Many of you have completed pre-interview questionnaires. What are they? They are questions a hiring company may have you complete after sending in your resume and before landing a phone or live interview. I know they can seem hard. I know it reminds you of writing papers for school. But just like writing those papers, once you sit down and do it, it isn’t as bad as it seems.

Pre-interview questionnaires are one of many resources or tools that companies use to screen candidates. They can be an effective way to determine a person’s skills and experience. They can also be very telling about a person’s written communication skills and style.

From a candidate’s perspective, pre-interview questionnaires are an additional way to highlight achievements. Your resume lists your accomplishments, competencies, and experience. The questionnaire allows you to elaborate and explain your actual job-oriented accomplishments. Use the pre-interview questionnaire to demonstrate your successes. This can help you stand out in today’s sea of job applicants.

Here are a few tips for completing the pre-interview questionnaire:

• Be thorough but not too lengthy
• Be straightforward and give specific examples
• Take this part of the process seriously – it could land you the interview
• Spell check your responses before turning the questionnaire into the company
• Have another set of eyes (perhaps a career coach) look at your responses

You may find that many of these pre-employment questionnaires ask similar questions. Over time you can build from previous answers when completing new questionnaires. Remember, just as this is a tool that employers use to screen, it is also a tool for you to showcase yourself.

Many of us know Kanye West to be a talented, hardworking, and successful musical artist, but for thousands of people out there, those admirable qualities are not the first thoughts they have when they think of Kanye. They think things like “egotistical,” “ungrateful,” and “selfish.” They don’t think about the millions of records he’s sold; they think of him jumping on stage at the VMAs giving his unsolicited opinion while Taylor Swift is trying to accept her award. They don’t think about his sheer determination to make in the industry as a teenager, making a record while his mouth is wired shut due to an accident; they think about him complaining that his music video didn’t win best video of the year in Europe. They don’t think about his acclaimed skills as a lyricist; they think about how he chooses to use CAPS lock for nearly every blog he writes.

As gifted as an employee may be at work, he or she can suffer “Kanye West-syndrome” due to his of her insufferable complaints and actions at the job. Kanye-West syndrome sufferers may be plagued with the following symptoms:

• Constantly feels he or she is more deserving of acclaim than another
• Openly complains about that lack of supposed acclaim
• Gives unsolicited opinions, especially in inappropriate venues
• When apologizing for something, still has excuses for behavior in response
• Believes others copy/mimic him or her artistically
• Complains about how he or she believes others copy/mimic him or her artistically
• Shows up late to meetings or is insufficiently prepared for meetings due to poor behavioral choices
• Uses the CAPS lock or other font, font style, or color/size of text that is inappropriate for business communications

How can you combat Kanye-West syndrome? Well, you could practice all of those behaviors and hope that several eventual apologies will suffice—but that’s not working for Kanye right now, and that’s probably not going to going to work for you at work. Instead, practice the following behaviors at work:

• Congratulate colleagues at work for their successes
• When finding personal success in a team effort, give open credit to all those involved and thank them each of them for their effort
• If you have made a mistake at work, don’t make excuses for it; apologize and discuss how you plan to remedy it
• If you have a potentially negative comment about someone’s work, instead of openly proclaiming it at a board meeting or copying everyone on it in an e-mail, discuss it personally with the individual
• Instead of complaining about lack of acclaim, thank manager for support, discuss current accomplishments, and create goals with that manager
• Don’t use text or font in business communications that can be seen as annoying or showy

You might be one of the most talented, hardworking, and successful people at work; but no one will want to recognize you if you act like a Kanye West at work. Act positive, appreciative, and humble, and you might be able to find even more success in the workplace.

Many job-seekers lack the basic skills needed for today’s tough job market. Some are fresh out of college or graduate school and have never looked for a job before. Others have not had to seek a job in many years. While many younger job-seekers are comfortable with the Internet and social networking sites, older workers may not understand how to use web 2.0 to their advantage. This situation has created a demand for training dedicated to the skills needed to compete for a job in today’s job marketplace.

In response to this need for training, many websites now focus on providing job-seekers with improved job-search skills. While not job boards, these sites are career-training marketplaces that offer convenient, video-based learning and/or live one-on-one career coaching over the Internet. These sites also generally provide a number of other support services, such as networking tips and other job resources to help individuals with career-related issues.

