What should I do to prepare for a job interview?

1) Research the company. If they are a big company, read through their recent press releases to see what they've been up to. Read their recent financial statements, which should be available in their "Investor Relations" section, to get an idea of how they're doing financially. If you can, find a website that covers that company industry and look for recent articles that mention the company and its products. If you're up-to-date on the company, it will show in the interview that you are truly interested in the company.

2) Think hard about the job requirements. For each of the requirements, try to come up with at least one example from your past that qualifies you for that requirement.

3) Try to prepare answers for common interview questions, like:

- What are your best qualities?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Name a mistake you made in the past and how you handled it
- Name a crisis that came up, and how you handled it
- Describe a project or job that shows your ability to work on a team
- What was the biggest contribution you made at each job
- Pick 5 words to describe yourself (typical dumb HR question)
- Why are you leaving your current job

4) Try to come up with suggestions on what you would do to improve the company's product to show that you've put real thought into the position.

I'm sure there are more, but these will get you through the majority of interviews.

Preparing for a job interview involves mental preparation, emotional preparation, physical preparation, and research. The website www.careego.com explains in detail how to prepare so that you'll stand out during an interview - http://www.careego.com/CareerResources/Interviewing/InterviewPreparationandPresentation/tabid/130/language/en-CA/Default.aspx

Make sure you leave plenty of time to get there, especially if you are unfamiliar with the area or if there will be heavy traffic. At the same time, it is not good to be too early, so it is better to wait in the car if you find you have too much time.

Appearance is incredibly important. Find out what the company dress code is, and put some time into figuring out an appropriate outfit. Studies have shown that wearing certain colors can create a good or bad impression. Plain colors such as black, navy blue or gray are usually best. It is thought that gray signifies intelligence.