8 Steps to Effective Informational Interviews

One of the most frequent pieces of advice I give to young professionals is to seek out successful people and ask to conduct an informational interview with them. Essentially, an informational interview is a networking meeting where the interviewee (the successful professional) agrees to share some career advice with the interviewer (you).

I conducted tons of informational interviews when I was a student and young alum, and now I’m often the one being interviewed. And here’s the thing: If someone impresses me, I’ll go out of my way to help that person find a job or connect them with other people I know. If that person doesn’t seem to take the informational interview seriously, I usually end the call early and rarely keep in touch.

If you want to be in the former group with the people you ask for informational interviews, here are some secrets to success:

1. Confirm. At least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled phone call or meeting, confirm with your interviewee. This shows that you respect the person’s time and that you are taking this opportunity seriously.
2. Be on time. This is just as important for a phone call as it is for an in-person meeting. If you have agreed to 2pm, call at 2:00pm on the nose. Again, it’s a matter of respecting the other person’s time.
3. Do your research. It’s really irritating when someone asks to speak with me and then his or her first question is, “Can you tell me about what you do?” A simple Google search will lead you to my (or anyone’s) LinkedIn profile, Twitter feed, website and all of the articles and blog posts I’ve written. This opening question isn’t a smart use of the time you have to gain valuable career advice.
4. Clearly and concisely explain your situation. In most cases, the person you are interviewing won’t know much about you (don’t assume that he or she has read your resume or any other information, even if you’ve sent it in advance). So it’s a great idea to start the call with a brief (one- to two-minute) introduction to who you are and what you’re looking for. For instance, “I’ve just graduated with a BA in computer science and I’ve completed a few internships at big companies. My goal is to find a job at a start-up in the Boston area where I can work in product development.”

If you’re not totally sure what you want to do, it’s fine to say that you’re not sure yet, but do give the person some indication of the fields you’re interested in. For example, “I’ve just graduated with a degree in communications and, although I’m not completely sure yet what career to pursue, I’m currently looking at positions in public relations and marketing and would be open to other opportunities as well.”

1. Prepare questions in advance. I recently spoke to a student who had prepared about 5 questions to ask me in a 30-minute phone call, which struck me as the perfect number. She clearly had specific issues she wanted to discuss and I really respected the fact that she had prepared so thoroughly. Her questions were also a good mix of specific (regarding a particular interview she had coming up) and general (she asked me what books I was currently reading and would recommend to a recent grad).
2. Show that you’re listening. Remember that you are the interviewer in this situation, so it’s important to be a great listener. You want your interviewee to do most of the talking so you can gain as much wisdom as possible. This means repeating back some of the highlights of your interviewee’s advice and jotting down some action steps that you can share with the interviewee at the end of your call. For instance, perhaps the interviewee recommended a book to read or a particular company to research.

Sharing action steps is also a fantastic way to set up the expectation of a follow-up conversation. Tell the interviewee that you will be in touch as you accomplish the tasks he or she has suggested.

1. Send a thank you email within 12 to 24 hours. Just like a formal job interview, an informational interview— even a very quick or casual one—requires a thank you email. The sooner you send one, the better to stay on that person’s radar screen and show that you appreciated his or her time. A handwritten note is a nice gesture, too, but given the speed of the world today, I generally prefer email thank yous following an informational interview.
2. Keep in touch. If someone has agreed to an informational interview, that person now has an investment in your success and wants to hear how you’re doing as your job search continues. While you don’t want to overdo it, it’s absolutely appropriate to follow up with this person in a few ways:
   1. As mentioned, let the person know that you have taken action on his or her suggestions.
   2. Connect on LinkedIn with a personalized connection request that can serve as another thank you note (for example, “Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me last week. I look forward to keeping you posted on my job search!”).
   3. Be sure to inform this person when you eventually land a job. Everyone wants to feel that they contributed in some way to your success.

Do you have any other informational interviewing tips or best practices?  Please share!

Finally some good press for today’s twentysomethings!

