Many job interviews are clinched or killed in the personal interview, the time at which you are sized up for qualities that cannot be determined by a performance test or resume. Everything depends on how thoroughly you prepare yourself and how intelligently you go about selling the most important commodity of all — you!

You have three points to try to get across to your prospective employer:

1. Your background and experience are right for the job. Try to gain an understanding of the hardware, software, key applications areas, online systems and databases used by the firm. Get a full picture of their computer installation and be prepared to tie your experience to their environment.
2. You have the kind of personality and intelligence that can make a positive contribution to the company over the long haul or simply for the period which they have requested you for.
3. You are sincerely interested in the job and the company.

This is a dual evaluation-the company is evaluating you during the interview, and you are also evaluating the company at your leisure afterward. However unless you perform your best at the interview, you will not get the option to choose! Did you know that most hiring decisions are made in the first 5 minutes? It's true! That is how important first impressions are. Energy, Enthusiasm, Excitement. You must generate that from the very beginning.

Walk in with a firm step, head high, a smile on your face and a firm handshake, if the interviewer offers his hand. Be aware of your own body language, as well as that of your interviewer. Often it can say things you do not mean. Some tips: keep eye contact during your interview. When you look someone in the eye, focus on them, it is easy to convey the "three E's". Sit up; do not slouch in your chair. Body language can also tell you if the interviewer disagrees with you or does not understand your point. If you sense a problem, stop and discuss it with them. Do not allow negatives to form in their mind. They are harder to dislodge later if you do! Never bad-mouth a previous boss or company. If you do it now, your interviewer may think that you will do it about their company in the future.

You may interview with more than one person. If you do, treat each one as if they were the first person you had seen that day. Often, there is no communication from one person to the next. You must "sell yourself" to each and every decision-maker you see.

Ask in each interview, questions about the position: the company, their outlook on job responsibilities, etc. If you show by your questions you have done research into the company, even better. You should always learn as much about a prospective employer as possible. Read the annual report, brochures, go to the library and research them. Looking like a "go-getter" can only help you, and of course the information will put you in the best position to evaluate the company. When you ask questions about the job and its responsibilities, show how your past experience qualifies you for the position.

Never give a one-word answer! Always say, "Yes, I have done such-and-such"-and then tell where, how and why you did it, and why you were successful. At the same time, if your interviewer asks about a skill you do not have, do not say you do! Turn it into a positive by either assuring that you are a quick study or that other related experience you do have will serve to bridge the gap.