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 As a society, we are trying to go paperless, but it seems like we have to fill out more paper forms everywhere we turn. Unfortunately, applying for a job requires filling out huge amounts of paperwork. It can be frustrating and very time consuming. If you have applied for numerous jobs this year, I’m sure you could tally up at least 40 hours of your time completing the required paperwork.

Your resume only tells the employer about your work history. They are required by law to have signatures and information for additional areas. You will probably have to fill out a permission form to perform drug and background screening. This permission is required by law.

You might have to fill out a form stating your sex, race and other demographic information. The Labor Department requires all companies to report this information on a yearly basis. You legally don’t have to fill this out, but companies would like to have the information so they can properly report their statistics to the Labor Department.

Lastly, you will have to read the fine print with regards to everything you have stated on the application is true. This will include prior convictions, dates of employment, your job titles, education and more. Please tell the TRUTH!!! So many people think they are getting around the system by lying. They figure no one will check the validity of the information. Believe me, you are very wrong. More and more companies are checking everything. Especially now, with so many people applying for each job, the companies will be extra careful to make sure they are hiring the right person.

Remember, once you sign the application and release forms, the company has the right to check everything you wrote about yourself. It is very simple to check degrees, certifications, criminal backgrounds, job titles, etc. If you get caught, not only will you not get or lose the job, you could be damaging your reputation. Remember what you learned as a child – Honesty is the best policy! Many companies will overlook a few credits short of a degree, a minor criminal infraction or a difference in job title. Be yourself and be honest. If you start lying, you can never go back!

With a new class of college students about to graduate and join the workforce, here are six ways that new grads often harm themselves at work inadvertently. Don’t make these mistakes!

1. Thinking that because you have your degree, you shouldn’t have to do grunt work. Most recent grads start at the bottom because that’s how you learn how a business works, regardless of your particular degree. You must learn how to write the sort of memo your boss wants to read, how to navigate office personalities, how to simply get things done in an organization. Even if you’re not given the most glamorous work, you can pay attention to detail, follow instructions, and care about quality–eventually someone is going to let you do something more interesting.

2. Not being thorough. In college, you could (and were often expected to) argue one point of view. At work, you’re expected to consider all the options thoroughly and make a recommendation that includes pros and cons. I often see new grads simply not being thorough in their thinking. Poke holes in your recommendation before you take it to your boss. That way she doesn’t have to.

3. Thinking that what you post on social networking sites doesn’t matter. At best, being unprofessional on sites like Facebook or Twitter will limit your professional growth and change the way your boss sees you; at worst, it can get you fired.

4. Procrastinating. If you waited until the last minute to do a project in college, you were the only one who suffered. At work, if you put off a project until the last minute and then you’re sick or something else gets in the way, you risk your professional reputation.

5. Not putting effort into forming relationships with older colleagues. You might be more comfortable spending all your lunches with people in your peer group, but then you’ll miss out on the chance to form relationships that can help you progress faster in your career. Get to know your older colleagues.

6. Not saying “thank you.” When your boss or another coworker takes the time to help you with something, give them a sincere thank you. People who feel appreciated are more likely to go out of their way for you again. If you don’t seem to care, they probably won’t bother again.

Everyone seems to get anxious over interviews. Yes, all interviews are different, but yes all interviews are the same. The questions might vary, they might want you to describe different situations you have experienced, but overall these 5 areas will be covered in some manner. Make sure you know the answer to these questions and feel really comfortable about what you are going to say. This will ease much of your anxiety.

No. 1: Tell me about yourself.
This is the open-ended question that on the surface seems harmless, yet how you answer it may spell the difference between landing a job, or being pushed out the door to seek another position. You have to know yourself first – your strengths, your weaknesses, your likes, your talents and your goals. The best way to answer this question is to give your “Positioning Statement,” which is a one-paragraph summary of your career background, strengths, expertise and objective.

No. 2: Why do you want to work here?
This question seeks to determine if you know anything about the job and company. The goal here is to connect your talents, contributions and attributes to the employer’s needs, problems and challenges. You can only do this if you’ve done your homework, and have gathered all the necessary research. The best way to respond is to tell several relevant Accomplishment Stories that prove you have the right kind of experience for the job.

