This month’s Career Collective topic addresses how to heat up your job search. If you're looking for ways to step up your own search this summer, please read the following spot-on, actionable advice from my esteemed colleagues in the Collective:

Turn Off The Computer, Tune Into What’s Happening, & Heat Up the Job Search, @chandlee

Heating up the Job Search-How to Stay Motivated During the Summer, @erinkennedycprw

Light the Fire Under Your Feet, ...

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If you have some time before the BBQs start this weekend, three worthwhile career-related reads from this past week:

1. JobDig: Boring Old Resume Objective VS. Interview-Winning Branding Statement - You Decide Who Wins

Jessica Holbrook gives an effective example to show how it’s best to start off your resume with a compelling, branded summary section and ditch the outdated objective statement mentality of “what’s in it for me.”

2. AOL Find a Job: 

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If you're a professional or executive-level job searcher, you've probably read or been told that Twitter should be a part of your job search plan. But what does that mean?  And how do you go about getting started on Twitter?  

Twitter can seem like a tough environment to break into or get the hang of, but it's really not. I had similar feelings last year before I started tweeting and now I'm hooked on the benefits and value of Twitter.  Earlier this morning, I read a set of 25 tips on how job searchers can start networking on Twitter that I wanted to share with you my readers. I'm also going to start passing this link on to my clients as part of their job search plans, because this is the most comprehensive, value-added set of tips on using Twitter in a job search that I've seen in a long time. But then, I shouldn't be surprised as it was written by Susan Britton Whitcomb, one of the authors of the recent book, The Twitter Job Search Guide  (JIST, 2010) and Coaching Expert for the Career Thought Leaders Consortium, a careers industry think tank.

Follow this link to read Susan's top 25 tips to start networking on Twitter.  Take notes, heed her advice, and don't wait much longer to get started.  

        

As a member of the Career Collective community of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many today covering the topic of how to prepare ahead of time for an interview. I encourage you to visit other members' responses linked at the end of my post and follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

The Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared," applies very well to many situations, not the least of which is job searching. Think about the following two scenarios:

• Positive Patty envisions herself getting called for interviews and prepares herself ahead of time. She gets a call for an interview later this week and spends the next two days reviewing her answers and customizing them for the employer. She pulls her interview suit from her closet, has time for a test drive to the company, and goes in the following day confident and relaxed.

• Negative Ned thinks he'll never get a call for an interview in this job market. He tells himself it's a waste of time to prepare before he has anything set up, since it might be weeks or months from now.  He gets a call for an interview early next week and has to scramble to pull together an appropriate interview suit and goes on the Internet to start researching possible interview questions. He's still thinking through his answers to standard questions the night before the interview and realizes he hasn't even read up on the company yet. He goes in to the interview the next morning tired, frazzled, and unsure of his answers.

Which scenario do you want for yourself? Once you've been called for an interview is not the ideal time to begin preparing for an interview, like Ned. The bulk of your preparation should have already occurred to allow yourself to fine tune your answers, conduct company research, and get yourself in the zone, just like Patty.

To get you headed in the right direction, here are my top five actionable suggestions to prepare before the phone rings:

1. LinkedIn recommendations. The modern-day approach to professional references is to ask past colleagues to recommend you on LinkedIn, think of it as references 2.0.   They're online, easily accessible to people, and serve as a great third party endorsement of your capabilities and strengths.
2. Professional references available upon request. The more traditional approach to professional references is to create a sheet with the contact information for 3-4 colleagues, have its header, format, and font match that of your resume, and have copies ready to bring with you on an interview. I wouldn't say one method of collecting references is better than the other. It's smart to do both. One note on who you're including on the reference sheet, be sure you have their permission to list them (most importantly so they're not caught offguard with a reference call) and include only professional contacts, preferably including at least one manager and one peer-level colleague.
3. Interview preparation is key. This is so easy to do nowadays with all the lists of interview questions available online. Two of my favorites are HR Consultant.net's list of 2,000 questions and About.com's list of questions and suggested best answers. I recommend my clients get a notebook or a stack of index cards and write out answers to commonly asked questions to start familiarizing themselves with possible questions and the different ways a question can be asked. Having your answers in a notebook or on a stack of index cards is also great to review the night before - it also makes it easy to put away and pull out for the next time you find yourself in job search mode. There's no reason to recreate the wheel and think through answers all over again. Just review your notebook or index card stack and update answers, as appropriate, for where you are now.
4. Dress for success. Assemble a professional interview outfit now, don't wait until you're called for an interview. Invest in a classic, well-made business suit in either dark gray or navy blue and a white dress shirt or blouse. The shoes are not to be overlooked. They should be well maintained and professional. A woman's heel should be an appropriate height and accessories and perfume should be minimal. Don't have a good interview suit already hanging in your closet?  Go out now and shop for one. It's not worth the risk of trying to find one last minute.
5. Get paid what you're worth. Salary negotiation can be a stressful part of the interview process. Invest now in Jack Chapman's book, "Negotiating Your Salary - How to Make $1,000 a Minute"  for your personal library. It's considered by many to be the leading resource on the topic.