I’ve been an evangelist of Gen Y for years and am pleased to see this more positive portrayal of a generation I’ve found to be smart, creative and ready to make a positive contribution to their workplaces. And I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the fact that the oldest Gen Ys are now entering their 30s and taking on more and more leadership positions. Inevitably, this will bring some big changes to the work world. Here are three predictions:

1. We will expand and lengthen the definition of “entry-level.” Because Gen Ys are extending the onset of adulthood into their mid-twenties or even age 30 (a phenomenon that I believe was confirmed when the new U.S. health care legislation determined that young people can stay on their parents’ health insurance until age 26), I think companies will follow suit in treating the twenties are more of a career training period.

I believe we will see expanded internship programs (perhaps lasting several years beyond college), more alumni career resources being offered by universities (so there is less pressure to choose a career by age 21) and longer corporate rotational programs — perhaps moving from two years to three or four. The days of graduating college and joining a company for life are long over, but we are only beginning to see companies develop creative new approaches to career pathing. For interesting examples, check out Best Buy, Google and Zappos.

2. Titles and career paths will become more customizable. According to MTV’s 2010 Millennial Edge survey, 81 percent of Millennials agree with the statement, “I am always expressing myself in different ways.” We’ve already seen this attitude in the workplace with Gen Ys seeking work/life balance, holding out for careers they’re passionate about and not hesitating to leave jobs that don’t feel fulfilling.

Over the next decade, I predict that companies will respond with more customizable titles, rotational programs, work schedules and other opportunities for employees to express themselves and their unique preferences in their careers. This Gen Y characteristics will lead to more entrepreneurial desire as well, so companies that offer opportunities for intrapreneurship or support “moonlighting” will also have an advantage in attracting and keeping young talent.

3. “Standard” business communication will evolve. We’ve already seen business become much more casual. When was the last time you called a colleague or client “Mr.” or “Ms.” or wrote a formal business letter? While I firmly believe that good grammar and face-to-face interaction should never go away, it’s clear we are headed for more text message speak (“LOL” was just added to the Oxford English Dictionary, after all) and more virtual communication as the “digital natives” of Gen Y begin to run the show.

Because human interaction is still incredibly important, my belief is that the technology will improve so that even virtual communications feel personal, such as better video chatting software and more realistic meeting technology such as Cisco telepresence. Even if you can’t be in the same room as a client or colleague, you’ll feel as if you are.

What predictions do you have for the way Gen Y will affect the workplace in the coming years? Please share!

When done in a professional way, writing a blog can lead to many benefits in your post-college job search, including real internship and job opportunities. Here are a few of the benefits of blogging:

• Enhancing your online personal brand and Google-ability
• Demonstrating skills such as writing, design, photography, and analytical thinking
• Showing your ability to take initiative and commit to a project
• Connecting you to a whole new network of other bloggers and commenters

Because the barrier to entry is so low — blogging platforms like WordPress.com, Blogger.com and Tumblr.com are all free — blogging is also something you can try for a while to see if you like it. If you do decide to join the blogosphere, here are some tips for getting started:

1. Write for the career you want. While it’s nice to blog about any topic that interests you, the only way your blog will help your job search is if you write about the industry you want to join. If a recruiter checks out your blog, he or she must know immediately what you’re interested in. One of my favorite blog posts by tech evangelist Robert Scoble puts it this way, “Post something that teaches me something about what you want to do every day. If you want to drive a cab, you better go out and take pictures of cabs. Think about cabs. Put suggestions for cabbies up. Interview cabbies. You better have a blog that is nothing but cabs. Cabs. Cabs. Cabs all the time.”

2. Be very careful what you post. The major reason most job seekers don’t blog is because they’re afraid that blogging might hurt their chances more than help them. This is a very real concern. If your blog is filled with photos of cats playing the piano, rants about parking tickets or sad tales of relationships gone bad, you’re not going to impress any employers. Think of your blog as a purely professional forum and you should be just fine.

3. Be consistent. Although I said that you can give blogging a try before you commit entirely, once you do commit to being a blogger, you have to post consistently. (And if you decide you don’t like blogging, delete the entire blog from the web so it doesn’t look as if you abandoned the project. You can share your favorite past posts on Facebook or elsewhere.) It’s up to you whether you want to post once a day, once a week, every two weeks, etc., as long as you post consistently. If your posts are sporadic, it will appear that you’re not fully committed, which does not impress employers.

