Most people going for an interview tend to get sweaty and anxious.  While this is typical for most people, there are tips that can help you throughout the interviewing process.

As soon as you schedule the interview, start studying the company.  Know its mission statement, what they do, who the CEO, COO, CFO and other important players are.  Make sure that you do your homework so you know what the company does and you can lead and ask them questions and put them on the spot.  It may also be a good idea to search out where the company can improve and point out where competitors have an edge.

This type of knowledge will show that you are interested, intelligent, proactive, and that you put a lot of time and thought into work.  It demonstrates many of the characteristics employers are looking for in an employee.

On the day of the interview, make sure that you are early for the interview.  It shows that you are dependable and can manage time.  Also arriving early allows you the time to calm yourself, and run through the answers and specific cases you have prepared to answer their questions. 

One of the most important things to remember during an interview is to remain calm.  Even though you are nervous, try to keep it under control.  You want to look confident and remember to watch your body language.  Unfortunately that can show exactly how you feel inside.  One thing that can also help is remembering that at the end of the day the interviewer will hire who is the best fit, so just be yourself.

Another great idea is taking notes during the interview.  This will show that you are not only interested, but accurate and detail-oriented.  Plus it can also help jog your brain if you are called in for additional interviews.

Even though interviews are stressful, just remember to relax and be yourself.  Prepare as much as you can for the interview beforehand and try to show all of your sparkling traits.  Just remember that you can’t force anyone to hire you so enjoy the process as much as possible even though it sucks.  Everyone suffers through it, but hopefully these tips can help you interview better and secure the job of your dreams.

You get online, search jobs, apply, submit your resume, hit ’send’, and then… and then, well, nobody knows what happens. Unless you’re the creme de la creme, hiring managers don’t call or write. You don’t even know if they got the dang thing. For all you know it goes to some cyber-shredder in the back alleys of cyberspace to become mulch for… something. For all you know, it gets printed up in Albuquerque to become the cheeseburger wrapper for some trucker named Bubba. For all you know, it gets read aloud in some club somewhere for comic relief. There must be a better way.

After those first three steps, your resume has been elevated to the Karate Kid level. It has some skills but is still pretty weak. These next three steps will elevate your resume to the Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris level of job-search butt-kicking.

4. Put your best foot forward. No one ever says, "Put your worst foot forward." Why? Because people tend to remember what came first and forget what came last. The same is true with resumes. Employers will remember more what they read at the top of the page and less of what they read at the bottom.

This means, put your best stuff at the top of the page and let any weak things blend into the stuff near the bottom. For instance, you may have no significant job experience, but you are completing a four-year degree at a prestigious university. In this case, your education section would go at the top, with your work experience, certifications, or interests following.

Conversely, if you’ve had some great work experience but only got your GED, move your work experience section to the very top. It’s a simple concept. You want them to remember what is most outstanding about you. They will remember what went first.

5. Watch your spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting. Nothing can kill a good resume like a typo or bad grammar. You may be absolutely brilliant in your chosen field. You may be totally competent for the job for which you are applying. But if you allow misspellings or bad grammar to stay in your resume, you might as well put on a dunce cap, because that’s the message you’re sending to the recruiter.

I know many people struggle with spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc. When, for instance, should you use a comma or a semicolon? When to capitalize or not capitalize? For people who aren’t crazy about grammar this can be a daunting task. Nevertheless, it is a necessary hoop to jump through to give you the best chance possible.

Fortunately, many books have been written on this subject. At most universities or workforce services offices, resume experts can guide you through this tangled maze. If the stakes are high, you can pay big bucks to get a resume or cover letter guru to spruce up your resume. These are typically used, however, by people moving into highly competitive industries like investment banking or the legal profession. But for average jobs, a friend, co-worker, or classmate should be able to help you out. Which takes me to the last step…

6. Get an editor. Just as Rocky had Mickey, you also must find a coach, a motivator, someone to push you beyond your endurance and hone your resume to its peak performance. This person is your editor.

After working on your resume for hours, you begin to lose perspective. You lose your ability to look at your resume objectively and make improvements. With an editor, however, you have a fresh set of eyes to notice errors and see opportunities for improvement. It’s especially helpful if your editor knows a thing or two about grammar and spelling. With two brains working on your resume, you are much more likely to eliminate any glaring mistakes and to build a resume that will wow employers.

You might be shy about showing your stuff to others. Get over it! Your future employment is at stake here. Bite the bullet, and start showing your resume to your editor.

If you’ve done these things, your resume is now a ripped, agile, job-getting force to be reckoned with. Instead of getting turned down at the door, your resume will show up, kick down the door, and demand an interview. Don’t quit now, though. Just as Rocky could never let up, neither can you. Make keeping your resume in shape a regular habit, and you will always be glad you did.

About the author

Marcus Varner earned his BA in English from Brigham Young University with a Creative Writing emphasis. He is currently in his second year at BYU’s lauded MBA program studying Marketing. He blogs, writes fiction and screenplays, loves movies, and can’t resist playing superheroes with his kids.