No. 3: What’s wrong with you?
Of course, the interviewer will not actually use these words. She might couch the question in more polite terms, but what she is actually trying to find out is why you’re unemployed, or underemployed, or why you’ve had so many jobs, etc. As the candidate, you need to acknowledge these sorts of career challenges in advance; then prepare and practice your responses. Your answers must be worded in such a way that they are fully positive, and elicit the responses you desire.

No. 4: What are your salary expectations?
When it comes to “the salary question,” you want the other guy to make the first move. Do thorough research in advance to determine what the likely salary range is. Make it clear that the job is not all about pay. Say that you’d be happy to discuss compensation once a mutual interest has been established, and get back to discussing your relevant accomplishments. Tell the interviewer that you want the opportunity, and that you expect the company will make a fair salary offer. This doesn’t mean you will necessarily accept that offer, but it means they will have to “draw” first. Once you receive the initial offer, always negotiate up from there.

No. 5: Don’t call us, we’ll call you.
Take an active stance, not a passive one. Be sure to discuss “next steps” before you leave the interview. Ask the interviewer directly how your qualifications compare to those of the other candidates. Display your excitement about the job and the challenges it poses. Let the interviewer know how and when you’ll be back in touch. Don’t leave all the power in the hands of the interviewer; this should be a mutual decision-making process.

Since almost every interview question is a variation of the themes listed above, there’s no need to worry about the hundreds of questions you MIGHT be asked. If you go into the interview focused on addressing just these five basic areas, you’ll feel more confident and less overwhelmed.

The more practiced and articulate you are in responding to these five items, the better chance you’ll have of landing the job. But even if you don’t get the offer, you’ll still be well-prepared for the NEXT interview!

We found this great tip sheet on Yahoo.

Searching for a job is not always easy, no matter what state the economy is in. And when you’re on the hunt, your best weapon is your resume. This document must emphasize the best of your experience, education and skills and sell you to your future employer. It’s a lot to ask, but it is possible to get your resume into fighting shape. Don’t let your effort go to waste by having these glaring red flags on your resume.

1. It’s Covered in Glitter — Literally.

Yes, it has been done. In an effort to make your resume stand out, you may find that it gets thrown out. Less extreme attempts such as including image files or using non-traditional symbols or fonts should also be avoided. While it may be a nice break for a recruiter reading through hundreds of Times New Roman documents, you run the risk of the fonts or images not loading properly. And you can bet that busy recruiter isn’t going to contact you for a simplified copy.

2. There Are References.

Listing your references on the resume is a definite no-no. References should always appear on a separate page, and should only be produced when asked for. Also, be sure to delete the “References: Available Upon Request” line. It’s understood that you will, so save some space and your potential employer’s time.

3. It’s Written in Full Sentences.

The headhunter has likely received dozens if not hundreds of applications — help them out! Your resume should be short and sweet and bulleted. You aren’t writing a novel, you are trying to catch a skimming employer’s eye and prove you are worth a second look — and an interview.

4. There Are No Numbers.

One of the worst things you can do on a resume is be vague. Don’t just list your accomplishments in a general way — have the quantitative data to back it up. If you exceeded a goal, by how much did you exceed it? If you created and distributed company performance reports, how many did you do? Adding numbers concretizes your accomplishments and paints a better picture of what you actually did.

Also, make sure you are answering the “how” question. If you completed five projects this year instead of the expected four, how did you do it?

5. It Includes the Words “Duties” or “Responsibilities.”

When you are writing your current or former job description, focus on your accomplishments, not what you had to do. As an alternative to “duties” or “responsibilities,” flip your tasks into achievements. For example, instead of being “responsible for the sales team,” consider “directed the sales team to beat their repeat client objective by 10%” — remember that number thing!

6. It Lists an Objective.

For the most part, objectives sound insincere and, worse, can limit your options. Let your cover letter do the talking when it comes to why you want that particular job. And remember, each cover letter and resume should be individually tailored to a specific job posting — not just a specific field. Taking an interest in the specifics of the job makes you look professional and focused and not like you are mass-emailing anyone who might hire you. Desperation is no more attractive to an employer than it is to a date.

7. It Contains Spelling or Grammatical Errors.

We all know to avoid this one. It makes you look sloppy and negates the part of your resume that proudly describes you as “detail-oriented.” The best thing you can do for a resume is send it to a professional resume service or a professional editor. If you are a student, your career center likely offers free resume counseling or at least free information to help you fine tune your CV before sending it out. At the very least, have a friend look it over and check for basic language errors — spell check just doesn’t cut it.

