Tips on Nailing that Job Interview!

Let's admit it, interviewing for a job can be scary and intimidating. There really is no need to be nervous if you follow my tips that will help you separate yourself from the herd and allow you to land that dream job.

1. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Didn’t you always want to be an astronaut? A cowboy? A fireman? Then dress like one on your interview, even if the position to be filled is accountant or bank teller.

2. Beef up your resume with impressive, yet totally unverifiable achievements. Who is to say you really didn’t climb Mount Everest or that cure for cancer you discovered on your own was lost in a tragic lab fire? Just remember one of my favorite maxims, "lack of proof is not proof of lack."

3. Use recently deceased experts as references on your job interview. This way, you get the benefit of being associated with the top of your profession, without the hassle of having to actually associate with these dull folks.

4. Break the ice during your job interview. The interview process is stressful for all involved, including the professional conducting the meeting. Break the ice with some fun magic tricks or make some balloon animals... for example.

5. Take charge of the interview. Confidence and self assuredness are two attractive qualities that most interviewers are looking for in their candidates. Show them how you can command respect by stopping the interviewer mid sentence and say, “No, I think that I am the one who is going to interview you.”

6. Make yourself memorable. Take it one step further and make yourself unforgettable, either with extremes in fashion or creativity with your make up. Would you forget the candidate who looked like the lead singer from KISS or the lady who looked like Chuckles the Clown? Remember, they won’t hire you if they can’t remember you.

7. Show the breadth and width of your talents. Display a totally unrelated talent such as juggling or baton twirling during the interview. It is important to demonstrate how well rounded you are.

8. Do your research ahead of the interview. Find out as much personal information you can about the interviewer and back it up with social security numbers, personal tax information, and pictures of the interviewer’s children playing in the park. It makes more of an impact if you present the entire collection of the interviewer’s personal information in a neat portfolio or a cardboard diorama.

9. Let them into your world. Share your personal life with the interviewer on the first interview. Read some of your favorite poems that you have written, show them pictures of your most recent vacation, or discuss some intimate details of your love life. If they care about you, they are likely to care enough to hire you.