I’ve been an exempt employee ever since my first job out of college.  For a long time I didn’t really know the details about the labor laws behind exempt vs non-exempt; all I knew is that it meant I wasn’t paid overtime wages for all the late nights and long weekends that I worked.

Once we started a family I became less and less satisfied as a salaried employee, consistently working long hours without overtime pay in the hopes that someday I’d get a promotion.  The late nights at work stopped seeming like a challenge and instead became time away from our new baby and my stressed out wife.

I started searching for a new job and after a relatively short job hunt I was able to find a company that offered a much improved work situation than the one I was in.  I couldn’t belive my ears in the interview when they told me that it was a salaried position but also paid overtime for any hours worked over 40 a week!  At that point I went home and did a little research on the exempt vs non-exempt topic.

Fair Labor Standards Act

The Fair Labor Stanards Acto (FLSA) is a federal law that determines minimum wage and overtime pay guidlines and is enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The FLSA allows employers to exempt employees from certain parts of the Act; for example, minimum wage and overtime pay regulations. This is where the term exempt and non-exempt comes from, certain types of jobs are exempt from some of the rules laid out in the FLSA.

Exempt Employees

So how do companies determine which of their employees can be considered exempt?  Although there was general language describing who is exempt in Section 13 (a)(1) of the FLSA, it wasn’t specific enough for the Department of Labor as they tried to enforce the Act so Congress more provided more detail with 29 CFR Part 541.

The main determining factors for whether you’re exempt has to do with the specific tasks that you do in your job and how those full under 29 CFR Part 541.  They also look at whether you’re hourly or salaried and the level of your salary for the work you do.  The typical exemptions have become known as “white collar” exemptions and cover people in these roles:

• Executive
• Administrative
• Professional
• Computer Employees
• Outside Sales

Clear as mud, right? I guess that’s why corporations pay human resources specialists the big bucks to interpret the laws around FLSA and determine who is exempt. There is an additional exemption for “highly compensated” employees who are paid at least $100,000 a year.  I guess they figured if you earning that much then you don’t need to be paid overtime : )

Benefit of Being Exempt

One of the benefits of being an exempt employee is that your company is supposed to pay your salary even if they don’t have work for you to do:

“If the employee is ready, willing and ble to work, deductions may not be made for time when work is not available.” -  Salary Basis

I’m not familiar with all the labor laws but if weeks went by and my employer didn’t have any work for me then I’d start worrying that my job might get cut. However, for cases where you’re in between projects or clients and don’t have much to do for a week, if you’re an exempt employee then you still get paid your agreed upon salary.

Non Exempt Employees

So who are non-exempt employees?  The simplest answer is obviously anyone who doesn’t qualify for exemption under the terms described in the previous section.

Most of the time, jobs for non-exempt employees are hourly positions and typically follow a routine, with set standards and rules.  If you’re a non-exempt employee then you should be paid overtime, which is generally one and one-half the your regular pay rate for all hours worked over 40 in a week.  State law takes precedence over the federal law if it benefits the employee, so be sure to check your state employment laws to see what overtime rates should be.

Hybrid Employee

As I mentioned earlier, in my current job I’m classified as an exempt employee. However, the human resources department actually created a type of hybrid situation where my job title was also eligible for overtime pay.

It turns out I wasn’t required to work the late nights and long weekends necessary in my old job so I didn’t see any increase in pay from this policy when I started with the company.  This was fine with me because my whole point in quitting my job and getting a new one was to spend more time with my family.

Just last week, I found out that human resources had done a study of other companies and job titles in our industry and determined that making my group eligible for overtime pay wasn’t necessary. So the policy will be be changing in the future and I’ll no longer be a hybrid, exempt employee that gets paid overtime.  However, it’s something to keep in mind as you look for jobs.  It may not be widespread but there could be other jobs out there where you can have your cake (salaried employee) and eat it too (get paid overtime if you work more than 40 hours a week).

Hopefully this look at exempt vs non-exempt employees has been useful and I hope that no matter your job classification you don’t have to work overtime!

Have you ever been asked to refer a friend for a job where you know nothing about their industry but want to help them out?

