When you’re asked “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” they’re looking for a lot more than that. We share what hiring managers are ACTUALLY looking for when they ask that question in an interview.

You are looking to sell yourself to an employer, so you have to talk like it. It’s that simple.

LinkedIn is one of the most important tools for getting a new job. Don’t say “No” to LinkedIn — get on there yesterday!

Yes, you SHOULD be applying for and interviewing at jobs even if you are already employed. You don’t have to tell anyone that’s what you’re doing, but you should still do it.

If you aren’t asking your friends for referrals at their companies, you are being STUPID. Who you know is a HUGE part of getting hired. Work that network! Here’s how to do so — and build a network if you don’t have one.

Repeat after me: Job requirements are NOT ACTUAL REQUIREMENTS. Even a recruiter agrees! Find out how much alignment she says companies are ACTUALLY looking for.

Willing to play with the truth on your resume and job application? Here’s how to do so in the least dishonest way possible.

Do you make up your interview answers on the fly? Do your answers come together as a story, or are they just … random? You MUST know how to give a compelling interview if you want to stand out from other candidates and get hired.

Most managers are not good at management, and they usually don’t know what their teams are actually doing. This can mean they’re not that good at hiring either. Yikes!

Real talk: It’s luck of the draw whether someone will actually read your resume, and hiring managers play to their biases. We share some advice from a recruiter, and the sad truth about the state of resume affairs.

This misconception one is one of my favorites in the course. While I have written nearly every job description for every position I’ve hired, most every other hiring manager I know has copy-pasted job descriptions from competing companies or from other similar job listings.

If your cover letter looks like this: “Dear Hiring Manager, This is the perfect job for me and here’s why,” all showing is that you have no idea what you’re talking about.

As a hiring manager, I care about one thing: “Is this person qualified to do the job I need done?” I have read through thousands of resumes. Most of them are awful. The only time I call someone with an awful resume is when I literally have no choice because every applicant has a crappy resume. It’s a “lesser of two evils” situation for me.