4. Drive people to your blog. The downside of being one blogger among 161 million is that people may have a hard time finding you. This means you have to be proactive about guiding people — especially potential employers — to your blog. As long as your blog is 100 percent professional, you should list it on your resume, your business cards, your LinkedIn profile, your email signature line, your Facebook contact information, your Twitter profile and anywhere else you can think of.

5. Drive blog readers to your credentials. On the flip side, you want to make sure anyone who comes across your blog is aware that you are a great job candidate. On the “About” page, be sure to include links to your LinkedIn profile and a PDF download of your resume.

Has blogging enhanced your career or helped you land a job? Please share!

This week’s post is a Q&A session with Nate Whitson from Intern Match. As you’ll see, Nate shares some valuable tips and pointers on getting, keeping and making the most of internships.

1. How has the internship world changed over the past 5 to 10 years?

The value and importance of internships have changed in many ways over the last 10 years. First, internship experience has evolved from simply a resume booster to essentially a pre-requisite for landing an entry-level job.

Second, the popularity has increased. In fact, the number of internships taken by students has increased over 8-fold in the last 10 years, and internships are now the #1 way in which employers are hiring students.

Because of this increase in importance, internships have become much more competitive in the past decade. Career changers, graduate students and even high school students all compete for the same positions.  This means that looking for positions early and often in college is essential.

2. A lot of recent grads are taking unpaid internships after they graduate. Can you discuss this trend and whether you think this is a good choice for a recent grad who can’t find a full-time, paid position?

In the current economy, recent graduates are having a hard time finding jobs and are willing to do just about anything to get a foot in the door.  At the same time, other employees who are being laid off are trying to break into new industries — and at times are offering their services as unpaid interns.  This means businesses are seeing applications from a variety of qualified candidates who are willing to work for free.

There are a lot of problems with this.  Unpaid internships can be exploitative, and they exclude those students and graduates who need to support themselves with a wage.  They are also illegal in some circumstances.

That being said, considering an unpaid internship as a recent grad depends on the individual and the opportunity.  For example, some non-profits or startups simply cannot afford to pay, but offer a highly educational experience that may be worth taking (in fact until this year, White House internships were unpaid). My recommendation is to keep an open mind, but be cautious of organizations looking to exploit over-eager job seekers.  Part-time unpaid opportunities are frequently a better decision.

3. What are some ways to get the most out of an internship?

The first step of any internship is proving your salt – turn work in on time, keep a positive and professional attitude, and make yourself a valued member of the team.

Throughout the internship, develop a broad understanding of how the organization works, what skills different employees have that make them valued, and talk to your co-workers about their jobs and how they got there.  Networking is more powerful when combined with a sincere interest in your co-workers’ career paths.  Also, focus in on learning industry-specific software tools, like Salesforce for a sales internship, or QuickBooks for an accounting internship.  This experience is something that is not taught in school.

4. How can people turn an internship into a full-time job?

Turning an internship into a job is a matter of proving your commitment to the organization and going the extra mile — even on small tasks (all organizations have grunt work, and showing that you are committed regardless of the task helps prove that you are indispensible).

Also, staying in touch with your boss after the position is over is a great way to convert internships into jobs.  Connect with co-workers on LinkedIn, try to assist the organization in finding their next intern and write a positive article or blog post in your school newspaper or department blog about the experience.

5. Can you share some tips and tricks about the intern hiring process?

Having a great resume is essential.  You can view our sample internship resume here, and know that highlighting past work experiences in a quantitative manner helps a resume standout.

Getting hired also means marketing yourself.  Develop a professional persona that you use in all of your applications.  Create a LinkedIn account that includes a professional picture. Make this picture the same as your Facebook picture (as long as it’s professional), and print out business cards.

The easiest and most often overlooked tactic that makes a major difference in the hiring process is following-up.  Send a kind follow-up email the day after your interview.  If it was an in-person interview, send a hand-written “thank you” note.  Small personal touches will make you stand out.

Thank you to Nate for answering my questions today. What additional questions do you have about internships?

I was struck by a recent front page story in The New York Times that discussed the steady rise in Chinese students applying to U.S. colleges and universities.

