I’ve never asked someone to explain to me their weaknesses on an interview.  Sorry, I just won’t do it.  I was trained to stay away from it, and I’ve been continuously reminded to avoid that useless question when conducting interviews.

Why?

Well, when most people are asked, they try to think of something negative that they can turn into a positive.  A common response is, “Well, I’m too detailed”, or “I care too much about my work”.  When answers like this come up, recruiters know it’s bullshit, but they write it down, and that question becomes completely irrelevant to the interview.  It’s a waste of space…that’s what it is.  It’s like that one chair in your high school auditorium that’s broken.  What’s it doing there?

How do you answer it?

I mean, you can simply go the cowardly path, and answer with one of the bum answers above.  It won’t hurt, but it really doesn’t help.  Or you could be creative and do the following.  Memorize the job description completely and pick something that may be a weakness of yours that’s not anywhere near the description or duties of the job.  Let’s say you know that this job won’t lead anytime soon to a manager, and you really don’t want to be a manager one day (many people have no interest in managing people).  Your answer could be, “Well, I’m not great at delegating.”.  Just keep it simple, short, and get the hell off of that broken auditorium chair.

Watch this video…it’s exactly how I feel…

Download the eBook —-> What I Know About Getting A Job

Job search and career advice is troubling for job seekers.  It’s not because of the advice giver, but because there is never just one right answer, and each person needs a unique solution to fit their situation.  Job seekers come from all walks of life, different skill sets, different educational experiences, and different goals.  It’s impossible for one HR blogger, career counselor/expert, or recruiter to provide all the correct answers for each person.

With that in mind, Penelope Trunk and I came up with an idea for an eBook that would bring job search and career advice from all different perspectives.  We’ve compiled a contributer list of 18 experts in HR and the job search.  They are professionals named as the Top 25 Digital HR Influencers in 2009, and they’ve shared their stories, experiences, and beliefs in this eBook.

It’s silly to think that this eBook will answer every question you have, but I’m certain that you will enjoy these shared stories and experiences in an eBook that we are very proud of.

Thank you to Penelope Trunk and Brazen Careerist for the opportunity, and thank you to the contributers for sharing their insightful, inspiring, and helpful stories.  Enjoy the eBook and make sure to visit BrazenCareerist.com

Download the eBook —-> What I Know About Getting A Job

I’ve been keeping something to myself for a while now, but I’ll refuse to hold it in any longer.

A few months back, Penelope Trunk and I began talking about putting together an E-book that would become a free resource for Gen-Y Job Seekers.  Well, the project is near completion and we are planning on releasing the e-book on 7/20/10.

The subject/title of the E-book is, “What I know about getting a job”.

Rather than her and I write the entire book ourselves, we wanted to bring in a team of highly influential HR Professionals & Recruiters to contribute with a page of their own.  We found quite the team.

The list used to find contributers comes from John Sumser and HR Examiner.  Sumser released a list of the Top 25 Human Resources Digital Influencers in 2009, which couldn’t have been a better list of potential contributers.  Penelope and I were able to bring on a total of 17 contributers from the 25 members on the list.

What makes this e-book special is that each contributer has added in their own opinions, personal stories, and expertise surrounding jobs and careers.  They come from different perspectives, and even touch on different aspects of the job search.  When put together, their contributions create an e-book that brings you the entire job search/career advice spectrum.

Our -ebook will drop on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010.  It’s being brought to you by Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist, and Corn on the Job.  We are excited for this release, and we hope  you’ll join us in spreading the word surrounding our free new career resource for Gen-Y.

My dog is picky about where he urinates, and lately he’s worse than ever.  Let me explain.

A pretty wicked storm whipped through our town last week and it caused an ass-slapping ton of destruction.  My back yard is a public park with many trees, and the storm left dozens of huge branches, and thousands of small  branches and twigs laying on the ground.

It’s become a doggy urination mecca.

