior Design Capstone Project at Rutgers University, lack of networking skills can also be a problem. “There is a big emphasis on who you know and not only what you know. If a student builds his or her network early, he or she will be able to gain plenty of experience through internships and extracurricular activities.”

Sarah Gayer, owner of Sare and Associates, believes this is the key to success, be it for new grads or more experienced workers. “You need to start networking as soon as possible. While in school or employed. There is nothing like being approached by someone, who is all of a sudden asking you for a job when they could not be bothered before to even give you the time of day. Networking is something that needs to be done every day and it is ongoing, it never ends”.

She believes everybody should have a management plan and not only applying to job boards once in a while. For Sarah, the jobs are there, but, as they are not being advertised, you have to get known by the company.

But how do you get the employers’ attention if you don’t have enough experience? Deborah Rooney, who is the owner of Power Resumes & Coaching, suggests looking to the resume first. “The challenge for my new grads has been how to build a sharp resume and cover letter, how to navigate their job search, along with the important fact that many of their parents have been downsized. These parents have been unemployed at length and those jobs were eventually divided into multiple opportunities for grads.”

Steve Gallison, master team member at Career Management Alliance and founding director at POAC, believes you have to think out of the box sometimes. For his son, who graduated with a dual degree in business and marketing, the alternative was to open a large restaurant chain and create a plan to open a 40-seat restaurant/bar. “My son says ‘Since the ship wasn’t coming in, I was acquiring the skills and stamina to swim out to the ship’. Starting a restaurant business in this economy is iffy, but he will be poised to take advantage of the business when the economy gets back on its feet”.

In fact there are three things entry level professionals can do to compensate for the lack of experience. The first thing is to create a professional profile on social media websites.

The other two are networking and volunteering, and they can also be related.

Tip: Entry level professionals have to be more social and start networking early. Find places where they can meet people in their industry and start building out relationships. Another good alternative is to network through volunteering. This way, you can be referred you to other people, opening possible new opportunities of engagement with potential employers and hiring authorities.

I encourage entry-level candidates to stay tenacious, but also humble. You have to know how to use your transferable skills and know your personal professional pitch. You have to be able to communicate your value with clarity and without mumbling.

Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tayts

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Steve Jobs’ death surprised me and left many individuals feeling that a genius architect was gone, the one person/face who did everything to enhance the companies mission. It came right in a moment when the Apple brand is gaining more value, and accumulating record earnings each quarter. As their 2011 fiscal year ended on September, the fourth quarter and fiscal year earnings release date is soon approaching. Analysts still expect strong growth after a record net profit of around US$ 7.31 billion (US$ 7.79 per share) in the third quarter, which was announced in July. For their fourth quarter, the company expects diluted earnings per share of about US$ 5.50, according to the previous release. Results are scheduled to be released to the media on October 18^th

Other PC and tablet manufacturers are struggling in the market, but Apple remains resilient. As the company’s year profit is to be released and analysts already have good expectations, it serves as a proper model of how essential personal branding is when establishing customer loyalty and targeting market success.

Personal branding is very similar to company branding, you just need to adapt some concepts. Specific images and icons become associated with the brands they represent. By developing a unique approach for yourself, you are not only maximizing your opportunities for exposure but constructing a career that distinguishes you from others. Whatever brand symbol you develop, it should also reflect your personality, background and interests.

Here are some tips to help you structure your personal branding statements and, as a company does, project yourself to the world.

1. Creating a personal brand is the first step in marketing yourself to a public audience. It is all about how people see you. So first of all, you need to organize what you like to do, your goals and how you want people to see you and feel about you.

2. Design your brand and promote it. In a product, you can see how a company communicates with their clients. This is also visible in the type of advertisement companies choose and how they make themselves available. That means their visual and verbal vocabulary is expressed in design, advertisement and networking. So first, you need to take care of your image and plan your actions. Visibility can equal credibility.

3. Use social networking tools like LinkedIn and Facebook to full optimize your public profile and also promote yourself. The social networking websites expand your network and help reach people that interest you. This is sure to get you noticed. Just remember you want to use a visual and verbal vocabulary that suits what you want to transmit.

4. Use “emotions” to show your brand. Having a vision is important. Let people understand what you think about things that happen around you. This way you sound approachable and involved in other people’s causes. Companies that have a vision statement, ethics and remain interested in clients’ lives are most likely to succeed. Just remember to establish a target so your goals are clear to your public.

5. Putting yourself into your target’s shoes helps you explain why you are an expert in doing something and how you can be useful to other people. Using Steve Jobs as an example again, he said Apple’s employers ask themselves what they would want as clients. That is now company motto.

