Those Unexpected Telephone Screenings by Job Interviewers

Those Unexpected Telephone Screenings by Job Interviewers
The phone rings just as you are about to sit down for
dinner, but this time it's not a pesky telemarketer - it's
a company recruiter calling. You've been caught off-guard!
The telephone "screen call" can come at any time - day or
night. Some interviewers find evenings the best time to
catch people at home, where they will be able to talk more
candidly. Therefore, you should be on-call and prepared to
receive a telephone interview at any time.

Telephone interviews, typically conducted by a human
resources staff member or a hired recruiter, are used as
screening tools. By asking key questions, the interviewer
determines whether or not it is worthwhile to pursue you
further as a candidate. The screenings may consist of a few
quick questions or as much as a one-hour grilling.

Some general questions you might expect in a telephone
screening are:

1. Why are you leaving your current job?

2. What kind of salary/job are you looking for?

3. Tell me three adjectives that describe you.

4. Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem
using creativity.

5. Do you have any questions for me?

If there is some particular skill that qualifies you for a
job, for example technical skills or languages, there may
be some qualifying questions about the "tools of the trade."

Even though you cannot control the timing of these calls,
there are some steps that you can take to not be caught
off-guard.

1. Get organized. Set aside your materials as though you
were going to a face-to-face interview. Have a folder with
job postings or ads you have answered, along with company
information. If you have several versions of your resume,
attach the one relevant to the particular job posting. Keep
this folder in a specific place so you can get to it in
less than a minute. Tell the caller to hold and then grab
your folder.

2. Be prepared. This is key to any interview, but for the
telephone interview it is essential. Practice with a tape
recorder to hear the level of enthusiasm in your voice. The
key to telephone interviews is projecting an upbeat image
through the sound of your voice and the words you use.

3. Know what they are looking for. Look over the job
description to see what the company is seeking in a
candidate. If you don't have a good description, look at
other postings of similar positions to see what is being
asked for. Compare what you have to offer against what they
are looking for. Be ready to let the interviewer know what
a good match you are for the position.

4. Alert the household. Be sure everyone in your household
- children, roommates, etc., are aware that you will be
receiving calls from recruiters and companies. The phone
should be answered in a polite, professional manner. While
you're at it, make sure your voice mail message is also
professional and upbeat.

Getting through this screening is critical for advancing to
the next step: the face-to-face interview. This puts added
pressure on you to present yourself in a positive, focused
manner. If you attempt to wing this call, you may reach a
dead end in the process. By organizing and preparing you
will feel less stress when these calls do come.

----------------------------------------------------
Carole Martin is America's #1 Interview Coach. Celebrated
author, trainer, and mentor, Carole can give you
interviewing tips like no one else can. Her workbook,
"Interview Fitness Training" has sold thousands of copies
world-wide. Sign Up to Receive Free Weekly Interview Tips
at http://www.interviewcoach.com

Network Marketing Tip--3 Characteristics Needed to Become a Big Fish in Network Marketing

Network Marketing Tip--3 Characteristics Needed to Become a Big Fish in Network Marketing
Everyone wants to achieve massive success in the network
marketing industry, but few are willing to take the risk
and the sacrifice it really takes. The key is to become
the Big Fish and not the person chasing the little fish
begging them to join your deal. The Big Fish are the ones
that offer the solutions that will enhance the businesses
of others. Why? Because what you give away you always get
to keep. It's called servanthood marketing.

If you were to do a search on Google for the top network
marketers or MLM gurus like Joe Schroeder, Big Al, or
Yanick Silver, you will find that they offer solutions
first for FREE allowing a prospect to literally sell
themselves, but more importantly they offer advice first
and foremost. Remember this key concept: To get more get
value, you have to give more give value. Do you want to
become the a Big Fish in network marketing? Someone who is
chased down by people who are wanting to do business with
you and know more about you? If so, here are 3 key
characteristics needed to become a Big Fish in networking
and to attract the right kind of people into your business:

1. Become the resource--Be a guide for other people.
Forget about your goals and focus on other people's goals.
Become a walking reward for 10,000 people; a walking living
tool that others can lean on when advice is needed. A
resource is always willing to sacrifice time and energy to
help the next person.