While the article focused on how schools like Grinnell College in Iowa actively recruit in China and how an international students can “have an edge if he or she can pay full tuition,” my mind immediately fast-forwarded four years: Will the same universities that wooed these students and took their money help them land jobs when they graduate? No one seems to be talking about this.

Well, no one that is except the students themselves. On almost every campus I visit, international students from China and elsewhere approach me seeking advice on how to land positions in the U.S. once they receive their degrees.

Here are the tips I share, based on research, conversations with successful international workers and my own experience attending grad school in Australia and acquiring a visa to work there for an additional year:

1. Start early. This is good advice for any student (particularly in the current job market), but it’s especially crucial for students from outside the U.S. It will inevitably take longer to find a job with an employer that sponsors employees requiring work visas, so the sooner you start to look for positions, the better chance you’ll have.

2. Become an expert on the laws. Take it upon yourself to become an expert on your situation. The more you personally know about visas, work permits, deadlines, academic requirements, etc. (check out the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website for lots of information) the better decisions you’ll be able to make and the more empowered you’ll feel. Yes, this is a lot of work, but it’s more than worth it.

3. Engage with career services. In addition to doing your own research, seek expert help. Particularly if you attend a school that has a large population of foreign students, your university’s career services office will have lots of experience helping international students. Take advantage of everything they offer! Attend any event specifically for international students, read all information your career services office publishes and set up an appointment with a career counselor to discuss your individual situation.

4. Network. As more and more international students attend U.S. universities, there is a growing community of alumni who have walked in your shoes. Meet these people and ask for their advice! Through your career services office, professors, LinkedIn and Facebook, seek out people a few years older than you who have come from your home country and managed to find jobs in the U.S. They’ll likely be happy to share some tips and possibly even introduce you to the hiring managers at the companies where they landed jobs.

5. Stay positive and confident. While it can be frustrating to go through an international job search and visa application process, remember that you have a lot to offer an employer. Fluency in multiple languages, knowledge of international business practices and a global perspective are all extremely valuable in the workplace right now. Make sure that you are confident in your own abilities so an employer will want to invest in you.

Are you an international student who has landed a full-time job in the U.S.? Please share any additional tips or advice!

Networking is normal: The initial idea of walking up to a stranger to start a conversation may be a daunting task for anyone—especially when you want to impress someone—-however, networking is completely normal. That magazine editor in chief or financier was once in your shoes. It is important to be yourself; your colleagues will appreciate your honest and unique approach.

You’re not the first: Many times young professionals will build up the networking event or meeting in their mind; it is important to understand that supervisors and managers have networked with young professionals before. They have heard the same questions before and can offer sage advice to help guide your career. You are not reinventing the wheel by asking a manager what skills you need to promote your organization successfully—it has been asked before—-you are showing them that you have what it takes to succeed.

A real relationship: Once you make a connection with someone be sure not to abuse the relationship by being a ‘taker.’  The relationship must be mutually beneficial for both parties to succeed. If you ask an editor to review your reel, how about offering your time to help log tapes for them? Before you ask for a favor, ask yourself: what can I give in return?

No fear: Don’t be afraid to talk to anyone. Many businesses and entrepreneurs are eager to assist college students and recent grads; people are often willing to help you if you just ask them. Take the risk and talk to that highly successful executive, an opportunity missed is an opportunity lost.

Move on: Inevitably, you may be rejected in your efforts to connect with someone; they will not respond to your email or phone calls. It is paramount to move on and not obsess about this one negative experience. There will be more opportunities to showcase your talents and winning personality, and next time you just might get a ‘yes’ instead of  a ‘no.’

Now that you have the skills for networking it is time to “make the ask.” Whether it’s asking the local bakery to donate cupcakes for an upcoming event or asking a CEO to help cover start-up costs for an organization, there’s a definite science involved. Turns out, it’s not as simple as the old saying, “ask and you shall receive.”

Do your homework: No matter what the need is, big or small, go into the “ask” having done your research. The Internet eliminates any excuses behind walking into a situation without knowing the history of a company or the demographic it targets. Be well prepared  and knowledgeable about the organization or individual you are approaching.

