1. The industry and company are important.

Interviewers may want to know how you see the company in relation to its competitors, its strengths and weaknesses, and how they plan on moving forward. Do not try to study dozens of industries. Instead, narrow your focus on a select few industries when you are looking for a job.

2. You can prepare for common interview questions.

Every book on "How to interview" has a list with a few hundred "common questions." If there are so many common interview questions, you might wonder how long the interviews can take. How do you prepare? You can choose any list to think about the most common questions that you will encounter, given your age, job search, and current status (graduating soon, looking for a summer internship). You can then prepare your answers in advance so you won’t need to remember them on the day.

3. Prepare to deal with illegal or inappropriate questions.

Interview questions asking about your race and gender, marital status, sexual orientation, or religion are unprofessional and often illegal. However, you might get one or two of them. You have two choices if that happens. You could answer simply with "I'm unsure how that's relevant for my application") or you could try to answer "the questions behind the question". "I don’t know if I will decide to have children in my near future. But I can tell you that I am very committed to my profession and honestly can’t imagine quitting it."

Many people ask, “is it okay to joke in an interview?” This is a difficult question to answer, and there are several different opinions on the topic. Jokes can be funny, but they can also offend people, so you should read more about this topic before making a decision.

4. Ask questions of your own.

You should bring intelligent questions to the interviewer, which will show that you are serious about the company and your knowledge. Interviewers are always looking for questions and you should always have at least one. If you respond "No, it's not really", the interviewer may conclude you're not interested in the job. An all-purpose question to ask is: "If you could design the perfect candidate for this job from the ground up, how would he/she look?"

5. Practice over and over

It's one thing to have a mental answer for a question like "Why should you hire me?" It's quite another to be able to express it in a convincing, confident voice. You'll sound confused and garbled the first time it is attempted. You'll sound much smoother, more articulate if you do it 10 more times.

However, you shouldn't practice when you're "onstage" with a recruiter. Instead, practice before you go to the interview. How do you rehearse the interview? Make two friends and practice interviewing one another in a round-robin. One person acts like the observer while the other is the interviewee. Each receives feedback. Try to do four or five rounds. You can switch between roles as you go. Another option is to tape-record your answer, then play it back to check for improvement. Whatever you do make sure that you practice speaking aloud. You won't be able to just rehearse the answer in your mind.

6. Focus on the early part.

Research shows that interviewers are more likely to make a decision about candidates within the first five minutes of an interview and then spend the remainder of the interview seeking out evidence that confirms that decision. How can you make the five minutes it takes to get past the gate? Send your enthusiasm and energy to the interviewer, and thank her for taking the time. Keep in mind that the interviewer may have seen many other candidates on the day, and maybe tired from a flight. You can bring that energy!

7. Work with the interviewer.

Some interviewers see job interviews as hostile, like a tug of war between the interviewer and the candidate, with the job offer as the prize. Your job is to turn this "competition" into a mutually beneficial relationship. You could simply say, "I'm glad to have the opportunity to learn more about your company. I want to let you learn about me so we can decide if this will be a good fit." The worst thing that could happen is to get hired for a job that isn't right for you. That would make everyone unhappy.

8. Make the most of "Tell me about you" questions.

Interviewers often start their interviews by asking this question. What should you say? You could tell the interviewer about where you were raised, your parents' background, and how many siblings, dogs, and cats you have. That's fine. However, would you prefer the interviewer to write down your dog's favorite color, or why you should be hired?

9. You should be prepared for a "behavioral interview"

Today, one of the most popular interview formats is asking people to share experiences that they have had and that highlight the characteristics that are essential for the position. One example of this is when you are asked to describe a time when your decision was not popular, your persistence or how you handled time pressure.

Step 1 is to predict the behavior that the hiring manager is likely looking for. Then give at least one example where you have displayed it. You should have a story prepared for each example. After that, what you should do is practice telling the story. Make sure you review your resume prior to the interview. This can help you recall examples of behavior you might not have anticipated.

10. Send thank-you cards

Notes thanking the interviewer should be written after each interview. You can write the notes on paper, or you can send them via email depending on how you prefer. Notes can be customized by referring to the specific conversation between you and your interviewer. Handwritten notes are better if you want to thank a person for helping you with your job search, or if your interviewer is located nearby. Notes should be sent within 48hr of an interview, regardless of which method.