8. It Lists an Unprofessional Email Address.

In a world where email is free, and most of us have multiple addresses, make the effort to have a professional email address. Keep it simple — using your name is best. Just make sure you leave the sparklebaby@hellokitty.com for personal use. One more tip? Don’t use your current work email unless you are self-employed.

9. It Includes a Picture.

The ONLY time this is appropriate is if you are applying to be a model or an actor, and in both cases, a separate portfolio is preferable. Including a self-portrait could exclude you for not being serious and may make you appear unprofessional. Let your skills and experience speak for you.

10. It Is Too Personal.

Resumes should demonstrate how professional you are — that means the anecdote about the time you met Britney Spears is not appropriate. That being said, let your personality come through in your resume by including volunteer experience or a (very) short section about your interests.

The Bottom Line

When times are tough, getting a job is a stressful undertaking. Don’t sell yourself short. Instead, make sure your resume is the best example of you as a potential employee and before you know it, you’ll be employed once again.

A recruiter’s top 5 interview questions when recruiting a candidate are the following:

1. What do you know about the company and why do you want to work for it?
2. What are you looking for in your next career move?
3. Tell me about one of your most challenging career obstacles, what steps you took to meet the obstacle, and what was the outcome?
4. What are your greatest takeaways from your previous employers?
5. Why do you want to leave your current/previous employer?

But, the answer to these questions is not all the recruiter is looking for. What he is truly looking for is a glimpse into candidates’ professional motivations, career aspirations, how they approach their job, and what they have learned from past experiences.

In particular, “I want to understand why they are looking to make a move and their motivation for wanting to join XYZ Company,” he says, “is it for a salary increase, career advancement, a change of pace or environment, or because they envision being part of something new and different?” he questions.

He also wants to get a sense of a candidates’ work ethic, the level of passion they have for what they do, and in what settings they feel they work best. “More often than not, it is how they say or frame their answers versus just the content of their answers that matters most”.

According to the recruiter what a candidate says tells him if they are articulate, have well organized thoughts, can convey their answers in a clear, concise manner, and how they approach and overcome obstacles. “How they respond tells me how passionate they are about what they do and the job they are applying for,” he says.”

This is a tip for all of you job seekers – take the marbles out of your mouth!

My reason for saying this – we get hundreds of messages from job seekers every week. At least half of the messages we have to play over and over to try and decifer who is talking and what is the message. When you leave a message for someone or talk to anyone on the phone, please speak clearly! Cell phones has made this task very difficult. Many times the connection is not clear, so it is twice as hard to hear the message.

When you are job searching, your phone message could be your first impression. Make it sound great. You want to sound positive – that means do not mumble and get rid of the attitude and frustration of being out of work. When you are on the phone, the person on the other end should be able to hear you smile. I know, that sounds weird, but think about it. You have talked to telemarketers on the phone that are boring and sound like they are half dead or falling asleep. You have also talked to people who are very upbeat and enthusiastic. Maybe they make you smile when you talk to them. That’s what you want to achieve.

If you had a really bad day or you don’t feel well, try not to leave a message that day. If you have to call that day, maybe preface your message with “I am sorry for my voice, I am under the weather today, or I am not feeling well”. You want your future employer to think that you are someone who sounds excited about work and at least deserves to move to the next step.

Companies are receiving hundreds of calls everyday. You know you have lots of competition for every job. Set yourself apart from everyone else. Practice your message before you call. Write it down. Look in the mirror when you practice. Smile when you talk. Be sure to speak clearly and not too fast. Sometimes you get excited and speak so fast, the person might not be able to get your information. Don’t make the message too long, but leave enough information to entice the person to call you back.

Think of radio personalities or infomercial people. They are always upbeat and speak very clearly and get everyone excited about what they are saying. You know you don’t need the product, but they could talk you into buying it. You want to talk the company into “Buying” you.

If your phone message is your first impression – make it fantastic! You can get the company excited about you and what you can add to their team. No one wants to hire someone who is not enthusiastic or excited about the prospects of working at their company.

Ok, do you feel great now? Write out your message, practice in the mirror, smile and pick up the phone and make that call!

Smile when leaving a message