When preparing for an interview it is important that you are ready to answer questions in the following four categories: personal, experience, education and career goals.

It is vital to represent yourself in a professional manner during a phone screen. Eliminate all background noise, have a clear signal, and use correct grammar with no slang. Be prepared with your CV in front of you and have a list of questions to ask the interviewee. Only asking 2-3 questions though. Always end the call by thanking the interviewer for their time and consideration.

Even though you have had the seventh interview in a week for seven similar roles, it's essential to treat each one as an individual event and to prepare accordingly. Research the company: The corporate website goes without saying, but look at their competitors too. How do they differentiate themselves?

When you are looking for a new position, contact your references, so that they know to expect a call from the client or executive search firm that you are working with.

Ensure that you have the correct contact information for your references including the correct spelling of the first and last name, their company and title, phone number, and e-mail address.

Questions and answers with a recruiter should really go both ways. Understand the recruiter is trying to qualify you IN, not knock you out of consideration for the position. Recruiters need to know specifics and will ask hard questions. Our best advice is to just be truthful!

Your CV should state the month and year of employment. For example, 3/2010 - 6/2015, not 2010 - 2015.

This allows the hiring manager to account for all of your time at each employer and does not leave any doubt as to whether there is a gap in your work history.

Are you an exceptional employee? Here are some simple questions to help you be the best employee you can be:

1) Are you professional? Do you keep your phone away? Are you on time to meetings? Do you dress appropriately? The best employees know how to keep things professional at all times.

Please be open and honest with the recruiter that is representing you. Having someone on your side who knows what is important to you will ultimately help you find the best position. Playing games about your current compensation package, offers pending, background check issues or layoffs will only cause unnecessary obstacles.

We recently worked with a candidate that was not interested in moving forward with the interview process after an initial phone screen with a member of the medical affairs team. The hiring manager was stunned. The reason: the candidate did not feel the connect with the team member on the phone. For both parties involved it is important to know the candidate always holds the cards.

Preparation is the difference between the top candidate who gets an offer and the one who does not. Take the time to make sure your resume represents you well. Have a plan; listen to advice, and research the market and industry news.

When sending your resume to a recruiter or place of business make sure to save the file with your name listed first. Example: John Smith Resume or John Smith Medical Director. This makes it easier for the recruiter and/or hiring manager to locate your file and not have to search through a list of other documents titled Resume or Current CV.

There are usually three top qualifiers; type of industry experience, location, and specific background. If all three are present, then we start a dialogue with the candidate on their general background and personality match with the hiring manager and/or company.

When preparing for the phone interview, please take the time to do your homework. Research the company website and most importantly read the recent press releases.

When calling a search firm, state your name and the reason for your call. For example, my name is Sarah Smith and I am looking to speak with a recruiter that works in Medical Affairs.

You would be surprised at how many calls we receive where the candidate does not introduce themselves and just starts talking.

LinkedIn provides a valuable avenue for candidates both to have a presence on the job market and to network with people who are hiring. When updating your profile make sure to key words to help identify your skill sets and to show work experience throughout your career. Do not underestimate valuable work experience that has happened early in your career. This will allow recruiters to accurately evaluate your qualifications and to reach out to you for the most appropriate opportunities.

• Remember this is your chance to create a good first impression.

• Dress as if this is a face-to-face interview.

• Set up your computer in a quiet location to avoid any external distractions.

• Always look at the camera, not the screen.

• CV's with typos
• Candidate has an inappropriate, non-professional-sounding email address
• CV's missing information—no dates of employment, no list of skills
• CV's that are too generic, not tailored for the position

When creating your LinkedIn profile do not underestimate the power of your profile picture. LinkedIn is a professional networking website; post a professional picture to help you create a respectable online image. Do not post pictures where you have cropped out other people, pictures with pets or pictures when you are out with friends. Remember a picture is worth a thousand words!

It is important to get back to the basics when placing information on your resume. When you are listing dates of employment and/or education always disclose the month and year. It is important not to leave this area open to interpretation. The more disclosure and accuracy placed on your resume is beneficial to your success. This also includes addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.

I received a call today requesting our "contingency" recruitment services. The company's staffing team was having difficulty in identifying top talent to their organization. The positions were VP level. I asked how many firms they had working it and was told our firm was the 4th of 5 that they were giving the search to. I declined the search immediately.