Most of the time, I hate the condescending tone of the career pundits. It’s always “Sally, you idiot, here is how you should do your resume.” Or, “Billy Bob, here is how to answer these typical interview questions.”

I thought you knew better. Come to find out there are a lot…I mean a LOT…of job seekers who are clueless about the basics, of how a business operates and recruits. This is Interviewing 101: The Class Everyone Thought You Took, But You Didn’t. It is a lecture.

Please pardon my bluntness, but some of your friends, NOT YOU, need this direct approach.

1. When you send out a resume, send a cover letter too. Make both perfect.

2. Keep track of what company and to whom you send your resume and cover letter. You do this so when you are called by the company’s recruiter, you don’t say things like “how did you get my resume,” or “who are you and why are you calling me?”

3. Google each company. Read and remember just a little bit about the company. This is so when you are called for the initial interview you are NOT completely in the dark about the company. You want to avoid comments like “mmmm, I have never heard about your company, what do you do?”

4. Before the interview, study more about the company; granted, this is a lot like homework. Find out as much as you can about the company and industry. What do they do? What else can you find out about them?