That means keeping track of job listings, networking, tracking down leads, analyzing potential employers and scheduling interviews. But these depend on other people, word of mouth, and the quality and quantity of job postings available at any given time.

When interviewing, many candidates don’t realize that the questions they ask are just as important as how they present themselves and the answers they give. Failing to ask questions shows a lack of genuine interest in the job. Asking foolish questions indicates the candidate didn’t do enough research before the interview. Making either mistake can cost a candidate the job offer.

Heather Krasna, author of “Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service,” advises job seekers to prepare a list of questions before the interview, much as they’d create a list of talking points that address the value they offer the employer.

“Every interview is different. Some interviewers will only give you the chance to ask two or three questions. Others will ask again and again if you have any questions, so prepare more questions than you think you will need in case this happens,” she says.

Developing a list of questions to ask is problematic for many job seekers. In her book, Krasna offers the following suggestions and explains why such questions can give candidates a much-needed edge:

1. ”What are you seeking in the ideal candidate for this position?”

This question allows you to counter by adding any particular skills or qualities that you have left out in the interview, but that the employer thinks are important.

2. ”How would you describe your management style?”

When you are being interviewed by a hiring manager to whom you would report, this is a great question for gathering insight into whether you might get along.

3. ”Can you give me some examples of the types of projects I may be working on?”

If the job description was a bit vague on the types of assignments you would be doing or if you are otherwise unclear on this point, this question is essential.

4. “What do you like best about working for this organization?”

This question not only gives great insight into the culture of the organization, it also makes the person answering the question feel good. In addition, if the person answering can’t come up with something good to say, this is a red flag about the place where you might be  working.

5. ”How did this position become available?”

This question is a bit pushy, but it is important if you do not know how the position opened. Is the organization expanding? Or did the last person leave, and can you subtly find out why?

6. “What would you like to see happen six to 12 months after you hire a new person for this position?”

This question is akin to “How will I be evaluated?” or “How do you measure success in this role?” It can also clue you in on whether the expectations for the job are realistic.

7. “What resources are available for this position?”

This question addresses the technology, staff or budget resources you will have and gives many insights into whether the organization is being realistic about what you can accomplish given the resources available.

8. “Is there anything you are still wondering about my candidacy that might keep you from offering me the position? Is there anything further I should clarify?”

This question shows you are open to feedback or critique and also tells the employer you want every opportunity to reassure him or her that you would be a great employee.

9. “What is the next step in the process? May I have your business card?”

The final question can help relieve your anxiety after the interview because you at least have some clue about how long it will be before the employer gets back to you. Ask for business cards from each person interviewing you so you can send thank-you notes.

Krasna adds that there are also questions candidates should steer clear of asking during the interview, including inquiries about salary, scandals and office politics, and personal questions about the interviewer.

*Excerpted from “Jobs That Matter: Find a Stable, Fulfilling Career in Public Service” by Heather Krasna.

Selena Dehne is a career writer for JIST Publishing who shares the latest occupational, career and job search information available with job seekers and career changers. She is also the author of JIST’s Job Search and Career Blog (http://jistjobsearchandcareer.blogspot.com/). Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SelenaDehne.

http://www.ihatepresentations.com/

1. Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything
   Tony Schwartz of the Energy Project reports on what he’s learned about top performance.
2. 12 Things Good Bosses Believe
   Robert Sutton, author of Good Boss, Bad Boss, ponders what makes some bosses great.
3. How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking
   Peter Bregman learns how to do one thing at a time. 
4. Why I Returned My iPad
   Here, Bregman finds a novel way to treat a device that’s “too good.” 
5. The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received
   Although David Silverman published this with us in 2009, it remained extremely timely this year. 
6. How to Give Your Boss Feedback
   Amy Gallo reports on the best ways to help your boss and improve your working relationship. 
7. You’ve Made a Mistake. Now What?
   We all screw up at work. Gallo explains what to do next. 
8. Define Your Personal Leadership Brand
   Norm Smallwood of the RBL Group gives tips on how to convey your identity and distinctiveness as a leader. 
9. Why Companies Should Insist that Employees Take Naps
   Tony Schwartz makes the case for naps as competitive advantage. 
10. Six Social Media Trends for 2011
    David Armano of Edelman Digital ends the year by predicting our social media future.

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbreditors/2010/12/2010_in_the_hbr_blog_network.html

Here are some other helpful  resources for job seekers gathered by the same site, including The “Don’t Do It” Guide To LinkedIn; 10 Things To Do After a Layoff; 10 LinkedIn Groups Every Job Seeker Should Join ; U.S. Job Market and Change In Unemployment Rate; 5 Government Resources For Job Seekers and more.

Try it.  You will like it.

1. Concise. Your pitch should take no longer than 30-60 seconds.
2. Clear. Use language that everyone understands. Don’t use fancy words thinking it will make you sound smarter. Your listener won’t understand you and you’ll have lost your opportunity to hook them.
3. Powerful. Use words that are powerful and strong. Deliver the “Sis-Boom-Bang” to grab their attention!
4. Visual. Use words that create a visual image in your listeners mind. This will make your message memorable.
5. Tell a Story. A short story, that is. A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illuminate what you do.
6. Targeted. A great elevator pitch is aimed for a specific audience. If you have target audiences that are vastly different, you might want to have a unique pitch for each.
7. Goal Oriented. A kick-ass elevator pitch is designed with a specific outcome in mind. What is your desired outcome? You may have different pitches depending on different objectives. For instance do you want to: make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, or earn a referral.
8. Has a Hook. This is the element that literally snags your listener’s interest and makes them want to know more.
   This is the phrase or words that strike a chord in your listener.

