Made it to CareerBuilder's "Top 10 Job Tweeters" List

A few days ago, CareerBuilder.com posted its Top 10 Job Tweeters list. I made the list! I've included an excerpt below:

@AlisonDoyle

About the author: Alison Doyle regularly writes articles on job-seeking issues, ranging from interview advice to using social media appropriately.

Why you should follow her: She’s prolific, so you always have something to read, and she knows her stuff.

@AnitaBruzzese

About the author: Anita Bruzzese is the author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy” and also writes a workplace blog full of tips and advice for employees.

Why you should follow her: She lets you know when she’s updated her blog, which is full of helpful advice. She also shares quirky, sometimes off-topic links that lighten the day’s mood.

@CAREEREALISM

About the authors: Careerealism.com founder J.T. O’Donnell and a group of job experts let you know when they’ve posted new advice for job seekers. They also respond to job seekers with career questions — in 140 characters or less, of course.

Why you should follow them: As a follower, you get to read advice from several experts who know what they’re talking about and give their own perspectives.

@careerdiva

About the author: Eve Tahmincioglu blogs, publishes articles and Tweets on career issues.

Why you should follow her: Her advice is excellent and she often brings up issues you might not have otherwise considered.

@CBforJobSeekers

About the authors: CareerBuilder’s team of experts writes for the job seeking blog TheWorkBuzz.com and workplace articles, such as the one you’re reading right now.

Why you should follow them: The team’s Tweets are a mix of tips, news stories, helpful articles and blog posts to keep you informed of what’s going on in the world of job seekers.

@heatherhuhman

About the author: Heather Huhman is an expert on helping Generation Y job seekers and recent graduates navigate the professional world.

Why you should follow her: Huhman Tweets when she writes a new article, directs followers to other helpful experts and offers her own tips from time to time.

@InterviewCoach

About the author: Lewis Lin is a Seattle-based interview coach who prepares clients for the difficult questions that will come their way during a job search.

Why you should follow him: Lin Tweets his own interview tips, as well as other experts’ advice and news articles.

@Keppie_Careers

About the author: Atlanta-based Miriam Salpeter is a career coach and résumé writer for Keppie Careers. She helps job seekers spice up their résumés, prepare for interviews and achieve their career goals.

Why you should follow her: In addition to posting links to the day’s job seeker headlines and news, she also offers career advice and lets you know where she’ll be giving presentations.

@Writerbabe

About the author: Chicago-based Raven Moore authors The Writerbabe Series, a blog that explores professional, pop-culture and newsworthy topics.

Why you should follow her: Moore directs you both to her own writings and to other writers’ works, as well as interesting news items she comes across. Plus, some of her personal Tweets are entertaining enough to make you forget about the current economy.

Are you an "A" Player? CEOs tell us what they look for in top candidates.

This week, I've been reading Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. When researching their book, Geoff and Randy asked top CEOs and scholars: which competencies are the biggest success factors?

Take a look at Geoff and Randy's list below, and see if you are an "A" player.

• Efficiency. Able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort.
• Honesty/integrity. Does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not just what is politically expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.
• Organization and planning. Plans, organizes, schedules, and budgets in an efficient, productive manner. Focuses on key priorities.
• Aggressiveness. Moves quickly and takes a forceful stand without being overly abrasive.
• Follow-through on commitments. Lives up to verbal and written aggreements, regardless of personal cost.
• Intelligence. Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly and proficiently understand and absorb new information.
• Analytical skills. Able to structure and process qualitative or quantitative data and draw insightful conclusions from it. Exhibits a probing mind and achieves penetrating insights.
• Attention to detail. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a project.
• Persistence. Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Proactivity. Acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to the company.

Additional competencies as determined by the authors

• Ability to hire A Players (for managers). Sources, selects, and sells A Players to join the company.
• Ability to develop people (for managers). Coaches people in their current roles to improve performance, adn prepares them for future roles.
• Flexibility/adaptability. Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change.
• Calm under pressure. Maintains stable performance under heavy pressure or stress.
• Strategic thinking/visioning. Able to see and commnicate the big picture in an inspiring way. Determines opportunities and threats through comprehensive analysis of current and future trends.
• Creativitiy/innovation. Generates new and innovative approaches to problems.
• Enthusiasm. Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has a can-do attitude.
• Work ethic. Possesses a strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done. Has a track record of working hard.
• High standards. Expects personal and team performance to be nothing short of the best.
• Listening skills. Lets others pseak and seeks to understand their viewpoints.
• Openness to criticism and ideas. Often solicits feedback and reacts calmly to criticism or negative feedback.
• Communication. Speaks and writes clearly and articulately without being overly verbose or talkative. Maintains this standard in all forms of written communication, including e-mail.
• Teamwork. Reaches out to peers and cooperates with supervisors to establish an overall collaborative working relationship.
• Persuasion. Able to convince others to pursue a course of action.

"Interviews are the Only Things that Matter"

Careerbuilder posted an article about 10 things you're doing wrong in the job search. Interestingly enough, five out of the 10 items are related to interviews:

1. You don't recognize that face-to-face interviews are the only things that matter.
2. You don't prepare well for interviews.
3. You're not selling yourself.
4. You have the attitude, "What can you do for me?"
5. You give poor reasons for leaving your job.

On #1, I've never been bold enough to say "interviews are the only things that matter," but I'd have to largely agree. As a hiring manager at Microsoft and Google, I use resumes to determine whether someone was worth a phone interview. From there, I rarely refer to the resume. I focus on using the interview to determine whether or not to pass them onto the next round -- or if appropriate, make the job offer.

How to Ace Six Popular Interview Questions

The Salt Lake Tribune has an excellent article on how ace the six most popular interview questions. Here are my favorite takeaways:

• Practice, practice, practice. Rachelle Cantor, a career coach, has an excellent insight. Practicing minimizes the chance that job seekers will be caught off-guard. If you want to sound spontaneous and conversational during the interview, spend time practicing.
• "What's the worst boss you had?" The commentary here is absolutely on point. It's not so much as have you had a bad boss, but how did you adapt to it? It's an opportunity to demonstrate your tolerance and perseverance. It's also an opportunity to show your ingenuity -- that is, how did you make the most out of a bad situation?