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For many people, being nervous is a natural and unavoidable part of the interview process. Instead of fighting your feelings of worry and woe, remember to breathe deeply and smile. By just doing these two things your body will send signals to your brain to relax, allowing you to focus on the interview at hand, not the feeling in your stomach. Preparation can also help calm nerves. Learn as much about a potential employer as possible before the interview. A business information site like Manta.com can provide you with a plethora of facts for free.

The last thing you want on your resume is an error, or worse, multiple errors. Use spell check, of course, but also make it a point to go through your resume word by word to ensure that it is consistent, accurate and free of unusual or unnecessary punctuation and capitalization. Once you’re certain that your resume is fault-free, look it over again. Once you’ve done that, give it to your most trusted and honest colleague or friend to review. Try to pick someone with a strong attention to detail, or someone who you know is a good writer. Ask for their honest feedback. See if they have suggestions. Be open to their input and seek additional opinions if you have the time and resources.

Steer clear of any irrelevant points or anything that may instill a tone of negativity on your resume. If you suspect that your age could somehow be a disadvantage, then don’t include year of graduation. Similarly, you need not include personal information such as gender, height, etc. If you possess skills that aren’t related in any way to the job you are applying for, leave those off as well. Try to highlight your most relevant skills in a way that meets an employers needs. To find out more about a particular company, try using a business information site like Manta.com.

Instead of worrying about what could go wrong in your interview, project an image of success. Find a friend to help you prepare and have them “interview” you with questions that your actual interviewer may ask. If you can’t find someone to “interview you” then practice in front of a mirror. You’ll be amazed what you notice about your physical/facial responses to questions.

The internet is a virtual goldmine of free tools and websites that can help you successfully research your potential employer. Sites like Manta provide in-depth and detailed reports for free (only a quick registration is required). In addition, they provide premium reports (for a fee) for the truly information-hungry. Search engines can also be a great tool — especially if you’re having trouble finding a particular company’s website. You can also try a “blog search” (like Google’s) to see what others have to say about the company in question.

Many job seekers make the mistake of trying to cram every single job-related detail onto a one-page resume by using single spacing and a size seven font, while others take a “less is more” approach and attempt to sandwich a meager skill set between two oceans of white space. You can do better than this. Use two pages if you have extensive, relevant experience or one page if you have less than 10 years of experience. And even if you are new to the employment world, you undoubtedly have skills and knowledge galore to highlight. Use a readable font and font size (no smaller than a size 10) to make sure your resume is as easy as possible for employers to read.

Maybe you’re new to the interviewing scene. Maybe you’re a seasoned veteran. Either way, it is imperative to look clean and well-put-together for your interview. Make sure that your clothes are clean, pressed, and lacking any distracting additions (such as a loose thread, a missing button, etc.). You want your clothing to project a professional appearance. If you’d wear it out to the club on Friday night, it’s not want you want to be wearing to your interview. Women should avoid overpowering fragrances, extremely extravagant jewelry, too much makeup or anything else that draws the interviewer’s attention away from your professional accomplishments.

You’ll have a better chance of landing the job of your dreams if you can find a way to show the employer specifically how you can help them achieve their goals. Of course, in order to do this you need to go beyond just knowing a company’s general statistics – you need to know their strengths, and perhaps more importantly, their weaknesses. Delving into a company website can usually give you an indication on where they feel their strengths lie, and referring to a site like Manta can give you the detailed information that the employer’s website may not. Ideally, however, the best information about the needs of the company comes from someone who already works there. If you don’t already know an employee, brush up on those networking skills and find one!

While you don’t want to answer your interviewer with simple “yes” or “no” answers, be careful that you aren’t going into too much detail. Be prepared to give examples without rambling on and on about yourself. Make sure to highlight your accomplishments but make sure what you are saying is relevant to the interview. A general rule of thumb: you should be speaking about one-third of the time. Remember that a good interview has a give-and-take feel to it; make sure that you give the interviewer the opportunity to answer any questions that you may have.

Make sure that your resume and cover letter contact information is up-to-date and easy to find. Include an email address that sounds professional and is checked regularly as well as a phone number that an employer can use to record a message if needed. Use a permanent address and phone number (include the area code) and avoid using nicknames or excessive abbreviation.