By Judit Price, MS, CDFI, IJCTC, CCM, CPRW

I communicate with many employment professionals, recruiters and hiring managers who discuss their encounters with prospective employees.  I want to let you know that Interviewers understand the pressures candidates face and are sympathetic.  Nevertheless they have a job to do.  So much depends on the so-called “soft factors” to complement the specific experience and accomplishment and it is these soft factors that can be the deal breaker.

Job seekers must understand no matter how good they consider themselves; candidates must take on a new or enhanced set of skills.  As an interviewee, you must acquire those interviewing communication skills that will set you apart and create a comfort zone with the interviewer that this person is the right person for the job.  The interviewer can only see what the candidate reveals.  That means you have to respond to what they want to see.  If you get that interview and position yourself as someone who has a record of accomplishment in the specific areas sought, and position yourself as well qualified with the human characteristics they value, you become a very viable candidate.

Since a candidate gets only one chance to make a good first impression, careful preparation must precede every interview.  Preparation generally means you can ace the five golden rules:

1. Know the company with which you are interviewing
2. Know the job requirements
3. Know how your skills, experience and accomplishments fit the job requirements
4. Know why you are uniquely qualified to fill the position
5. Know why this firm has unique qualities, values or culture that make it a good fit for you.

Assuming you have all the necessary technical and experience qualification, there still remains the personal impression that is formed in the interviewers mind based on the interview.  If there is doubt, chances diminish dramatically.  Therefore, answers must be clear and crisp and as confident as possible.  But what else should you do?

» Read more: Interviews: Some tips from recruiters and hiring managers