What to say? What to do? Here's advice to ace your interview!

 A lot of people find interviews very intimidating. It can be nerve wracking to be face to face to someone and answer questions that can either make or break you. Have no fear! Here are some tips that will surely help you to be confident about your next interview.

•  First and foremost- BE ON TIME FOR YOUR INTERVIEW! This is very important! Your first impression is everything to the hiring manager and he/she won't be too pleased to be waiting for you; especially if they have other people scheduled to interview that same day. Remember this: to be on time is to be late, but to be a little early is to be on time. For example, if your interview is scheduled for 1:00 p.m, don't arrive at 1:00 p.m on the dot. Arrive at least 15 minutes earlier to get yourself together, go over your resume, and familiarize yourself with the place if possible.

• BE PLEASANT. That doesn't mean to have a big ole grin on your face, but don't look as if you sucked on a lemon.

• RESEARCH the company, position, and head manager or whoever else is the top boss of the location. You should know as much about the job and position as possible. You might even gain some points with the person interviewing you if you drop some tidbits of info here and there in your conversation. It shows them that you took your time to look into the company and that you care about the job.

• DRESS FOR SUCCESS. Don't wear a crumpled T-shirt and jeans but also don't go in a sparkling gown or tuxedo. When in doubt dress business casual.

• REVIEW common interview questions and prepare your responses. If you're asked "Why do you want this job?", its not such a wise idea to say that you're broke and this was the only job which didn't require too much work. Being honest is nice, but being that honest can be a disaster.  Make your answers personal, but not too personal.

• BE AWARE of your body language. Look engaged and interested. Sit up straight, don't cross or fold your arms, and try not to fidget. hold your head up, hold eye contact and actively listen.

• LAST but not least, be sure to thank the interviewer for their time. Being gracious may give you a boost and it's the polite thing to do. 

-Naomi Ricketts