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Posts on the same topic from my esteemed colleagues in the Collective: 

Sit Down and Panic. The Interview is Yours @GayleHoward

How to Stand Out in a Job Interview @heathermundell

Avoid These Reference Mistakes @DawnBugni

Unspoken Secrets of Job Interviewing Prep: How Your Nonverbal Presentation and Behaviors Impact the Impression You Make @KatCareerGal

Prep for Interviews Now: Snuff out the Elephant in the Room Later! @chandlee

What Should Job Seekers Do Now to Prepare for an Interview @erinkennedycprw

Take a Ride in the Elevator Before You Interview @barbarasafani

Are You Ready for the Elephant in the Room? @WorkWithIllness

"Tell Me About Yourself" (Oh, Yikes!), @KCCareerCoach

The job interview as a shared narrative @WalterAkana

Prepare your references for job search success @Keppie_Careers

No Pain No Gain In Job Search and Interview Prep @ValueIntoWords

Preparing for Career Success Starts with Interviewing the Employers @JobHuntOrg 

        

I read a great post  last week by Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tim's Strategy about how to utilize career experts during your job search. Tim's an advocate of hiring career experts and made three very valid points in his post. (1) If you could fix the problems in your resume without a large expense, you would; (2) many career experts offer quality advice on their blogs and Twitter accounts, free for the taking; and (3) if you feel a connection with a career expert or two from ... << MORE >>

Last week, CareerOverview.com posted a great list of 50 body language secrets broken down into sets of 10 related to Job Interview, Business and Career, Relationships and Dating, Reading Body Language, and What Not To Do. If I had a required reading list for job seekers, I'd love to add this! Whether it's during an employment interview or a business lunch, your body language is more important than you may think (especially if it's something to which you don't give much thought).

The list addresses how to behave during interviews as well as in professional and personal situations, and I'd venture to say that even the points listed under Relationships and Dating apply equally well to office relationships and interactions with colleagues, with the exception (for most of us!) of #28: Learn Signs of Flirting.

It's hard to narrow it down, but three of my favorites are:

#3: Sit or stand with legs slightly apart. When you sit or stand with your legs slightly apart, this gives the impression that you are self-confident.

#26: Mirroring. Mirroring is an unconscious act that people do when they have a connection with each other. Pay attention the next time you are sitting down with a good friend or close family member. Do you see how when one of you leans in, the other does too, or when one of you picks up your drink, the other will also? This is mirroring and is an indication to the other person that you share a connection.

#31: Going from open to closed. If someone starts out in a conversation with you in an open way–with arms relaxed, leaning forward slightly, and nodding in agreement–to a more closed presence that may include folded arms, leaning away, and steepling fingers, then you have lost your audience.

        

                                            
Today's guest author is Julie Bauke of Congruity Career Consulting, LLC.  Julie stopped by today to share some effective ways to overcome age discrimination in your job search efforts and employment interviews...

Does age discrimination exist?  Yep.  
Can you eliminate it?  Nope.

But the good news is that you have some level of control, probably more than you think. Before we tackle that, let’s get it all out on the table. WHY does age discrimination exist? Like all forms of discrimination, there are some misguided assumptions or beliefs that people may have.

• Older people will cause my health care costs to rise.

• Older people are set in their ways and can’t/ won’t learn new tricks (processes, methods, programs, etc.)

• Older people are technologically out of date.

• Older people have less energy and are really looking to just coast to retirement.

Before you get indignant and insist none of these apply to you, think of it this way. Let’s acknowledge that one or more of these thoughts may be in the mind of the person who has some control over your fate. But most hiring authorities are smart enough to keep from verbalizing their biases.

What do you have control over and what do you not?

Clearly, you have no control over your chronological age, and you can’t actually eliminate an individual’s biases. But you can mitigate the impact of these biases with a long hard look at yourself. Let’s attack them, one by one:

1. Older people will cost more as a part of my health plan.

Are you doing everything you can to maintain your health? Do you appear healthy and vital? If you are, or if you aren’t, it can show and often does show. Assumptions will be drawn.

