... so how many of you, like me, find yourself having to prepare for a job interview? I haven't been on a job interview in a good 20 years and it's definitely a hirer's market.

With so many people out of work, potential employers have a HUGE pool of applicants to choose from. Most of the people in that pool are like me.. older, with families and responsibilities. We have tons of actual "work" experience but maybe not the necessary "degrees" companies are now listing as requirements in their ads.

So how do you  make yourself stand out?

Recently, my cousin Freddy wrote a fantastic blog outlining things to consider to ensure a great interview. Unfortunately, that post is no longer exists so I can't link to it here but having read it the night before my first interview in AGES, I can tell you that he was spot on. There were a few other things I thought of also so if you find yourself getting in the same position, here's some things to consider:

BE CONFIDENT
There's no question that confidence is a huge selling point to employers.  Being timid and looking like a deer in headlights doesn't leave a good impression and believe me impression is everything. YOU know you can do the job and your confidence will let a potential employer know that you can do the job.  My father always said to ".. look them in the eye and give them a strong handshake!" and when you think about it, he was right.

LOOK THE PART
It doesn't matter if you are interviewing for an office job or something to do with manual labor, you need to dress appropriately. Your clothes are your "packaging" and while you want a potential employer to remember YOU, you don't want them to necessarily remember your clothes! Steer away from anything flashy, overly trendy or flesh exposing attire. You don't want to wear anything wrinkled.. too tight.. or uncomfortable. The last thing you want to focus on during an interview is whether your buttons are gapping or hiding your muffin top. A sloppy dresser reads as being a sloppy worker.

PRACTICE YOUR ANSWERS
While you don't know specifically what questions you'll be answered, you can count on explaining your past work history.. the companies you worked for.. why you left or were let go.. etc. They're basic for hiring employees. Nerves tend to get the best of us and there's nothing less appealing that having a potential employee start off an answer to a question with, "Um".  As my cousin Freddy said in his post, pretend like you are memorizing lines for a play. Regardless of HOW they ask the question, you will at least be familiar with what you want your answer to be. Also prepare to detail your strengths, why you want to work for this particular company, where do want to be in X amount of years, etc.

KNOW YOUR OWN RESUME
Here's the long and short of it: Don't lie on your resume. Everyone expects a certain amount of embellishment. You know the whole Domestic Engineer being another name for a home maker kind of thing but giving yourself experiences you never had is just setting yourself up for failure. Your resume should be an outline of your experience and achievements and you will be asked about them in an interview.

BE RESTED
Ok.. let's be real. It's the night before your first interview in ages. Do you really think you're going to get ANY sleep? Probably  not.. you're mind will be going a million miles a minute but the trick is to not give it any fuel. Don't drink the cup of coffee that will keep you awake.. don't leave the television on to get you engrossed in the latest and greatest ShamWow product. Let your body rest and eventually your mind will do the same.

BE EARLY
Nothing puts a big red X on an application then being late. Give yourself PLENTY of time to get where you need to go. If your SUPER early, hang out in your car or walk around the block a few times. That little hassle is FAR better for you then being late will be on you.

BE YOURSELF
This is the most important piece of advice I can give you. If you pretend to be something that your not, it's going to catch up to you.. and not favorably. Being hired is out of your control.. you can only do the best you can. To not be yourself means that you have to continue to not be yourself if you get hired and that's just too hard.

BE PROFESSIONAL AND POLITE
Regardless of what is going on around you, always be professional and polite. You don't know what may interrupt your interview but handling the interruption in a polite and professional manner will look good for you.