Ten Things You Need to Do Before Every Single Job Interview

You did it! You did it! You did it! You just got word that you made it into the elite ranks of candidates who are going to be interviewed for that job you so desperately want. You are so excited you can hardly contain yourself and can't decide to do a happy dance or pump your fists. You decide to do both. That resume you slaved over, rewrote a dozen times, and bored your friends to death by making them read it until their eyes bled finally paid off. The interview is a week away and already your mind is spinning with things you need to do before the big day. If you are a woman, you may already be thinking about shopping for the perfect interview outfit, possibly getting a mani-pedi (even though you doubt if your toes will be part of the decision-making process), or figuring out how to wear your hair. If you are a man, you may be thinking that the same suit you have been wearing to all your interviews will be good enough, but you may need to head to the barber or hair salon for a trim. And forget the holes in your socks, you won't be taking your shoes off anyhow.

If you find yourself focusing mostly on the physical appearance part of preparing for an interview you are definitely not alone. Everyone wants to look his or her best for an interview. After all, looking your best will help you do your best, correct? Actually, that is correct. However, your physical appearance is only one part of what will help you land that job you are so excited about and, I hate to tell you this, but it is not even close to the most important part. I have interviewed literally thousands of job candidates and I have to admit, not one of those individuals remains in my memory bank for his or her physical appearance. The ones who have stuck with me throughout the ages fall into two categories: The ones who were the least prepared and the ones who were the best prepared. Since I doubt you want to leave interviewers scratching their heads and asking each other, "What were we thinking