6. Maintaining your public image can benefit you in numerous ways. Everything you do impacts on your image, including your online presence, communication skills, resume-writing style and even how you dress. Because you only have a few seconds to make a lasting impression, it is important you get it right the first time. Make sure your personal brand reflects who you are and that you continuously make an effort to improve it.

7. Take your message on the road to successfully market your brand and message. To take it to the next level, go in person to events that provide networking opportunities. Get together with people of your field and strengthen your professional connections.

8. Clarify, not persuade. Constructing a brand is more than just trying to sell your product – or yourself, in this case. The best way of gaining credibility, after making yourself visible, is to educate your audience. Clarify your accomplishments, use numbers, facts and ROI (Return On Investment). Be clear about what you can do and what you have done. Do not try to persuade by selling, but by educating. This is also one of the intricate strategies that a brand like Apple has used to capitalize their success.

No matter what, keep in mind that the brand you present must be consistent.

Well, I hate to be the barer of bad news, but people judge you based off of the clothes you wear. I don’t care if you’re walking down the street, or sitting in a business meeting; people are constantly looking at what you’re wearing.

Over the past 10 years I’ve dressed like a bum, worn decent clothes, and dressed like a boss. I must admit, there is a huge ROI in wearing nice clothes… especially in the business world.

The Bum Years

When I first started out as an entrepreneur I didn’t have much money. So whenever I went out to networking events I either wore baggy jeans that looked like I had poop in my pants or slacks and a shirt that typically didn’t match. Most of my threads were from Target.

As you can probably already guess, half the issue was that I had no sense of style and the other half was that I didn’t want to spend too much money.

Whenever I walked into meetings or went to a conference people wouldn’t really give me the time of the day until they got to know me. Once they learned I was somewhat smart they were willing to listen to me and potentially work with me. The issue was, it took people a while to warm up to me because no one wanted to waste their time talking with someone who looked like a chump.

After a few years of going through this, a friend of mine kindly suggested that I spend a bit more money on my wardrobe, pay more than 10 bucks for a haircut, and get a decent pair of shoes.

I invested two thousand dollars in making myself over. And boy, it made a huge difference…

Note: During this phase of my life, my hourly consulting rate was under $100.

My big break through

With my new clothes, a somewhat decent haircut, and nice pair of black shoes I made a break through. At first I noticed that people were more willing to talk to me when I went to conferences. I also noticed that during my business meetings people took me more serious.

However, none of those things really mattered because they weren’t big break throughs. What was a big break through was that people assumed that I was somewhat well off because I was dressing much better. When I starting talking to potential customers they naturally assumed that I was successful and my services were costly because I was better dressed.

So when it came down to locking in new deals these potential customers started offering me more money. As I got a taste of money making, I wanted more, so I decided to take things up a new level with my wardrobe.

Note: During this phase of my life, my hourly consulting rate went up to $250.

The Boss Years

From Gucci suits, to designer shoes, to 5 figure watches, I stepped up my appearance as much as I could within my financial constraints. And boy, not only was there a huge ROI, but it was a much bigger difference than I ever experienced between my bum and normal stage.

By dressing to impress, successful business owners started to flock to me when I attended networking events and people listened when I spoke in business meetings. In addition to that I was praised for wearing rare watches that other business owners wanted, but didn’t have.

This experience taught me that successful people like to hang around with other successful people as they tend to feel comfortable around themselves. Now, by no means am I saying that all successful people dress nice, but the chances are if someone comes up to you and they are wearing a 5 figure watch, they have money.

And when you start talking about business with these successful people, they know that if they do business with you, it’s going to be costly for the following reasons:

• You have an expensive lifestyle – if people realize you have money, they know that they are going to have to pay a pretty penny to work with you. They know that if you throw around small amounts of cash in front of you, you just won’t care.
• It has to move your needle – in business there is saying that if it doesn’t move your needle, it’s not worth doing. So if the amount someone is willing to offer you isn’t life changing, there is a much greater chance that you won’t accept it. Due to this business owners will throw out much larger amounts if they want to work with you.

By dressing like a “boss” my credibility went through the roof with other business owners and I was able to do things like close 7 figure business deals.

Note: During this phase of my life, my hourly consulting rate was above 4 figures.

Conclusion

Although you should dress to impress because there is an ROI, there are a few caveats that you ought to know about.

The first is that if you aren’t clever dressing to impress won’t work well for you. People will see right through it and you won’t build any valuable business relationships. So before you go out and start spending money on clothes and watches, make sure you know what you’re talking about.

The second thing that you need to know is that after you have “made it” and people know you’re successful, it doesn’t matter how you dress. Although I still feel I have a long ways to go in my career, most people see me as being successful. These days I wear sneakers, cheap t-shirts, and I don’t really sport fancy watches because I want to focus on work. That stuff was never me, and although I used it to get further in my career, I still prefer shopping at Target over Nordstroms.