How to Craft Your Killer Elevator Pitch

• Write down what you do. Write it several different ways. Try writing it at least 10-20 different ways. Don’t edit yourself at all. You will edit later. This first step is for generating ideas. Don’t hold back. Ideas can be goofy, serious, wild, funny, or conservative. It doesn’t matter. The goal is to get at many ideas as possible down on paper.
• Write a very short story that illustrates what you do for people. If necessary, the story can be long. You will boil it down later. Paint a picture with words.
• Write down your objective or goal. Do you want to make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, earn a referral, or something else?
• Write 10-20 action statements. This is a statement or question designed to spur the action associated with your goal.
• Record yourself. You can use Jott if you don’t have a recording device. Jott is a free phone based service that translates your messages into text as well as providing an online link to the original audio.
• Let it sit. Come back to what you’ve written with fresh eyes and ears the next day or later on in the same day.
• Highlight the good stuff. Listen and read through what you’ve recorded and written. Then either highlight or circle the phrases that hook you with clear, powerful, and visual words. Obviously not all the words will fall into these categories. You still need connector words, but you want them to be as few as possible.
• Put the best pieces together. Again you’ll want to write down several versions of this much tighter pitch. Tell us what you do and why people should want to do business with you. Include elements from your story if you can fit it in.
• Record these new ones.
• Do a final edit cutting as many unnecessary words as possible. Rearrange words and phrases until it sounds just right. Again, the goal is 30-60 seconds maximum.
• Dress Rehearsal. Run it by as many people as you can get to listen to you. Get feedback from colleagues, clients you trust, friends and family.
• Done for now. Take your final elevator pitch and write it down. Memorize and practice it until it just slides off your tongue naturally.
• Continue to improve. Over time, always be on the listen for phrases that you think could make your elevator pitch more clear and impactful. And then test it out. Every once in a while you will probably benefit by starting from scratch because things always change: you, your business, your goals, and your clients’ needs.

What’s your elevator pitch? Share it with us in the comments!

Resources:

• You Know What Your Company Does. Can You Explain It in 30 Seconds? By Alison Stein Wellner at Inc. Magazine provides a case study of this process.
• How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less by Milo O. Frank is a great resource for clear concise communications in general.

Written for Dumb Little Man by K. Stone, author of Life Learning Today, a blog about daily life improvements. Popular articles are How to Write a Book in 60 Days or Less and Should You Start Your Own Work at Home Business?

1. Do not use linkedin like you would use facebook. These are two different platforms : one for professional networking and other to stay connected with friends and families.

2. Do not send out invitation for the sake of adding connections. As we all know, while using Facebook or twitter most people just add whoever they want and usually the favor is returned. If you are going to send an invite to connect with someone on linkedin, make sure you create a message that outlines why you are trying to add them. If you start adding people like you do on twitter or facebook there is a chance that you might get blocked.

3. Do not use drunk, excited and other forms of too friendly images as your profile image. Linkedin is a professional networking platform so do what you would do professionally in the real world. Keep your profile image professional looking.

4. Do not share your thoughts and what you are doing as you would on twitter or other platforms. If it relates to your work or something important, go ahead and update the section that says “What are you working on now?” Use this feature wisely to update your status. Updating your profile status couple times a week is more than enough.

5. Do not join groups for the sake of adding one more group logo on your profile page. Join a group only if it relates to your career or interest and only, only if you can devote time to participate and be a valuable member of that group.

6. Do not add application to feed your blog posts on your profile unless the content on your blog is relevant. If you have a profile showing that you are an engineer and are running a political humor blog on the side out of interest, showing your political humor on your professional profile might not be a wise idea.

7. Do not beg for recommendations. If people think you are good they will recommend. If you feel like asking for a recommendation, make sure the person you are asking is a good colleague whose words actually bear some weight when possible employers look at your profile. Don’t have your uncle,aunt,mom and dad leave recommendations for you. We are not in high school.

8. Do not brag too much while writing your summary. The whole “I am the sh**” kind of summary might be appropriate for facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. but it’s not for LinkedIn. Write a summary of yourself in short but write it in a way you would on a paper resume. Make it look and sound professional.

9. Do not forward profiles to your connections just so they could have more “connections.” Use this feature only if you think it will benefit one of your connections by connecting with your other ones. Once again this is not a competition to see who can land more connections. There are people who are experts in the field who have been in business for years but have only 50 connections and it does them more than good.

10. Do not use linkedin if you can’t follow the above nine rules. If you would like to add more to the list please suggest your “don’t do it” tips in the comments section. Also feel free to check out Visual Guide To LinkedIn and LinkedIn Groups For Jobseekers.

For complete article see:  http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=47380410&gid=70968&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fapplicant%2Ecom%2Fthe-dont-do-it-guide-to-using-linkedin%2F&urlhash=BMgo&trk=NUS_RITM_title&goback=%2Ehom