Never underestimate a subject line: Let’s face it, most of us have a full inbox by lunchtime. It’s important to include a stand-out subject line in your emails, like “Girls’ Charity Seeking Your Support” that will prevent the reader from pressing “delete.”  Though the exterior matters, the interior of your email counts most. Keep your message short, polite and to the point. No need to type 500 words for what can be said in only 150.

Everything happens in the follow-up: Be a person of your word and check back with anyone you have reached out to. Following up will show an individual that you are still dedicated and interested in engaging with them. Are you one to forget the follow-up? Mark it in your calendar and don’t shrug it off when the time comes. After all, you were the one to reach out so it’s important that you see the communication through to the end.

Thank You. It’s still the golden word: The message never tires, no matter what age we reach: say thank you! Despite being an in age where email is the primary form of communication, nothing quite compares to a handwritten note. Even after thanking a person look for ways in the future to acknowledge and involve them in future happenings.

They are nothing short of global epidemics. Over 81 million young people are unemployed worldwide. In the U.S. nearly 20% of young people are unemployed–with millions more underemployed–and in countries such as Spain, the youth unemployment rate is as high as 40%. The fact is that the mantra of “work hard, get good grades and go to school to get a job” is dead and antiquated. Young people must leave the resume-handout mindset behind and learn to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs that are capable of generating their own incomes. I believe this is an achievable goal.
2.  What do you consider a “real” job, and why do you encourage young people to avoid it?

A “real” job is one where you work for another individual and see no real value or upside from the work product you produce–or a place that forces you to put all of your eggs into one basket that you are neither holding nor own. In today’s new economy, where layoffs, hiring freezes, automation and corporate greed have become commonplace terms, I think it is unwise to rely on anyone but yourself when it comes to something as vital as your livelihood. To avoid the need for a “real” job, young people need to build simple, unoriginal, unsexy businesses that are capable of generating immediate revenue and can be built over time. We must stop thinking about building the next Facebook and start actually building the next tutoring service or plumbing company.
3.  What is the biggest challenge young entrepreneurs face, and how do you suggest overcoming it?

Young entrepreneurs need to kill their egos. Reality check: your business will probably not become the next Groupon. The “rich by 30″ mentality is setting us back and pushing us down the path of launching start-ups built on nothing more than hopes and dreams. Plain and simple, this is stupid and will bankrupt us. We need to get real–fast–or be doomed to become a lost, foolhardy generation.

4.  What advantages, if any, do Millennials have over other entrepreneurs?

We are the most technologically savvy generation in history and we usually have the ability to scale our lifestyles down to the bare bones necessities. These abilities allow us to create low-budget, minimal infrastructure start-ups with relative ease.

5.  What is your #1 piece of advice for young entrepreneurs?

Be afraid, but not afraid to fail. Failure is GOOD! Be afraid to have never failed. Be afraid to look back on your life and see nothing but dead-end jobs and regrets in your past.
Scott Gerber is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, media personality, public speaker and the most-syndicated young entrepreneurship columnist in the world. He is the founder and CEO of Gerber Enterprises and founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council. Scott is also the author of the book, Never Get a “Real” Job.

• Phil knows his unique value proposition. When it comes to personal branding — an essential element of career success in the 21st century — it’s very important to differentiate yourself, to know what you do better than anyone else. Phil has this nailed. According to his website, Phil is “the only true weather forecasting groundhog.” I challenge you to create such a succinct and compelling pitch!

• Phil employs an online and offline personal branding strategy. In addition to being clear on his unique abilities, Phil is smart about employing in-person and online efforts to connect with people. In recent years, he has become savvy about leveraging his annual in-person (in-groundhog?) event online by broadcasting a live webcast, managing an informative website and frequently updating his Facebook fan page. How can you better combine your online and offline networking or personal branding efforts?

• Phil delivers on his promises. There are few things more irritating to an employer than an employee who overpromises and underdelivers. If you say, “I’ll have that report to you by Friday,” don’t send it the following Monday. Phil understands the importance of reliability. Looking back at the history of his work, you can see that Phil always emerges from his burrow on February 2 between 7:20 – 7:30am and makes his annual prediction. Where in your career can you do a better job of setting and meeting expectations?