You see, the park used to be just the same old trees to whizz on, but now there is literally a pee point every where you turn.  It’s either a beautiful thing, or it’s driving dogs crazy.  My pup Rusty seems to be more on the crazy side.  He’s become very picky on which piece of dead tree is joyously marked.  He’ll run up to fallen branch or twig and sniff out the situation for a while.  If small enough, he’ll walk around the decaying bark to fully inspect it, and then eventually decide if he’s lifting his leg.  Usually he might find 2 or 3 leg-lifting spots, but with so many new opportunities on the ground, he’s going 6-8 times.

I’m cutting myself off.  I’m done writing about doggy urination, and maybe it’s time I throw in the “how this relates to your job search” section.  But do I really need it?  All bloggers take their life stories and then relate it to the purpose of their blog.  It’s what we do.  It’s how we try to keep things interesting and not sound like preachers.  But I’m not sure I want to do that….

You guys are smart folks, in fact I’ll even say you are very intelligent people.   I’m sure you can look at this story and point out how it relates to searching for a job.  You can probably talk about how it relates to the economy, maybe?  Should you be my dog?  Do you inspect things vigorously before lifting your leg?  I mean, you get what I’m saying….?

Answer my questions in your comments…

We all know that there are more options than just applying online to gain attention from target companies.  Twitter has become one of the most talked about resources, which sits right up at the top of the list with Linkedin.  Some people resort to mailing in their applications & resumes along with their electronic submissions.  Some folks create Facebook advertisements targeting specific companies they’d like to work for.  Some get creative with Google AdWords.

Your job search method these days can now almost become a reason for companies to hire you.  When your search is innovative and reflects the position or industry you target, it can certainly put you ahead of other candidates who simply apply online.  Your innovative tactics may also push you ahead of a candidate that has more experience than you.  It’s your ideas that the company wants to hire.  If your ideas already blow the company away before an interview, think about what that does for you.

One job search method that should grow in popularity is personal job search websites.  Websites like these will most likely fit best for social media, marketing, and PR job seekers, but other professions can find use for them. They aren’t too difficult to create, and there are web developers around who will work with you on a price.

I wanted to quickly show off and review a friends personal job search website.  She was working in Florida in a job that just wasn’t suiting her, and her goal was to move to NYC and work in a social media position.  It worked.  She landed a job as Social Media Manager with MTV News.

Take a look at SocialJenny.com, and then come back for my review.

What does Jenny do right?

Home Page – I wanted to put in a picture of the home page above.  She not only makes her goal very clear, but she adds in a few fun links to show real proof of who she is.  She not only says this is what she wants and who she is, but proves it through what she’s done already in social media.  While what I’ve stated already is a must, she also adds in a nice cartoony image of herself in NYC.  It’s not a must, but it’s a wonderful touch.

The last thing I’ll talk about on the home page is how Jenny provides a course of action to visitors.  See how she clearly states to folks that if interested they should check out the links at the bottom.   Nicely done.

Bio/About Me Page – I thought that what she did in this section was very creative.  She answered her bio like it was a phone screen, covering basic questions like, What is your social media philosophy?, Why NYC?, and What is your ideal company to work for?  Perfect for a personal job search website.

My Work/Resume Page – Not only does Jenny leave a more open format style review of her experience, but she includes a link to her online resume.

Ideas – Companies hire us mostly for our ideas.  Jenny leaves some brain wisdom on how she’d handle a few situations.  This gives a potential employer a clear view into how she thinks and what she can add to their organization.

If you’re going to take a stab at a personal job search website, make sure you have clear goals and ideas before jumping right in.  Know what position you target, the kind of company you’d like to work for, and know the value you can bring to those organizations.  It’s not something that should be put together in a couple days, but it should be a well thought out process, and it needs to be done correctly.

Thanks to my friend, Jenny McCoy, for letting me review her website.  She blogs over at Workin’ On A Ramp.  Say hello to her.

This is a guest post from Michelle Barbeau considers herself an authority in resume writing and provides free resume critiques. She also works as Careers Editor at iGrad.com and teaches Freshman Composition at a local university. Contact her at NextResume@gmail.com. You can also find her career blog at careerconfidante.wordpress.com.

You often hear older, more experienced professionals say that networking is the ultimate key to getting your ideal job, typically stated, “It’s all about who you know.” For some, this social skill comes very naturally. For others, like myself, it takes a conscious effort.