2. Be a Leader--The Big Fish are considered natural born
leaders. A network marketer who becomes the resource
naturally becomes a leader. How awesome would it be if you
had others looking up to you because you cared about their
success first. A leader motivates and teaches mindset
before business models. Being a leader is ultimately being
a servant.

3. Love people use money--If you're running around looking
at every single person as if they were a dollar sign trying
to entice them to sign the application to join your deal,
then failure will soon be your ultimate destiny. The key
to becoming a Big Fish is to truly sincerely love people
first and as a result you become attractive, and an
invitation for money unfolds. Money is only a resource,
however all network marketers have goals and desires which
is why Big Fish are kings at taking them into consideration
first and foremost.

Network marketing is not all about selling. It's about
sharing, giving, and caring about other people's goals and
desires. When you actually sit down and think about this
concept, it becomes reality. You can only make income and
gain influence to the degree that your awareness will allow
you to keep. In other words, when you make other people's
goals your goals, your life will change drastically.

----------------------------------------------------
Ontarian Hawkins is an established internet marketer and
business coach that teaches To find out how Ontarian can
help you with your marketing efforts go and pick up your
FREE REPORT on how to become a Big Fish here =>
http://www.attractionwiz.com

Reality-Oriented Marketing

Reality-Oriented Marketing
From politicians to phone companies, reality-oriented
marketing has become the hot new trend that can benefit
your business.

Interestingly, back in the 2004 election year, the
Republican party's presidential team created a presidential
or "marketing" campaign that went deep into a community,
attaching itself to high-profile decision makers,
neighborhood leaders and trend-setters to get their message
out. The business sector has now harnessed this marketing
strategy.

The phone industry, can we say AT & T, created local
marketing teams that went deep into communities to find
neighborhood leaders to pitch its newest service. The
telecommunications giant developed lists within the
communities that included Sunday School teachers,
"influencers", trend setters and others whose opinions are
sought out and valued by neighbors and peers. This strong
word-of-mouth influence has helped AT&T find customers that
have agreed to sign up for their TV service after the
influencer's hosted TV parties.

Jaguar is capitalizing on a marketing trend that is
referred to as a "living product placement." The luxury car
maker is using high-profile trend setters to drive around
in their car and hope to be "seen" in it. Just ask any
perfume, cosmetics, handbag maker or fashion house how
important it is for them to find a celebrity (based on
high-profile) to wear their product in public.

Let's look at this marketing trend a little closer:

* First, companies are going deep into a local community to
find the decision-makers and trend setters who others value
and respect for information from presidents to commercial
lifestyle brands, i.e. Jaguars, host TV parties, women's
fashions, etc.

* As the major television networks lose market share and
viewers to cable channels and Internet programming,
companies that would normally advertise on these channels
are looking for ways to tap local markets to find their
customers.

* Network marketing businesses have understood the
importance of reality-oriented marketing by inviting
friends, neighbors, family and business associates to their
homes to try cookware, make-up, necessary home products,
health supplements and the list goes on.

* Banks are using real customers in advertisements, on
billboards and on television to share the benefits of using
this specific bank and services in their everyday business.

* The Wall Street Journal, car companies and others are
highlighting their customer with real names and photos with
the benefits of using their products and services.

* Businesses are bringing in their customers to taste foods
prepared by local chefs (Think: kitchen appliance centers,
supermarkets, culinary sections of bookstores, wine stores,
and confectioner's businesses to name a few).

Why do People Buy?

What makes marketing deep within a community with focused
placements and living product placements appealing to your
clients and buyers? Certainly there are several reasons
that people buy a product or service, but a few of these
reasons or benefits are:

* People are always looking for something new, slightly
different. One of the most powerful words you can use in
your marketing campaigns is the word "new."

* People want to look hip, young, cutting-edge, and want
to keep up with the current lifestyle. The 20-somethings to
60-somethings look and act at least a decade younger.

Psychographics

Certain eras and generations feed and are motivated by the
current political, economic and social changes they
perceive happening around them at certain stages in their
lives. This is a major component of generational marketing
and it needs to be an important piece in your marketing
campaigns. You need to know who your best customers and
clients are by way of their demographics and psychographics.