• Phil surrounds himself with supporters. Did you ever notice all the guys in top hats surrounding Phil during his big moment? These men are known as Phil’s Inner Circle, and although I personally would like to see more gender, ethnic and generational diversity on his team, I commend Phil on knowing that no one can be a star performer alone. We all need a strong group of mentors, advisers, friends and colleagues to support us on the good days (early spring!) and bad (six more weeks of winter). Do you have a deep bench of supporters helping you as your career grows?

• Phil “does less and accomplishes more.” As previously mentioned, Phil works just one day a year for a few minutes (and people thought The 4-Hour Workweek was radical!), but he is undoubtedly at the top of his profession. While I’m not suggesting we should all adopt Phil’s schedule, I do think his success is a nice reminder that working smarter, not harder, is a worthy goal for us all. Is there an area of your career where you can do less and accomplish more?

Happy Groundhog Day!

I am writing this blog post while watching snowflakes pile up on the windowsill outside my New York City office. The snow is beautiful and peaceful…that is, until I have to go outside and trudge through it.

As much training as I’ve had in “appreciating the moment” and “turning lemons into lemonade,” I’ll be honest: this freezing, snowy winter is starting to get me down.

If you’re feeling the same way, here are some techniques I’ve been employing to beat the winter doldrums. I hope they’ll help you, too:

• Pep up your online profiles. When was the last time you looked at your LinkedIn profile? How old is your main Facebook photo? Have you followed any new people on Twitter lately? It’s easy to fall into a rut with social networking, especially when you’re busy with other things. But winter — when a lot of people are spending time inside, online — is a great time to refresh your online presence.I’ve just done a new upload of my contacts on each social networking site to connect with people I’ve met recently, and I’ve become a fan of a bunch of new Facebook pages to start filling my newsfeed with fresh info, events and ideas.

• Cuddle up with an inspiring book. Whether you’re sitting by a roaring fire or a tiny space heater, reading from a hardcover, a Kindle or an iPad, a good book is great cold weather company. Some of my inspirational professional favorites include The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink and Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck. Sometimes the words of a wise author can shift your thinking enough to solve a work problem, inspire a new business idea or just make you smile.

• Spring clean in winter. I’m usually a neat freak, but for some reason when I come inside on a cold day, I can’t help but dump all my stuff in a big pile. Staying organized in the winter just feels a little harder. This past weekend I dealt with those piles in a big day of decluttering. It was unbelievably satisfying:I shredded really old files, made new folders for 2011 tax stuff (with my favorite office toy — my Brother P-touch label maker), threw away pens with too many bite marks, made a pile of old books and work clothes to donate to Goodwill, put inactive computer files into an “Archive” folder and finally took the time to untangle the phone cord that constantly gets caught on my printer cable and has been driving me crazy for months. Afterwards, I felt amazing and I’m still enjoying the benefits a few days later (especially those untangled cords — what on earth took me so long?).

• Set one big goal and work on it every day of February. Most people’s New Year’s resolutions are a distant memory by now, so I challenge you to revive your biggest, most important career goal and recommit to it for the entire second month of the year. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you are laser-focused on one objective.Perhaps it’s finally completing that big project at work, securing a new position, writing a business plan for the nonprofit you want to start, launching a blog, deciding whether or not to attend grad school, asking for a promotion, hosting your own networking event, writing and submitting an article for publication or anything else you’ve been wanting to achieve. Just think how good you’ll feel on March 1 if you can accomplish that one goal. As for me, I’m focusing on a refresh of my website.

Do you have other suggestions for perking up a cold career this winter? Please share in the Comments!

Top 10 Job Hunting Tips of 2010

I absolutely love end of year lists, and swooned when I found Time.com’s list of The Top 10 of Everything of 2010.

Although Time’s list of lists is pretty comprehensive, ranging from apologies to new species to Twitter moments, I wanted to add my own top 10 list — top 10 tips for job seekers. Here are the tips that readers found most helpful this year.

1. Ask for honest feedback. Recruit a trusted relative, career services staff member, professor or friend to assess you honestly as a job seeker. Ask the person to list your best qualities and most impressive accomplishments. On the flip side, ask for constructive feedback on your weaknesses. Find out if the things you’re most concerned about — lack of experience, a less-than-desirable GPA, shyness, etc. — are legitimate concerns or if you’re obsessing over nothing. If your fears are unfounded, let them go once and for all!

