Good impressions are what an interview is all about. If you've made it far enough to be granted an interview, you've already succeeded in convincing the company that you have the education and the skills to do the job well. What they want to find out now is what kind of person you are, your ethics, your personality. Are you the kind of person they want to work with everyday? Would they enjoy hanging out with you at the company Christmas party? Will you make them look good or create more work for them? Here are some tips to make sure you make the best impression possible.

Before the Interview

If you can, find other people who currently work at your prospective company or have in the past. What do these people like or dislike about the company? If you can find someone employed in the same department, try and get an insider's view into the atmosphere and day-to-day workings of the office. What are the issues they struggle with? Who last held your position, and why did they leave? Tuck most of this information away to inform your decisions about what to wear, what to bring up during the interview, and what not to bring up. Since this is not first-hand knowledge for you, it qualifies as a rumor, and rumors aren't appropriate interview conversation.

Find someone to practice your interviewing skills with. Set up a mock interview with you as the interviewee and have them throw questions at you so that you can practice fluency and ease in your answers. Tackle the uncomfortable questions, the ones you might have the most difficulty answering. It's better to be prepared, so practice as much as you can before the interview.

Who Are You Interviewing With?

What is this company's history? Who is their target demographic? What is their mission? Are they doing well or struggling to come out of a slump? Come up with a list of questions that will fill in the details of recent events and upcoming issues. If they have a specific problem, suggest an answer to it. If nothing else, this will start a discussion. If you admire something they have recently accomplished, say so and say why it was a good idea, pointing out specifics that would be apparent to someone behind the scenes but not necessarily on the surface. Demonstrate yourself as an asset to their company and your ability to hit the ground running. Genuine interest goes a long way toward impressing you upon them as colleague material.

What Position Are You Interviewing For?

Study the job description carefully. If you are answering an ad, go online once you get the interview or call the human resources office well beforehand and request a copy be sent to you. This is essential. You want to be clear on what it is that they expect you to do so that you know what skills to brush up on and what you'll need to learn in order to do the job efficiently. Have a list of questions prepared about the details of the job. As thorough as job descriptions are, there are always questions to ask.

Be Honest

If you don't possess all of the skills necessary to do the job—for example, you are not proficient on a computer program that they use frequently—then be forthright about it. This doesn't have to be a mark against you. Be sure to emphasize your ability to learn quickly, any classes you may be currently enrolled in that will train you to better handle the job, or another position you held that gave you similar skills that transfer well. Confidence and earnestness speak volumes and beat out competition that may possess the skills but lack these qualities.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Most interviewers will ask you what it is you consider to be your biggest weakness and strength. Prepare for these questions ahead of time and be ready to discuss them intelligently. Don't brag but don't put yourself down either. Bring up traits that have to do with the work. Don't bring up your tendency to drink one too many or your excellent ability to program VCRs. And again, be honest. Making it clear that you have thought this through and are not just tossing out the first thing that comes to mind.

Questions You Don't Have to Answer

There are some things that the interviewer is restricted by law from asking. Under federal law, anything about your gender, race, sexual preference, religion, ethnicity, marital status, or issues involving your children or child care may not be considered by the interviewer. If you feel comfortable answering such questions, by all means go ahead. If you don't, however, there should be no problem with your courteously declining to answer. The interviewer knows the law and should not take offense or be surprised. If you receive one of these reactions, then perhaps this is not the firm for you after all.

Details Are Important

Be on time. Make eye contact and truly listen to what the interviewer is saying. Make sure that you and your clothes are clean and that you don't wear any heavy cologne or perfume. Bring at least two extra copies of your resume (more if this is a group interview with more than one staff member) and anything they asked you to bring, like reference letters or contact information for references or previous employers. Don't look at your watch continually, stare out the window as if you'd rather be somewhere else, or yawn constantly. You are being given the opportunity to demonstrate how you will perform should you be offered the job. Show interest in your future. If you don't, they won't either.

Watch What You Wear

Even if you are interviewing for the position of janitor, you still need to dress nicely. Always dress in nicer clothing for an interview than you will wear to work when you get the job. Men, wear a suit with a tie and a clean, pressed shirt that is neatly tucked in. Wear a belt and dress shoes with dress socks. Shave and clean under your nails. Women, wear pants, a dress, or a suit and comfortable shoes that are classy. A nice blouse, simple jewelry, minimal make-up, and a simple hairstyle. Nothing overtly sexy or revealing. This is not a date. It's an interview.

You Are Interviewing Them, Too

Don't just sit there waiting for your chance to talk or nod constantly as if they could ask you to make daily trips to the moon and you'd do it. You don't want to appear desperate no matter how much you need the job. Remember, they need you as much as you need them because you are the best person for the job. Don't be afraid to ask why it is that this position is open. Toward the end of the interview, when they ask if you have any questions, take the opportunity to find out what the future of the position is, if there is room to grow with the company, what the pay is and the standard for raises. Stand up for yourself. Anyone who doesn't ask how much they'll be making or what the benefits are has questionable instincts and therefore is a questionable candidate for the job.

Get Personal

Try to find something that you have in common with your interviewer to comment upon—young children, marriage, recent vacation. Notice the pictures on their desk, a suntan in the dead of winter, a wedding ring. If they seem rundown or tired, are coughing or sneezing, inquire after their health. If you can't find a direct commonality between you and your interviewer such as having attended the same college or a similar hometown, then be complimentary about something about their appearance or sympathetic to the heavy workload they must be carrying during this interview process. Be real about it though, friendly and not obsequious and certainly not personal beyond the point of appropriateness.

After The Interview

Send a small, classy card that mentions details from the interview like the personal comment or the commonality between the two of you so that the interviewer remembers you when she sees it. Briefly state a couple of your most compelling qualifications, thank them for their time and the interview, and wish them a good day. Be sure that your phone number and email address are at the bottom of the note so that you will be easy to find when they want to tell you that you've got the job.