2. Older people are set in their ways and can’t/ won’t learn new tricks - processes, methods, programs, etc.

It’s not enough to say “I love learning new things!” Think back throughout your career and think of examples and stories that tell and show that you have eagerly embraced learning opportunities. Find opportunities to weave those examples in to the conversation.

3. Older people are technologically and otherwise out of date.

Well, are you? If your technology skills are out of date, it may be assumed that your ideas and professional skills are out of date as well. In the world we are now living in, outdated tech skills really do impact your effectiveness. If you are not prepared to operate in a digital world, your “bag of tricks” is significantly limited. If you find yourself challenged in this area, get it fixed without delay.

Take a look in the mirror. Is your physical presence up to date? Nothing screams old like out of date glasses, clothes and hair style. If your clothes don’t quite fit anymore, or haven’t left the closet since the Reagan administration, you need to make a small investment and update your look. Maybe physical appearance shouldn’t matter, but we all know that it does.

4. Older people have less energy and are really looking to just coast to retirement.

Again, what does your physical presence say? Are you looking people in the eye, smiling, walking with energy? How do you spend your free time? If you are involved in any higher energy pursuits (running, hiking, camping, etc.) you may be able to work it in to the conversation.

The positives? There are many!

Older workers can be a great asset to the workforce for many reasons that can counterbalance, or even outweigh, the perceived negatives. It’s no secret that a stronger work ethic, greater loyalty, less drama and more professional maturity often come with hiring older workers. We were raised differently, look at work differently and aren’t always necessarily looking for the next great thing or job. Think of examples of times when you have displayed those qualities as well, and look for opportunities to tell those stories.

Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. All want to find and hire people that will embrace their new role enthusiastically, will bring fresh thoughts to the table and will be a fully participating member of the team.

That’s you, right? Then show it!


About the author:
Julie Bauke has been a leader in career development and transition for more than 15 years. As the owner of Congruity Career Consulting, LLC, she offers one-on-one coaching and training and speaks professionally on topics such as strategic networking and career management. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook.

        

My loyal readers may think they've received an erroneous new blog entry today!  No, it's not April Fool's Day, but give me a chance, and I'll explain how Kate Gosselin's trying her best on DWTS relates to your job search.

There's much chatter on Twitter  about why people are voting to keep Kate on the show, and how it's her turn to go home next, but you know, after last week's show ended and I saw how she was satisfied with her performance and how she was proud of what the judges called a "mini-breakthrough," I gave her my own 'Attagirl!" 

Kate's doing what many of us need to be able to do when we are at a crossroads in our life. She's trying new things, reaching out, pushing her limits, trying things she would not have normally attempted, and she's growing and learning about herself in the process.
 
When you're faced unexpectedly with unemployment, it's easy to figuratively crawl into a ball and cry "why me?"  but the situation is better served by making lemonade out of lemons. Learn about  yourself. Determine what career options are possible for you.  Decide how you'd like to spend your day and the direction you'd like your career to take, and then start making things happen. For many people, the career they've known will no longer serve them best going forward. They need to rethink their future. So let Kate's courage and determination be your inspiration to step out of your comfort zone and take that first step out onto the dance floor.

        

There are two goals to any employment interview:  showing you do can do the job, and making a personal connection with the interviewer, because after all, people hire people they like.

Chris Perry, of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad fame, recently published an entry on BrandCamp University's blog, "Are You Connecting with Your Interviewer?" that shared five great suggestions to help candidates click with their interviewer. It's a great read (and I'm not just saying that because Chris was kind enough to include my own advice!)

I'll include a bonus tip for my readers here:  When it comes to making this connection, your non-verbal language is just as critical as what you're saying.  Lean forward, in towards your interviewer, to appear genuinely interested in the conversation and the position at hand.  Mirror your interviewer's mannerisms (generally speaking, of course) to show interest and create rapport.  Similarly, tilt your head to one side to show interest in what's being discussed, and occasionally nod your head to convey that you are in agreement and on the same page. 

Utilizing these tips will help ensure you get called back for another round.

        

As a member of the Career Collective community of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many today. In honor of April Fool's Day, we're addressing two concerns: "How are you fooling yourself about your career /job search and what can you do about it?" and “How to avoid being tricked by common job search blunders.” I encourage you to visit other members' responses linked at the end of my post and follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.

It’s fun to joke around on April Fool’s Day, but not when it comes to your job search!  Here’s some advice to help you avoid being fooled by some common job search misconceptions.  

Misconception #1: What I do online doesn’t trickle over into my job search.