Referring a Friend (Blind)

Our neighbor recently applied online for a job at the company I work for but the job is in a different department working in an area that I really know nothing about.  He called me up and asked if I could put in a good word for him at work.  He’s been applying to several jobs lately and due to the flood of applicants the bad economy had dumped on the job market, he’s found it’s much easier to get an interview if someone in the company will put in a good word for you.

I asked him a few questions about his background just to get a rough idea of what his experience level was but still felt pretty shaky about it since I’m not familiar with his field or work ethic.  Just because someone’s a great person and you enjoy hanging out with them while your kids play doesn’t mean you know whether they do a quality job in their profession.

Google + Social Media = 2 Minute Resume

I wasn’t sure the best way to help him out BUT not look bad to my company by recommending someone I didn’t really know much about professionally.  I ended up researching him a bit on Google and finding his LinkedIn profile which gave me some good stuff to work with.

On top of not knowing much about his career, I didn’t even know who in my company would be hiring for a job like his.  I asked my boss, who wasn’t really sure but gave me the name of someone in that department.  I went through Outlook and looked at the groups that person belonged to and found two people that appeared to be the appropriate contacts.  I sent them both the email below, turns out they weren’t the right resources but one of them forwarded me onto just the person I was looking for:

Names & profession changed to protect the innocent. It wasn’t Chris Brogan but I knew he had a public Linked in profile I could use as an example.

<—-

Hi Cindy and Sharon,

I saw you were both part of the Outlook ACME Recruiters group, I hope you don’t mind me asking questions about the Software III position in New York City that was just posted under the Current Open Positions.

My next door neighbor, Chris Brogan, applied online yesterday for the Software III position and I wanted to see if there was any further information I could pass onto him about what types of things you are looking for in a candidate.

I’ve never worked with him professionally but our kids play together and through various conversations I’ve learned that he’s done a good job at the software company where he’s worked for over a decade, ABC Tech.  I checked out his LinkedIn profile after talking to him last night, http://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbrogan, and he moved up from a Software Engineer to a Software Team Lead and then Systems Manager so it sounds like he knows the industry well.

Is there any additional info I could pass onto Chris about what ACME needs from the person who will fill the position or about how the interview process works?

—->

The recruiter called him up the next day and he has an interview scheduled so the ball’s in his court now.  I sure was glad to find a bunch of info about his experience and skills on LinkedIn.  It made it much easier for me to feel comfortable referring him and to put some substance in the email other than, “my neighbor is cool, please interview him”.

What do you think of the email I came up with? Have you had good/bad experiences referring friends?  What has worked best for you (and them)?

If you’re trying to move up the career ladder, is it best to quit your job and get a new job with a new company or try and get a promotion where you work today?

A reader namd Tom left the comment below on the article about getting the promotion you deserve:

“I think this is a good article but wanted to add some experience to the table.  Me and my friend who have the same competency and work ethics graduated school at the same time.  He worked at the same company for 5 years and got promoted once; from a Tech I to a Tech II. 

 

I actually started working in the field about 2 years later than my friend did.  In 3 years I went from a Tech I (first job 6months), became a Tech II at my second job (1.5 year job), started as a Tech III and was promoted to a Engineer because my new job didn’t want to see me leave. 

 

Within 3 years of job hoping, I had moved twice as far as my friend did who worked for 5 years of dedication to one company.  To the day our competency in the field is the same.  So I’m opinion on the matter is that’s it twice as easy to get promoted by finding a higher level job than it is to get promoted in a company that already has you.  I believe it’s because companies won’t give anymore than they have to and if they know you’ll stay you’ll never get promoted.”

Tom’s experience is that you can move up the career ladder faster if you move from company to company.  I do know people that have landed pretty high profile jobs in their industry by frequently moving from company to company, always moving up in the responsibility and pay grade for each job.

On the other hand, I have a former co-worker that got a a big title by sticking with the same company.  When I first started working, she was a manager in the group I was part of.  It was a new product with a lot of growth potential in the company and the industry.  She grew along with the group and ended up landing a role with a lot of responsibility and a big fat paycheck. 

