Getting the job offer is not your ultimate goal. Your real goal throughout this entire process has been to take charge of your career, find a job you love, and earn what you deserve.

“What are your weaknesses?” It’s the biggest trap question an interviewer can ask. A lot of people have heard this advice: “Answer by turning your strengths into something negative, like you work TOO hard or something.”

WRONG. Never state anything negative! The right way to approach this question is to take a moment, and then answer that you can’t think of any weaknesses that would compromise your performance in this new position.

Everyone has had to answer the weaknesses question. How did you handle it when it came up?

I want to let you in on a big secret that, as a professional career coach for more than 15 years, I can reveal to you now. Here it is: Every company is hiring all the time—as long as you have what they need.

Last week we chatted with HR folks about bad interviews, so this week let’s change gears. Since networking IS your job search, executives and high-ranking managers are normally approached by job seekers who need to network. That’s great, except when it all goes wrong.

So, executives and bosses, what’s the worst experience you’ve had with someone desperate to network with you? Did they interrupt your outing with the kids? Trap you at a charity event? Borderline stalk you as you walked to your car? Share your stories in the comments so today’s job seekers will know what NOT to do.

When you have a one on-one meeting or attend a networking event, make an appointment with yourself later that day or immediately the next morning to write e-mails, make phone calls, and write thank-you notes. If you don’t schedule it, it probably won’t get done. You need to be organized, and you need to have a system to support you. Otherwise, all you’ll be doing is meeting a lot of people and running all around town for nothing.

This time around, I’d like to hear from people on the other side of the desk at the job interview. All seasoned hiring managers have stories about the worst interviews they’ve ever seen.

When I was working at a global career services firm in a senior consulting role, I was charged with the responsibility of recruiting and hiring a new career consultant for our team. I interviewed several candidates, and invited two finalists back for follow-up interviews. As part of the hiring process, the Regional VP asked to see both candidates do a business presentation. This was a reasonable request, since a large part of this job was to serve as a Trainer and seminar facilitator. The senior staff gathered in the conference room to observe the two candidates. The first presentation went fairly well, but the candidate was not as engaging or dynamic as we had hoped. The second candidate, who was actually my “favorite,” did an outstanding job! His presentation was highly professional, polished, and exciting. There was just one problem. About ¾ of the way through his talk, he suddenly got a severe case of the hiccoughs. He was hiccoughing loudly and constantly, and he simply could not stop. At first, this was extremely embarrassing for him and uncomfortable for the rest of us. But then, we all started laughing hysterically! And by the way, yes, he did get the job (even though he never completed his presentation)!

I’ve heard a lot of horror stories from HR folks and hiring managers concerning the mistakes some people make during job interviews. As I’ve said before, though, we all make mistakes, and it’s better for us to live and learn and then move on to doing a job search the right way.

So for all those interviewers out there, what are the most embarrassing, weird, or ill-advised things you’ve seen an interviewee do? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

In the course of your networking, the clearer you make it that you’re not looking for a job at the present time, the more attractive you’ll be to the hiring manager. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. The fact is that almost no one likes a job seeker, but nearly everyone likes a solutions provider.

As I’ve said before, now is not the time to give up on negotiating your salary, whether you have a job currently or are a new hire. My most important piece of advice on this subject: Your past salary has nothing to do with your next salary. Nothing. Your past salary was given to you in another time, another place, and for another job. It should not be the basis for your salary negotiation.

I’d like to hear from people who have handled salary negotiations recently. Were you successful in getting what you wanted? Let me know in the comments.

In a down economy, the greatest asset you have to sell is your knowledge and intellectual resources. When business gets tough, the demand for people who can think strategically and deliver results goes up, not down.

We’ve all seen the pictures in the papers of down-and-out businessmen wearing sandwich boards that say GIVE ME A JOB; it’s a sign of the times. As I told Dawn Klingensmith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, nobody likes a pest. The last thing you want is to give off the smell of desperation during your job search.

But we all make mistakes, especially when we’re getting a foot in the door. So I’d like to hear from you: what are the most desperate things you’ve done to try and get a job? Tell me your story in the comments.