Either way, when you are a young professional, getting taken seriously when networking can be a struggle, especially as a female. I’ve been to mixers and other networking events before where I just kinda stood there, stuck close to one friend or co-worker, and did little to get my name out, mostly out of nervousness. When I leave, I feel discouraged and mentally berate myself for not taking advantage of the opportunity. I’m normally not this way in other social situations, but successful people are intimidating, aren’t they?

If you ever want to get to a point where people are trying to make connections with you, rather than the other way around, become a strong networker. When you go to networking events, or any event for potential “branding moments,” go prepared. Do the following things:

Have a healthy stack of business cards on you and keep them in an easy to reach place. This is important at organized networking events, but also when out with friends in more causal environments, especially if you’re single. I recently made it a habit to keep all of my purses stocked with business cards. I give them out regularly now to males and females a like, in all types of social environments. Even if you don’t have a job, create a basic business card with your contact information and speciality. Vistaprint is a great site where you can get cheap cards.

Dress the part. Have you ever heard that it’s better to overdress than underdress? This is especially true in professional situations. At networking events, at least be dressed in business casual attire, even if the event is at a bar. It will make you look older and more mature. If you have glasses, wear them. I swear it helps!

Have your elevator spiel ready. When networking, you don’t want to spend too much time with one group (unless an exceptional conversation regarding a business opportunity comes up). Have a 30-second pitch about yourself ready to go and listen to everyone elses. After you have made your connections, branch out to another group. Don’t know how to introduce yourself and make yourself sound interesting? This article might help.

Keep the drinking to a minimum. Don’t have more than two drinks, especially if you’re drinking hard alcohol or wine. You’d be surprised (actually you probably wouldn’t) about how a buzz might make you a little too open. We’ve all had those moments when we said something a little personal that we wished we hadn’t. Also, watch for wine-stained teeth (or something in your teeth!).

Don’t speak badly of your current job or situation. You’ve heard the six degrees of separation rule, right? You never know if the person you’re talking to knows your boss or knows someone who knows your boss. Plus, if you want to make a good impression, don’t look like a complainer. No one wants to recommend someone like that to others. Think positive energy.

Remember names and have a strong handshake. Make a conscious effort to remember people’s names and have a strong handshake. As ridiculous as it is, everyone notices a weak handshake, which unfortunately could indicate a weak character. When you decide to wrap up a conversation, let the person know it was nice meeting them and say their name when you do. Trust me—you will stand out from the majority who don’t make the effort.

Ask questions. Don’t do all the talking. It’s polite to return questions like “Where’d you go to college?” or “How long have you been in the industry?” in any conversation. You’ll probably find out you have something in common, which will lead to a stronger connection. This will also prove that you’re not a selfish networker; you are truly interested in others’ backgrounds. You might even learn a thing or two about how to progress in a career by listening to the steps others have taken.

These tips should help you feel more comfortable and be more productive at your next networking event. For more tips, watch this video for a humorous, yet informative, take on this issue.

This is a guest post from Lauren McCabe.  Lauren is the chief-blogger at KODA (http://koda.us), a community that helps young professionals and employers connect directly.  You can read more of her blog at http://blog.koda.us.

Remember what field trips were like in grade school? Glorious days at a museum or alligator farm or bog (clearly, I’m from New Orleans) where you learned about the world firsthand, not just from textbooks.

When you’re on your first job hunt, you also need to explore careers firsthand.  And what better way to do this than on a field trip?

In business jargon, a field trip is a company information session or casual chat with an employee without the pressure of an interview.  It’s about asking genuine questions that will help you decide if you want to eventually pursue an internship, job, or even career in that industry.

It may seem intimidating to go after field trips because they may require a lot of cold calling. But usually, people are more than happy to talk about their company and their experiences, as I learned when I sat on the NYC subway with my surfboard and random people offered to take me on tours of their companies all the time.

Here’s how to start field-tripping your way to career exploration in four simple steps:

1. Make a list of employers (or industries) that are field trip worthy. This list should be diverse, since field trips are about bringing your passions to your career. Do you have a soft spot for numbers?  Add investment bank to your list.  Are you a people person?  Try a PR firm.  Are you Rich DeMatteo from Corn on the Job?  I bet the Flyers are on your list.