The advertising campaign that Dove used in capturing "real
women" of all sizes, careers and cultures was a hit. There
seems to be a duplicity however, in marketing campaigns
today, just as there is a polarizing effect from the retail
world in that consumers are buying products and services
from the two extremes: the discounters or the prestigious,
expensive lines. This too is happening in advertising and
marketing; Celebrity-based reality advertising and Real
People-based reality advertising.

* Celebrity-based reality advertising - Marketers use
celebrities more commonly now than models. We can't seem to
get enough information about celebrities as People Magazine
is one of the top magazine attractors nationally.

* Real People-based reality advertising - Marketers are
increasingly using "real, everyday people" who are
perceived as a center of influence, from neighborhoods to
office workers as well as those who are perceived as
beautiful and as trendsetters, to influence buyers to
purchase their products and services.

Then there's http://www.youtube.com which I believe is in
its infancy stage where ebay was several years ago! This
website has become a gathering place for people to "show"
videos of all types and much more. How can you showcase
your business (services or products) in this new and very
visible media?

Marketing Tips:

* Find ways to "show and tell" your clients and customers
the benefits of using your products.

* Find the "influencers" in a group or a
demographic/psychographic segment.

* Allow your customer to use their own "benefit" words and
phrases which are usually much stronger and "real" to
others when creating advertising copy AND creating a
marketing campaign.

* Think globally when creating your marketing campaign. For
example, one company uses the word "excellent" in seven
different languages to define their products.

* Think locally as well, focus on going "deep" within a
community in a particular well-defined segment(s).

* Think of ways you can entice your prospects and clients
to "try" your services or products before purchasing?

----------------------------------------------------
Always appreciate fresh new marketing and branding tips to
drive your business several steps forward? Tap Ruth Klein's
expertise at her upcoming Brand and Pitch Boot Camp.

http://www.ruthklein.com/bpbc

Five Strategies to Launch Your Green Career

Five Strategies to Launch Your Green Career
It's your intention to land a green career in 2008, but do
you know how to make that happen?

Use the five strategies in this tip to focus and guide your
actions. Don't attempt to do all of these strategies as
once. The key is to get a good foundation in one strategy
before moving to the next. As you move through each
strategy, your knowledge and clarity will build.

1) Identify Your Green Niche

The green economy offers tremendous possibilities. Some are
available today while others will unfold over the next
months and years.

To find your place in this new universe, your first and
most important task is to discover the career that is the
best match for your passions, talents, interests, and
experiences.

The answer that is right for you is a combination of your
interests. Don't limit yourself by latching onto your first
idea or the idea you've had for some time. Instead open
your mind to all possibilities.

Begin your search for your green niche or refine your
understanding of your green niche by creating a list of
your favorite skills and interests. Don't worry at first
about how they will all fit together, just keep making your
list. Think of each entry as a clue to your green niche.

When you have a list of forty entries, then explore themes
and trends to see how your clues fit together. Sometimes
your green niche will jump out at you. In other cases
you'll need to play with various combinations to find the
one that works best for you.

If you'd like help with this process, we have several
resources to help you.

2) Track the Current Events in Your Field/Industry

When you've narrowed your focus to your green niche, your
next task is to immerse yourself in the field/industry that
interests you most. If you are drawn to two industries,
track advances in both of them.

Although you'll want to track changes in the green movement
in general, find blogs, news sources, and experts that can
give you the full picture of your industry of choice.

If you haven't defined your niche yet, you can use current
events to help you discover the clues to your passions.
What industries do you feel drawn to read about? What
topics catch your attention? What do you talk about with
others?

3) Talk to People in Your Target Field/Industry

Although you can understand a lot about an industry by
reading, you'll gain an even richer sense of what's
happening by talking with people who work in the field.

If you are struggling a bit to figure out whom to talk to,
use these ideas to jump start your networking process.

-- Attend a green networking event.

-- Become active in the green movement in your local area.

-- Attend professional meetings.

-- Attend a relevant green conference.

-- Talk with individuals over coffee, lunch, or a hike.

4) Watch for Opportunities

As you immerse yourself in your target field/industry, you
have several goals.

-- First, you want to learn enough to understand the
various facets of the field/industry.

-- Second, you want to identify where your skills, talents,
and experience may be an asset.

-- Third, you want to find organizations that hire people
in your field.

-- Fourth, you want to discover problems those
organizations are facing. As you identify these problems,
assess where you can use your skills to help them turn
these situations around. When you can articulate your
ability to help the organization meet their goals and reach
for their vision, you are on the right track.