In the short run, dressing to impress is definitely worth it, but you also have to make sure that it doesn’t get to your head. You can quickly start spending thousands of dollars on clothes and after a certain point, there really isn’t a big difference between a thousand dollars on a suit versus spending five thousand.

Now that you have heard my story, do you think it’s worth dressing to impress?

Original Source: QuickSprout.com

In the new comedy film Horrible Bosses starring Jason Bateman, we can all learn a thing or two about being mistreated in the workforce. It’s not a topic we often talk about, but it’s something that we can’t ignore. Although this film is quite funny, it has some serious undertones that address the darker side of the workplace. Bateman’s character Nick hates his boss for not giving him a promotion after the eight years he’s spent working for him. He thinks he’s done everything he can to deserve an office of his own but his high expectations are blown away when his evil boss, Mr. Harken (Kevin Spacey), takes the senior position that was intended for him.

Experiencing the same kind of trauma are two of Nick’s friends, Dale and Kurt, who have similar attitudes about their bosses. Conflicted by what to do, the three guys meet each other at a bar to discuss their misfortunes. There they also meet an old friend of theirs, who recently quit his job and is in dire financial debt. That’s when they realize it’s better to be employed than not at all. However, they still start a revenge plot to get back at their bosses for making their lives miserable.

According to the film, here are some invaluable lessons to be learned:

1. Never arrive late to work. Get there two hours early and stay there for two extra hours.

In reality, you should always try to arrive to work at least 10-20 minutes early and leave work 10-20 minutes after the 5 o’clock mark to keep things organized. You don’t want to constantly hit the door at 5:01 pm because it makes you look uninterested in your role. Employers need to feel you have ownership in what you do.

2. Say goodbye to your love life. You only have yourself.

In theory, your work is your life and you spend most of your time at work. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get out more and spend time with your friends and family. It’s never good to be secluded from the rest of society so don’t work too hard all the time – learn to manage your work/life balance.

3. Drink a whole glass of scotch at 8:15 in the morning because your boss manipulated you.

If your boss has a habit of abusing their power – its not the kind of environment you want to thrive in. Try to keep up with your boss’s expectations but if they keep controlling you until your about to crack, maybe it’s time for you to find a new job.

4. Keep your job.

Even if you hate your job today, don’t let your frustration get the best of you. You may not have any other choice but to work at your current position, so be grateful that you have a job. Remember you still have to pay the bills! But if you are at this point already, it may be a good time to start building a job search strategy.

If worse comes to worse, seek a therapist about your situation. Perhaps you can find other ways to deal with your work-related stress before it becomes worse.

Although this film doesn’t suggest you to actually “kill” your boss to succeed in the workplace, it teaches us about self-discipline and workplace strategy.

So again I ask – would you expose your boss’s wrongdoings if you were treated unfairly?

Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tayts

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When it comes to job-hunting, phone interviews are tests. Everyone has them. They are sometimes the standard first step in the hiring process. If you pass, you’ll be offered a deeper, face-to-face interview. If not, that’s the end of your candidacy.

But phone interviews can be nerve-wracking. Only 30 per cent of the meaning we get from people comes from verbal communication. The rest comes from non-verbal cues. So, it’s tough when you have solely the voice to work with. But, surprisingly, job-seekers tend to undervalue the significance of phone interviews, considering it not as important as face-to-face interviews.

Since phone interviews can happen at any time during your job search, here I share my top tips to help you during your phone interview and make sure you do great and move on to next phase:

• Develop a rapport.

Selling yourself is not easy. Building rapport is one of the most fundamental sales techniques. In a sales capacity, rapport is used to build relationships with others quickly and to gain their trust and confidence – this means establishing a bond – or some sort of common ground – with your interviewer. It helps if you do some research on them. Know their alma mater, their specialties or even hobbies – if you have anything in common with them, that would make a good icebreaker. This means doing your research on whoever will be interviewing you and looking them up on LinkedIn to see where their background lies.

• Keep your answers simple.

Be clear, concise and structured with your communication. After all, hiring managers typically have dozens of phone interviews to get through.

• Set the stage of what you plan on telling the interviewer.

Part of being simple and compelling is being organized. As you share your accomplishments and skill sets with the interviewer, it’s a good idea to use what’s called signposts – words like firstly, secondly and thirdly – to signal where you are to the interviewer.

• Highlight unique accomplishments and results that are relevant to role and industry.