2. Don’t be turned off by the terms “internship” or “part-time.” This tip came from Lauren Porat, co-founder of UrbanInterns.com. In a difficult job market, sometimes you need to be flexible and “settle” for a less-than-perfect opportunity, such as a non-full-time job. According to Lauren, many people have developed incredible careers by serving multiple part-time clients. Also, starting out this way may allow you to get your foot in the door with some very cool, interesting startup companies.

3. Overprepare. Think about your confidence level when you walk into a test for which you’ve studied really thoroughly versus how you feel walking into a test for which you’ve skimmed your notes for ten minutes the night before. Most people don’t realize that a job hunt is something you can study for. Before attending a job fair, spend an hour or two on the websites of companies that will have booths. Before a job interview, spend an hour reading the organization’s website (especially the mission statement, recruiting pages and recent press releases) and study the LinkedIn profiles of the people who will be interviewing you. Read e-newsletters and blogs from your industry to keep up with current events that might be discussed at a networking event. The more preparation you do, the more confident you’ll feel when you interact with recruiters and other professionals you’ll encounter during your job search.

4. Do not ask to “pick someone’s brain.” Okay this one is more about how not to ask me in particular for advice on your job hunt (or anything for that matter!). Some people don’t mind this phrase, but I definitely do. Why? First of all, I think it sounds kind of gross (think about it). Second of all, it is very one-sided: if you are picking my brain, what’s in this conversation for me? It feels as if I’ll be left brainless afterwards. My advice is to always request advice in a way that makes the ask-ee feel respected and like he or she will leave the conversation with something, too.

5. Clean up your online image. According to a recent Microsoft survey, 85 percent of HR professionals responding said that positive online reputation influences their hiring decisions, and 70 percent said they have rejected candidates based on information they found online. Make no mistake about it: your online image will affect your job search and your career. If you haven’t already, set up strict privacy settings on all social networks (often, including on Facebook, the default setting is for all of your information to be public, so check every setting!), take down any inappropriate pictures or content, set up a 100 percent professional profile on LinkedIn and Google, and think twice before posting any new content on Facebook, Twitter or a blog. In many recruiters’ minds, you are what you post.

6. Spell recruiters’ and hiring managers’ names correctly. Of the emails I received responding to a part-time position I posted this year, about half (!) spelled my name wrong. To me, that was an instant sign that a candidate lacked attention to detail. None of these people were called for an interview.

7. Don’t be too early for a job interview. While we’ve all heard the advice never, ever to arrive late to a job interview, employers are equally peeved when you arrive too early. By all means get to the company’s building or parking lot as early as you’d like, but don’t enter the actual office any more than 15 minutes before your scheduled interview time.

8. Focus on what you can do for your employer, not the other way around.
In cover letters, email messages, conversations with recruiters, salary negotiations, etc., make sure you frame your value in terms of what you can offer, not what you need. Recruiters roll their eyes at cover letters that begin with, “I would like to find a position in which I can learn.” Likewise, negotiations fail when you ask for more money because, “I need it.” You’ll have a better chance of getting what you want when you focus your argument on how it will benefit the company in terms of increased sales, more productivity or lower costs. Always ask yourself, “What’s in it for them?”

9. Never call to say “Just following up.” There is a fine line between appropriate persistence and pointless pestering. It is absolutely fine to call or email a recruiter to say thank you for a company information session, to ask a few questions or to mention that you’ll be attending another event they are hosting. But “Just calling to follow up!” doesn’t add much to your candidacy. If you find yourself calling multiple times with no response, you may have to accept the fact that, as the famous dating book title says, this particular employer is just not that into you.

10. It’s never too late to say thank you. I’ve had a lot of students ask me “how late is too late to send a thank you note?” and I truly believe that a thank you is always warranted and always appreciated, even if it comes much later than expected. If you do find yourself sending a belated thank you, simply say something like, “I truly apologize for the delay in thanking you…” or “This note is late but I am deeply grateful…” It’s better to feel a bit awkward and do the right thing than to hope the person doesn’t notice that you never showed your gratitude.

What other job hunting tips were most helpful to you in 2010? Please share!