How you conduct yourself on an interview can make a critical difference in your career. Use the guidelines presented in "Conducting the Interview" and "Following Up" to enhance your marketability.

Now that you've invested in proper preparation, it's more important than ever to remember the interview basics that will allow you to present yourself in your best possible light. Follow these recommendations for your first interview with a new company:

• Dress conservatively.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Build on your resume.
• Be punctual; scout site.
• Be enthusiastic & direct.
• Focus on achievements.
• Bring extra resumes.
• Ask questions, take notes.
• Thank the interviewers.
• Shake hands firmly.
• Don't discuss money.
• Ask for the position.

In a competitive interview situation, it's often the person with the best follow-up who gets the offer:

• Make sure to compose and send letters to everyone you met as soon as you return from the interview.
• Thank each person for his/her time, reference your conversation specifically, express your interest in the position, and state how you plan to take the next step.

Your Professional Search professional can help. With a quarter century of experience in the industry, we wrote the book on successful interviews.