You should aim to highlight specific achievements in your past experiences. It could be anything being the first in the industry to launch a specific initiative, being among one of the top sales reps (if you’re in sales) or achieving a record-breaking promotion X years. Remember, you want to stand out from the dozen or so phone interviewees as much as possible.

• Use buzzwords, industry jargon in your answers.

Know the buzzwords for the job and the field, advises Mary Greenwood, human resources manager for the City of Winter Park in Florida. According to Greenwood, if you don’t understand a question because you don’t know what one of the buzzwords is, that could hurt your chances for the job.

• Speak slowly.

As you know, phone interviews are clearly not the same as face-to-face ones. It’s much clearer to listen to someone when you’re standing in front of them in flesh and blood. That’s why it’s important to “speak slowly and allow for pauses,” according to Kathleen Brady, career coach with Career Planners LLC, based in New York, and former director of recruitment of Jackson Lewis LLP.

• Be enthusiastic!

It’s always important to be enthusiastic in any interview. But it’s even more important in a phone interview. “The interviewer will not have the benefit of non-verbal communication (and) nor will you,” says Paula Soileau, former CFO of the American Heart Association and co-founder of Affintus, a recruiting and predictive job matching service. But Soileau recommends not to overdo it. Strike a balance between sounding passionate and blatantly sucking up.

Tip: Part of your checklist should be reading through the company’s annual report to see how they present themselves in the market using specific keywords.

Keep in mind to make a list of questions based on your homework on the organization. It speaks to your curiosity and interest in the position. And remember not to undervalue the importance of phone interview. You want to do your best to sound enthusiastic, professional and right for the company. That way, you’ll pass the test and the hiring manager will want to pursue you further.

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Got a question: amos@resumetarget.com

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/tayts

Connect with me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Staff_MD

To get the most out of what LinkedIn can do for your job search or for your business venture, follow these 5 easy steps.

1. Re-connect with old friends and colleagues – If you know any previous employers, colleagues, peers, associates and acquaintances – you should find a way to get in touch with them. Send them an invite to connect with them and see what’s going on. Re-introduce yourself and make a fresh start. Always re-acquaint with old friends or colleagues so that you can develop a deeper connection with them in the future.

1. Find recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn – One of the best ways to make quick connections is to upgrade to a premium account. This will allow you to connect with any recruiter on LinkedIn and fully optimize your job search. Not only do you have access to over 100 million member profiles, you can contact any of the industry professionals on LinkedIn you want! You get expanded search results, expanded profile viewing and an expanded view of who has seen your profile as well. That’s a lot of access! So take advantage.

1. Develop a strong contact list – You should constantly develop relationships with business partners to make sure they know you via your personal and professional brand.

If you can make strong connections you will already have a higher percentage of gaining new opportunities. LinkedIn is a great place to reach out and build partnerships, arrange meetings and to discuss plans. Collaboration is your competitive advantage and LinkedIn gives you that edge.

1. Join LinkedIn groups and relevant discussions – Engage in daily topics in groups and join relevant discussions. If you want to add more connections, you have to be active on LinkedIn daily. It’s not enough to just reply to someone’s post, you have to start your own discussions and get people to join in on your conversation. This way, you will have a number of followers that you can share and gather information with.
2. Make connections with people you don’t know – For example, if you like someone’s blog, why not reference their name on LinkedIn and send them an invite saying you really enjoy reading their content?

Did you know that for every connection you make, you have access to their personal connections as well? You can use this tool to your advantage by sending InMails to a targeted audience. Start sharing your profile with as many people as you can to jumpstart your career.

TIP: The best way to connect with new people on LinkedIn is to introduce yourself. Think of how you would approach a professional at a junction that you didn’t know but have read their blog or even seen them on TV. Don’t just send an invite to someone and wait for them to reply. Show that you’re interested in getting to know them, especially if you are in the same industry as they are in. A couple of sentences could go a long way. Never ever go with the standard invite.

An example I received the other day:

Hi Amos, thanks for sharing good suggestions, links on the group discussion and your website. Like to keep in touch instead of only using the “follow” button. Thanks! VW

After you tried optimizing your network on LinkedIn, you should build solid relationships with your contacts. If one of your connections refers you to their hiring manager or even sends your job application to their department, you must send them a thank-you letter as a token of your appreciation. You could even arrange a time to thank them in person or make a call over the phone to personally show your gratitude. These little things can go a long way when it comes to developing strong connections with people in your own industry.

Neal Schaffer, author of “Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing” concludes: “Before you establish your LinkedIn network you need to get your house in order. Completely fill out and “brand” your profile – it will greatly increase the chance that previous classmates and colleagues will remember you as well as give you more credibility and increase the chance that those you reach out to will positively respond to you.

Don’t be at a loss of words. Start networking without a network today!