False. Your online identity matters a lot more than you may think! Recruiters are researching you online. Last month, the Center for Media Research published a study commissioned by Microsoft in an article, “Your Life Could Be an Open Book” (of which I first read in Eli Amdur’s March 28th Career Coach column for the Bergen Record). The findings were very telling. 70% of American recruiters and HR professionals have rejected a candidate based on information found online. HR professionals surveyed also shared that while not only do they check online sources to learn about potential candidates, but online screening is becoming a formal requirement of their hiring process. 

 

On the flip side, only 7% of Americans surveyed believe information about them online has affected their job search and 30-35% of consumers don’t feel their online reputation affects either their personal or professional life and do not take steps to manage their reputations. Let this serve as your wake up call! You no longer have to wonder. Information online about you is affecting your job search. Your responsibility in this is to ensure it impacts your candidacy positively.

In her presentation at last October’s CDI Career Empowerment Summit, Louise Kursmark of Best Impression Career Service spoke to those of us in attendance about the four types of online identities: none, bad, haphazard, and strategic. With that in mind, your goal is to place yourself in that fourth category where your online presence is strategic, cohesive, and on-brand. When this occurs, you’re seen as credible, digitally or technologically astute, and distinguished in your field and from your peers. This is a much stronger way to approach your job search versus finding yourself behind the eight ball trying to hide digital dirt or realizing search results for your name are yielding information about other people.

 

Misconception #2:  My resume has to reflect everything I’ve done in my past positions.

 

False. The focus of a resume today is to brand yourself to employers to convey to them how you would add value as an employee and what differentiates you from other candidates. This can be achieved with a laundry list of responsibilities in your past positions. Shift gears and begin to think of your resume as a marketing document that’s selling you as a candidate. Along those lines, your summary section up top should not be loaded with boiler plate phrases that could be copied and pasted onto another resume. It should be specific to you and your value in today’s marketplace, because if it’s not, you should assume that the next resume in the stack is doing that exact thing.

Misconception #3: Network?  Sure, I network. I’m on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook all the time. 

False.  So false!  I love social media, don’t get me wrong, but the downfall of today’s social media is that it can give people a false sense of security that they are effectively networking. Spending time on LinkedIn or Twitter is a smart component to your job search plan, but in order to reap the full benefits of networking, you need to back away from the computer, pick up the phone, attend a business card exchange or other networking event, or meet up with a former colleague for coffee or drinks. In other words, network the old fashioned way, the way we networked before we became addicted to so many of these networking sites.
 

I was speaking recently with a colleague, Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes, who made a very thoughtful observation. She commented that people can start to feel isolated or question the effectiveness of social media if they don’t incorporate an interactive component to their strategy. Call that contact on LinkedIn rather than sending another message or pick the phone up and call someone you’ve tweeted with on Twitter instead of sending them another DM. You’d be amazed at how surprised and impressed people will be by the small gesture of picking up the telephone - and how much further it may help you in your networking. You’ll stand out in their minds as sincere and genuine.

 

And something important to note is that this last point doesn’t apply to just those in job search mode. It can apply to professional networking at any point of your career. I’m following my own advice. I’ve got phone calls scheduled for later this month with two colleagues with whom I regularly tweet, DM, and email. Speaking with them by phone is the natural next step. I love the virtual connections I’m able to make while sitting at my laptop, but it’s infinitely more satisfying and productive to solidify those connections with a phone call. Give it a try – and that’s no April Fool’s…

Posts on the same topic from my esteemed colleagues in the Collective:  

10 Ways to Tell if Your Job Search is a Joke, @careerealism

April Fool's Day - Who’s Fooling Who?, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

If It’s Not You and It’s Not True, You’re Fooling Yourself, @GayleHoward

Don’t Kid Yourself! (The Person You See in the Mirror is a Good Hire), @chandlee

Avoiding the Most Common Blunder, @jobhuntorg

Are you fooling yourself? Bored at work? Is it your own fault?, @keppie_careers

Hey, Job Seeker — Don’t Be a Fool!, @resumeservice

Job Search Is No Joking Matter,  @careersherpa

Is Your #Career in Recovery or Retreat? (All Joking Aside), @KCCareerCoach

9 Ways You Might Be Fooling Yourself About Your Job Search, @heatherhuhman

Trying to hard to be nobody’s fool?,  @WorkWithIllness

It’s not all about you, @DawnBugni

Mirror ‘their’ needs, not ‘your’ wants in #jobsearch, @ValueIntoWords

Stop Fooling Yourself about your Job Hunt: Things you may be doing to sabotage yourself, @erinkennedycprw

Same as it ever was, @walterakana

Don’t be fooled. Avoid these, @kat_hansen

Job Seekers: You Are Fooling Yourself If..., @barbarasafani