2. Make a list of people who may be able to hook you up with a field trip. You can reach out to anyone, friends, family, professors, whoever. My friend reached out to her dentist when her mouth was half numbed up:

“I’m thinking about going to dental school.”

The dentist nearly dropped his drill. “Really?! You must spend a day in my office and see what I do!“

3. Make contact. You’ll probably have to cold call, so introduce yourself with your background (AKA recent grad exploring careers) and why you’re interested in that company.  Say that you would like to meet with them to find out more about their industry, and see how they respond.

Maybe they’ll invite you into their office—success! An invitation to “coffee” or “lunch” is good, too.

4.) Make sure you have a business card and a resume handy. The great thing about field trips is that you may stumble upon your dream job and dream company, so make sure you have something you can give someone to let them know you’re interested.  If you’re unemployed, you can still have awesome business cards.

This is a guest post from Sarah White.  Sarah is the Cheif Strategy Officer at HRMDirect.  You can find Sarah on Twitter @ImSoSarah, and check out her HR, HR Technology, and Recruiting blog over at ImSoCorporate.com. 

One day, not that long ago, I was a college student.  I remember how anxious I was when I was going through on campus interviews and trying to get a “real” job or even a “real” internship.  What if I said this wrong, how should I word that, does this suit make me look fat, I hope I don’t smell like incense, should I really have used that pink letterhead the guy at kinkos talked me into….and the list went on and on.

After college I became a recruiter and not far out of school I started doing some college recruiting…and now on to the most uncomfortable interview by the best candidate story….

I’ll never forget my very first college campus recruiting visit to Michigan State.  It was fall and I was looking for a super star.  I had gone through the resumes, the emails, the cover letters and narrowed it down to 3 candidates for the open slots.  I liked them all, but one girl was an obvious stand out.   She was president of her sorority, on leadership of 4 professional organizations, had completed 2 prior internships, had a 3.98 GPA (4.0 in major), worked part time and still had time to volunteer.   When she walked in the room she was polished, poised and looked like she had just stepped out of magazine.  With every question I asked, she won me over more and more – her answers were concise, educated, deliberate and natural.  Nothing seemed rehearsed or practiced.

As we wrapped up the 30 minute interview, I casually asked her, “Of all of the accomplishments you have – what is the one thing you are most proud of?”  This was not an interview question.  This was me, a little in awe that someone had accomplished so much by 20 and was so poised compared to the other candidates I had talked to.  Her response was one that I will never, ever forget.

In a room FULL of recruiters and other students interviewing for positions she uncrossed and recrossed her legs, slid her hand through her hair before tossing it to the side in an uncomfortably seductive way, tilted her head and with a grin said “I’m the only virgin in my sorority”.  The comment was followed up with a little mix between a shoulder nod and shimmy and regardless of what it was, it was awkward.

The room went silent.  I was only 22 and they all looked at me then her then me then her trying to decide who just said that statement outloud. I was 8 shades of red and she was clueless at just how inappropriate that statement was.

JOBSEEKERS:  Please know we want you to succeed if we bring you in for an interview.  Try hard, do your homework, look nice, but we are really hoping you just don’t fuc@ it up.  Seriously.  Have some common sense.  This is my one random story, but I know enough recruiters that I’ve had a beverage with that have shared other stories with me of equally embarrassing and inappropriate statements made that ruin an otherwise perfect candidates shot.

Srinivas Rao obsesses over riding waves and turning it all into life lessons at The Skool of Life. He’s also the host and co-founder BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers

Two summers ago I was an MBA intern at Intuit’s Turbotax division and one of the department heads held an information session for new employees and interns. In that session I decided asked her what the key was to climbing the corporate ladder fast. I also got to sit in on a session with the CMO and asked him the same question and the answers actually were quite surprising. At the time I didn’t really understand them, but today it all makes sense.  Almost everything I“m revealing below is something I didn’t do in my first, second or third job for that matter. It took graduating from business school and 8 months of unemployment to finally understand what everybody had been telling me all along.