Examples of the types of services these sites provide include help with the following important job-seeking areas:

•   Resumes. This is a crucial tool for the job-hunter; however, many job-seekers have no idea how to bring out resumes' full potential as a selling tool. Many resumes are overly general or unfocused on the potential employer’s needs. A well-written resume will set you apart from the competition. Because of the specific skills needed to prepare a resume correctly, it provides a perfect opportunity for online training. For the job-seeker, an experienced online résumé coach can pass along invaluable tips via video and/or live coaching. It is also essential that people posting resumes online understand how to make their resume “stand out” from millions of online resumes. The answer to this challenge is training by experts who teach the tricks – such as key words or phrases – that make resumes highly visible to electronic searches by employers.

•   Interviewing. Because of technology offered on the Internet, people can now practice interviewing and get feedback from a professional coach via a webcam – without leaving home. This type of feedback can be invaluable for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the job-seeker. An online coach can provide feedback on subtle defects in the job-seekers’ interview behavior, such as unusual or distracting body language or personal habits (eg, hair-twirling, failing to make eye contact, etc). An online video or live career coach can train the job-seeker to approach the all-important interview with professionalism and confidence, thereby increasing the chances of a good interview and a job offer.

•   Web 2.0. This refers to web-based communities and social-networking sites that allow users to interact with each other. While many younger workers are comfortable using social networking sites – such as Facebook– many older workers are not. And people of any age may not be fully aware how to use social networking sites effectively when searching for a job. This situation presents an excellent training opportunity for teaching the value of social networking sites for making professional contacts and identifying job opportunities.

Whether we like it or not, stereotypes often exist, including stereotypes of generational differences in the workplace. We hear about Generation Y and their tendencies to speak their mind, multitask rather than focus on a given job, and act seemingly entitled. But we also hear positive associations attributed to Gen Y, regarding their technological savvy and commitment to volunteerism. Regardless if these behaviors and actions are true of you currently or are notably associated with your generation, the following tasks are quickly becoming acceptable and proven methods in assisting your job search:

Volunteer your way to a job. The places to volunteer and possibilities when volunteering are endless! First and foremost, volunteering is a way to network. Do not underestimate the power to increase your circle of contacts. These networks can directly or indirectly find you a job—whether it’s recommending you on LinkedIn or employing you later on him or herself. Volunteering also provides you with much-needed transferable skills. Want project management experience? Join your condo’s board of directors or a committee. Want to supplement your liberal arts major? Volunteer at your religious institution or tutor at a local school. Looking for any meaningful way to serve your community? You can find opportunities here: http://www.serve.gov/.

If you’re not employed, you should be able to volunteer for at least 8 hours a week in something that interests you. Hiring managers often question resumes that have gaps in employment, and you can easily fix those gaps by including your volunteering work in the Experience section. Resume keywords that volunteering can provide you: Project Management, Finance, Collaborated, Supervised, Executed, Conceptualized, Spearheaded, etc.

Blog your way to a job. If you like to write, want a job in communications, or are an expert in a topic, there is no reason why you can’t start a blog. You don’t have to be employed to write a blog nor pay a fee to use a blog service; you can create a blog on sites like www.blogspot.com, www.bloggerminds.com, www.wordpress.com. You can then submit your blogs onto services like www.digg.com or www.stumbleupon.com. Post your blogs onto your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter profiles. Make sure you proofread what you have written; and, keep in mind, if you attach your name to a blog, there will be often be search visibility of the blog attached to your name on Google. If there is anything that can be potentially embarrassing or would prevent you from getting the job you want, think twice before posting it. Resume keywords that blogging can provide you: Readership, Viewership, Subscribers, Composed, Created, Achieved, etc.

Twitter/Facebook/Linked In/“Insert Social Media Name Here” your way to a job. Gen Y is known as the Facebook Generation. A study from the Participatory Marketing Network reveals that 99% of 18 to 24-year-olds have at least one active profile on a social networking site. Use your ability and understanding of social media to your advantage! Facebook allows you to search for company names through the Search bar, and you are likely to then find a Fan Page of a company to interact with. LinkedIn has the Search Companies feature, which can help enable you to find the name of a hiring manager. Twitter is brimming with companies you can follow and create conversations with. Looking for other social networks to connect with? Dan Schawbel of www.mashable.com has created a list of the top 10 social networks for Generation Y. Some of the sites include those that bridge the power of social media and blogging, such as www.brazencareerist.com. With social media outlets, you can provide some visibility to your name to a company representative by providing some intelligent, insightful feedback or conversation. Or take it to the next level: volunteer your social media services to promote a company that you admire and/or aspire to work for. Even if the company doesn’t pay you, the company can pay you back with a glowing recommendation or eventual employment. You can learn more about how to use social media outlets in your job search here. Resume keywords that social media experience can provide you (many of them can be the same as blogging experience): Readership, Viewership, Created, Achieved, Garnered, Traffic, etc.