The first five minutes of your interview is the most important. The interviewer has already noted critical aspects of your background like dress, grooming, handshake, eye contact, articulation, and most importantly your personality. Your GPA, course work, and experience are what got you to the interview, but these other factors are what will bring you to the next level.

Write your resume in your own words. It may be challenging - especially if writing ranks among your least favored activities - but if you write your own resume and don't hand it off to someone else you'll be able to be sharp in your interview.

Put your best foot forward. People remember what they see first and last, so place your least important information in the middle. Have an objective or a key word summary or both in the beginning of your resume and end your document with strong content - such as your educational background.

Tell war stories. Make a list of all the work or volunteer experiences you have had that support your candidacy for the job. Select the best ones and write them so that they show what Problems you've solved, Actions you've taken to do this, and the bottom line Results you've achieved

Enter into a state of relaxed concentration. This is the state from which great tennis players or basketball players or Olympic skaters operate. You'll focus on the present moment and will be less apt to experience lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.