Focus on Today: Presence is something that I’ve become extremely committed to at this point in my life. If you are present then you are going to be at the top of your game. If your head is in the future, then you’re unlikely to do your best work today. Doing your best work today will ultimately lead to a far more successful long term career.

Don’t Worry About Your Promotion: When I spoke with current CMO of Intuit, he told me that during his time in at Proctor and Gamble in the early part of his career he spent 2 years longer in a role than he expected to. In those final 2 years he was able to witness 2 additional business cycles and enhance his knowledge significantly. Not getting that promotion early in his career actually ended up making him a much more effective leader today.

Challenge The Status Quo: This is something that some organizations won’t encourage and I personally am not a supporter of a kind of organization that doesn’t embrace people challenging the status quo. In fact if you find that you might be in an organization that doesn’t embrace this mind set, then I suggest you look for a different job. The truth is fitting in will just make you a cog in the machine and ultimately not lead to long term success. Go to the kind of organization that will value your contribution and enable you to make a difference.

Don’t be a Paycheck Player: I wrote about this extensively on Nicole Crimaldi’s blog. If you’re playing for a paycheck, you’re going to find that you will be very unfulfilled in your job and eventually it will lead to your downfall. Chose to do work that is meaningful, rewarding,  and fulfilling, and the paycheck will eventually take care of itself. It might sound counter-intuitive, but anybody who has been around for quite some time will tell you this absolutely true.

Align Yourself with High Value Players: Earlier in my career I worked at a company that got acquired by Microsoft two weeks after I left the company. I thought that was one of the biggest mistakes of my career. When I asked a coworker at that company about the acquisition he mentioned that most people who I had been friends with actually didn’t make the cut and got laid off as part of the acquisition. While these were some very intelligent people, they weren’t seen as positive influences and by association, it’s likely I wouldn’t have made the cut. Who you align yourself with can make a big difference in how you are perceived. But, be genuine about doing this or you will seem like a political player who won’t be looked up on kindly.

Be a Linchpin: At some point you’re going to have to start doing things outside of your job description. You’re going to have to do the kinds of things that only you could do and that can’t be replicated by somebody else. Essentially, you need to be a linchpin. Here’s some thoughts on how you can be a linchpin

• Enhance Your Resume Outside of Work
• Join and Take Leadership Roles in Industry Associations
• Start a Blog about Your Industry and Connect with Leaders
• Build an invaluable network of contacts that you can take with you anywhere you go 
• Organize an Unconference and Connect Like Minded Invididuals

The power to make a tremendous impact is in your hands. It’s up to you to embrace it. If you have other suggestions, I’d love to see them in the comments.

Some know that I’m a pretty wild hockey nut, and and a die hard Philadelphia Flyers fan.  For the first time in 13 years, the Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals this year, which was a bigger deal to me than I could ever explain in words. When I was 2 or 3 years old, my father, a long time season ticket holder, started bringing me to games with him, and my passion for the sport began.

We haven’t won a championship in 35 years, so the last two weeks, and all of this years playoffs have been exciting.  We finished the year as the 7th seed, and somehow managed to overcome impossible odds to make it to the finals.  While we lost to the Hawks, I’m proud of the team and everything they accomplished.  It’s been one hell of a run, but the playoffs have consumed my mind a good bit, and I’ve been away from the blog more than I liked to.

Consider this my lengthy thank you to the Flyers, and also my apology to you, for being MIA.

So what else… oh, it’s my birthday tomorrow.  Yep, Mr. Corn turns 27 tomorrow.  While I’m celebrating tonight, the real party begins next week in the Outer Banks down in North Carolina.  Me and 7 friends have rented a house for the week and I couldn’t be more excited.  While away I will try to get a video post up and show something scenic, but don’t hold your breath.  I haven’t done too many of those, so I’m not sure why I’ll start.  Maybe I’ll see something that inspires me to turn on the new Kodak zi8 camera I got for the birthday.  Maybe.

Lastly, I’ve set up three guest bloggers for next week while I’m away.  I know that you will enjoy what Srinivas Rao, Sarah White, and Lauren Koda bring to COTJ next week.  Not exactly sure what day they their posts will go live, but stay tuned and check back next week to find out.