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Interviews can be a tricky thing. It is like showing up to a party where you know no one. You are not sure what to expect. You are wondering if you are going to be able to fit in or not.

We have been doing a rundown on the top 10 fatal mistakes that cause bad job interviews.

Here is what we have covered so far:

Fatal Mistake #8: Bad-mouthing Another Employer

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I have been discussing the importance of networking on Linkedin. As I have mentioned before, Linkedin is a great way to merge the internet and physical networking. Let’s face it…networking is hard work. Sure there are many benefits to networking and I still believe it is the fastest way to a job, but networking combined with Linkedin is networking on your time. That is a very important concept if you let it sink in.

So, today I want to give you a short post on the importance of tracking your progress. Most people when it comes to a job search do a bunch of random actions hopping that somehow all this activity adds up to something. Well, action is better than non-action, but working smarter is better the working harder. Tracking your progress is a way to work smarter in your job search.

In other words, take time to notice whether something is working or not or at the very least keep an activity log of what you have done so far.

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I have been spending a lot of time on this blog sharing with you the strategies for becoming a top networker on Linkedin. There are many reasons to do this, but my angle has been for the purpose of growing and expanding your career. We all know that networking in-person can be a lot of hard work.

You have to physically drive to the location (which is usually in the evenings) and forgo an evening with the family. You have to be assertive and go talk to people and introduce yourself. You also are not able to control WHO is going to be there and you have no control as to having a targeted audience. Physical networking is hard work. Now, it can produce for you, but online networking is on your time.

My point is this: ANYONE can do online network marketing online easily and effectively.

How To Develop Your M.I.C.’s (Most Important Connectors)

Once you have grown your network (see previous post if you have little connections on Linkedin). The next step for you is to begin identifying who the M.I.C.’s are in your network.

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Special thanks to Neal Schaffer, whom I consider an industry expert on Linkedin. He contributed this blog post specifically for the CPACareerCoach.com audience. You can find more information about him on his blog: http://linkedinquestions.wordpress.com/

There have been many attempts to have a general Q&A website to attract people to ask and answer everything on the Internet.  Over the years, the popularity of these sites has waned to the point that Google has already retired Google Answers.  Yahoo Answers and Answers.com seem to be the only sites that are attracting much traffic these days.  With that in mind, what value could LinkedIn Answers provide to the average professional on LinkedIn that they can’t find elsewhere?

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I am going to share with you how you can get “super-connected” quickly and easily on Linkedin. Why is this important? Well, just like in real life…sometimes it is all in who you know. Once you are connected with someone on LinkedIn you are able to view up to 3 levels down from them. For those that are in your first group you can send email and communicate with them more easily.

In the 2nd and 3rd levels, you will need an introduction from someone in your 1st level or let me give you two tricks of the trade:

Tip #1: Call the contact directly.

If someone is at the 2nd or 3rd level, you can still view their name, title, and company they work for. For example, if someone has Sally Smith, Director of Human Resources at ACME Company in their network. You can simply call them up by name and tell them who you are and that you wanted to introduce yourself. Also take a minute to brag about the company and that you would like to get your info to her and see if there are any potential opportunities.

Tip #2: Email the contact directly at work.

Most of the time an email address is not going to be visible to you. By doing a little research you can usually find out the email pattern of any company online. Do a quick Google search and you will find the pattern.
Here is a sample email script that I would send (you can always come up with your own as well).

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Linkedin is fast becoming the top social media side for workplace professionals. There are now some 40 million+ professionals that are signed up on Linkedin. Every Fortune 500 Corporation has Executive on Linkedin. it can be used for many purposes such as: growing a network, growing and expanding your customer base, learning the latest trends, being recognized as an expert in a niche by answering  questions, etc. I am going to focus on how you can tap into the hidden job network on Linkedin. Companies and Recruiters on using Linkedin to find candidates for the positions they are trying to hire. Best of all, it is free to join.

After joining Linkedin, the first thing you need to do is fill out your profile as much as possible. I am going to share with you what I believe to be the top 3 tips for optimizing your profile on Linkedin. By implementing these 3 tips you will greatly increase the possibilities of the hidden job network on Linkedin finding you. Here are my 3 top profile tips!

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I am going to share with you my last 4 reasons why you should grow an online network. If you missed reasons 1-6 you can either download the entire 30+ page Free ebook in the window to the right or you can find Reasons 1-6 here:

Reasons 1-3

Reasons 4-6

7. You can stay in touch with former colleagues.

This concept is very powerful. As you get further and further into

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In a few posts ago, I listed for you 3 reasons of why you should grow a network online. Today I am going to share with you reason 4, 5, and 6. This is an excerpt from my NEW LinkedIn ebook that I will be releasing soon: “Get LinkedIn: Strategy Guide for Accounting & Finance Professionals.”

Here are some more good reasons to

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I have been asked alot of questions lately about how to utilize LinkedIn in an active job search. I thought the best thing would be for me to create an e-book that could help outline step-by-step on how you can build an Online Network and get the network working for you in finding your next position. I am putting the finishing touches on the e-book and should be able to make the whole plan available to you soon.

Today I wanted to share with you just a few

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