Courting Your Career: Put Dating Advice to Work for You

Conshohocken, Pa. (PRWEB) February 4, 2008 -- InterviewStream.com, the premier provider of video interviewing solutions, recently announced the ?Top Ten Tips for Romancing Your Dream Job??just in time for Valentine?s Day. The tips include expert advice from Shawn Graham, author of Courting Your Career, and Randy Bitting, InterviewStream?s founding partner.

?Fall in love with your job again? it IS possible,? says Randy Bitting, InterviewStream?s co-founder. ?One of the most important skills to possess as you head out on the job market or dating scene is the ability to sell yourself and then to seamlessly seal the deal. Whether you?re romancing your dream date or your dream job, the goal is to get the ?call back?. Our video technology is poised to help you communicate yourself right into the position, whatever that may be,? he continues.

Shawn Graham, author of Courting Your Career, agrees, ?From the moment you walk in the door, what you say?both verbally and non-verbally?will often determine whether you?re going to score with your dream company. In fact, like with many dates, an interviewer will make judgments about you in the first few seconds. Be sure all of your work and preparation is noticed,? he continued.

Bitting and Graham offer the following tips to help job seekers get past first base to land their dream offer or a second-round interview this Valentine?s Day:

1. Know your type. Self-awareness is critical to an effective job search because it enables you to determine what you want from your next opportunity. When you know what you?re looking for, you can target careers or organizations that fit your wants and needs.

2. Play the field. Reaching out to family, friends, alumni from your college or university, or others will allow you to gather information about a company of interest. Then you can reference them during the interview, in addition to sending a signal to the company that you?re ?into them?.

3. Always get their number. When you hit it off with someone you?d like to ask out, you ask for his or her number. When you hit it off with someone you?re networking with, requesting a business card is just like asking for his or her number.

4. Leverage the Law of Attraction. When it comes to the job search, attraction can be just as important as it is in the dating world. From a professional-looking résumé to wearing a sharp suit and looking your best during an interview, if you look the part, you?ll often get the part.

5. Break the ice. Come ready to concisely highlight your background and clearly articulate how your choices led you to the interviewer?s doorstep. Avoid using canned or overly-rehearsed answers?the dating equivalent of using lame pick-up lines.

6. Give the right signals to heat things up. If you?re saying one thing but your body language is saying something different, employers notice. Non-verbal communication is critical.

7. I mean, like, be smooth with your, umm? pick up lines, you know. Using filler words or sounding like you?re overly nervous will make you seem distracted and unprepared. However, when your confident about scoring a job, it will help you loosen up.

8. Don?t bash your ?Ex??employer. Recruiters don?t want to hear about how bad your ex-boss or company was and why they are the reason you?re back out playing the field. Stay positive.

9. Be honest. When you explain your skill level or the gap in your employment or dating history keep in mind that employers and significant others might notice. Whatever your story is you should be prepared to explain it and move on.

10. Don?t be a run-away bride or groom. Don?t commit too early. Give the job offer some thought. Then, make sure you know what it is you are committing to in order to avoid backing out or leaving three months into the job. Word travels fast and employers (potential spouses included) will ask tough questions about your willingness to commit in the future.

Founded in 2003, InterviewStream.com was quickly adopted as the premier practice and screening interviewing tool for job seekers, career counselors and employers across four continents and in 44 states. InterviewStream now provides video interview technology to hundreds of universities, MBA Programs, job boards, and employers around the globe including nine of the top ten global MBA Programs and the leading, entry-level job board.

InterviewStream also offers the #1 video-based practice interviewing system. The software showcases one?s personality and unique skills with a perfectly crafted custom online video interview while providing feedback of non-verbal behavior and communication missteps. It is an invaluable tool for objective communication assessment.

Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).

For more information about InterviewStream?s suite of products or an interview with one of the founders or Shawn Graham, contact Kristi Hughes at 215-816-2954 or email press@interviewstream.com.

About InterviewStream.com

InterviewStream.com is the premier provider of video interviewing solutions. Its six product suite of proprietary online technology provides video interview solutions to universities, career candidates and recruiters around the globe including nine of the top 10 global MBA Programs and the leading, entry-level job board.

Founded in 2003 by Miles Munz and Randy Bitting, both named ?Top 30 Under 30: American?s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs? by Inc. magazine in August 2007, InterviewStream has quickly become the ?industry standard? practice and screening interview tool for thousands of job seekers, career counselors, and employers?across four continents and in 44 states.

InterviewStream, LLC is a privately-held company headquartered just ten miles outside Philadelphia in Conshohocken, PA.

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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