5) Be Ready

As you become more familiar with how and where you'll fit
into your target industry, begin putting the pieces
together for your job search or your new business. When a
live opportunity presents itself, you want to be ready to
jump into action.

-- If you are planning to launch a job search, you want to
work on the best way to articulate the kind of job you are
searching for, you want to update your resume, and you want
to prepare yourself for future interviews.

-- If you are planning to launch your own business, you
want to focus on a clear description of your business idea,
you want to create a solid business plan, and you want to
create a way to market test your idea.

Figure out where you are in this list of strategies and
start there. As you get a handle on one strategy, begin
making progress on the next strategy. As you gain momentum,
you'll see clarity increase and your foundation strengthen.

----------------------------------------------------
Green Career Expert, Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author
of Your Dream Career For Dummies and founder/managing
editor of Green Career Central. She provides people with an
array of resources, information, and support to help them
identify their green niche, find a green job, or start a
green business. Visit http://www.GreenCareerCentral.com to
request a free copy of her Strategies to Grow Your Green
Career report.

How to Choose the Right Home Business Opportunity

How to Choose the Right Home Business Opportunity
As the internet continues to grow and expand into almost
every industry, it can be difficult to determine which home
business opportunities will produce a lucrative income, and
which ones are simply a waste of time. Choosing the right
home business opportunity is a simple process, and you can
start by choosing a niche topic or industry that you have
an interest in. After a few brainstorming sessions, you'll
be able to consider a variety of options in sales,
marketing, affiliate products, or even creating a resource
website. Here's what you need to choose the right home
business opportunity:

1. Decide if you want to sell a product or a service.
Products take the form of retail or consumer goods that are
sold through an online storefront. Sometimes this is
connected to an affiliate program, but not always; many
home business owners choose to stock inventory and sell
their items through eBay listings or other classifieds in
order to make the sale. If you are choosing a service as a
business, you may need to learn more about how the industry
is doing online, and seek out additional education or
training to sharpen your skills. Deciding if you want to
sell a product or service is a fundamental step in your
business planning, but will help you close the doors to
some home business opportunities while opening up the doors
to the one that suits you best.

2. Decide if you want to be an affiliate. Affiliate
programs are a great way to generate a residual income
since you're rarely involved with developing a product and
selling it yourself. As an affiliate, you join a network
of other sales people to promote a particular product and
will earn a commission on each sale. Affiliate products in
the digital world have become increasingly popular over the
past few years as more people turn are interested in buying
eBooks, podcasts, and informational services. You can set
up a storefront just like an online retailer, but will link
all products sold with your affiliate codes instead.
Affiliate sales can be a very profitable home business
opportunity and entrepreneurial venture, but you do need to
remain consistent and maintain a steady marketing plan and
program.

3. Consider selling information yourself. Many people turn
to the web to sell knowledge and tutorials about a
particular subject. Seek out your passion and turn it into
a profitable home business opportunity by creating your own
website. A website that can draw a large amount of traffic
has a lot of potential to make money from advertising, and
you may also be able to sell affiliate products through it
after building a steady flow of visitors. This is a
valuable home business opportunity for you if you can
update your site regularly and really focus on your niche
topic. Becoming an expert on a niche subject or industry
is a great way to build a steady stream of visitors to your
site which can lead to subscription lists, newsletters, and
many opportunities to sell a product or service.

4. Set your income goals. Sometimes deciding how much you
want to make over the course of a year can help you narrow
down your search. For example, if you only want to make a
part-time income while working a 'day job,' you would
choose online business opportunities that do not require a
daily commitment. This includes any retail stores or
sales-oriented sites that require you to fill orders and
track inventory. If you do want to focus all your energy
on making a full-time income, then a complete affiliate
sales and marketing program, or information product selling
and services may be a good choice.

Finding the right home business opportunity can take time,
and sometimes it's even a matter of trial and error.
Still, you can narrow down your search with a few simple
questions and focus on these key areas for the right fit.

----------------------------------------------------
Clinton Douglas IV, teaches people about internet home
business. Get his FREE Special Report - How To Make More
Money In Only 30 Days Starting From Scratch ==>
http://online-empire.vasrue.com/