That type of position in the company was typically filled by someone who had worked there at least 10 years longer than she had.  So you could argue that she was able to get farther, faster by staying with one company and getting a huge promotion 10 years early.

I guess it really depends on your situation. Factors like what company you work for, what industry you’re in, and what skills you have all factor into which strategy is best for your career.  What have you found to be the best for you?  What strategies have worked, or failed, in your career?

Making more money in your job typically means making yourself more valuable to your company or finding a job that will pay you more money for your skills and knowledge.

Of course making more money isn’t just about the size of your paycheck you also have to consider your benefits and how they fit into your overall financial situation.  Not only that, you want to keep more of the money you make.  Here are nine tips from the Financial Planning Association to help you make more money this year and keep more of what you earn.

Research Career Changes

If you’re planning to stay in your field or make a complete change, one of the most detailed yet neutral resources for investigating career fields and their salary and hiring forecasts is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.

This extensive online resource not only lists major career groups, but the leading occupations in it, educational requirement, and most important, salary data. If you haven’t been in the job market for a while, this kind of research is a good way to reset your knowledge of your industry and whether its hiring prospects are bright.

Go Back to School

Going back to college – even community college – can be a major investment. If you’re going to have to finance your education yourself, it’s necessary to have a plan and knowledge of federal, state and local loans, grants and scholarship programs.

The Obama Administration has streamlined the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and increased Pell Grants by $500 to $5,350 for 2009-2010 and created the American Opportunity Tax Credit, a new $2,500 tax credit for four years of college tuition. Additional information on Federal Student Aid and Tax Credits is available at on the IRS website. It is important to understand the eligibility criteria and limits associated with each program.

Get Financial Advice

If you want a new job, to head back to school or plan to take a year off, it makes sense to get tax and financial advice. A financial planning professional can help you evaluate your current benefits package and retirement savings or talk through what you should be looking for at your next job if you’re unemployed.

Invest in New Equipment

We’re not talking about machine tools here. Whatever your job or interest, there’s usually equipment to support it. For example, if you’re planning to learn new skills that involve a computer or software, now may be the time to invest in those items. Think about how this equipment will boost your productivity and the time it will take to earn back what you paid. If the numbers work, go for it.

Network

It’s important to get face-to-face with people in the field. You don’t want to do a job search on your employer’s time, but if you can get away at lunch or after work to attend networking functions, it’s worth your time for two reasons. First, you might meet your next boss there. Second, simply by talking and getting to know people already doing the job you want, you’ll get a ground-level view of whether the industry is for you and which employers are the most popular. You’ll also get an idea of which companies to avoid.

Maximize Flexible Spending

If you are up for a salary review soon, it might make sense to hold off on interviews until you have a better idea of what you’re worth in the marketplace. Also, since some companies allow you to spend your flexible spending balances until March of the following year, use up any money in your flexible benefits accounts for medical appointments, glasses or dental work before you leave.

Maximize Take-Home Pay

This is where a call to your tax or financial planner comes in handy. Some fringe benefits may be taxable, which means your real take-home pay might be less than you expected. To the extent that you get to negotiate your benefits on your way into a job, do it in a tax-smart way.

401(k) Planning

You may not want to make any moves for awhile, but it’s good to talk with a financial planner about whether you’ll be moving that money to private accounts. Also, make sure you know when you can enroll in the company 401(k) and other retirement offerings at your new employer.

Secure Your Insurance

You might wait a few months to a year for new health coverage to kick in at a new job. You might need to buy private insurance until then or go onto a spouse’s health plan in the meantime. Also, consider separate disability coverage if you’ve not done so – company coverage goes only so far, and if you are laid off or leave to start a business, you should have coverage of your own that you should buy while you’re still earning a salary.

Lose Some Weight

Even if health reform makes it easier for people to become insured with preexisting conditions, increasingly insurers are taking a dim view of obesity and will still tie the cost of health insurance and other policies to your weight and overall health quality. Being healthy can help you keep more of the money you make!

Job hunting can be a lot of work and quite stressful.  Finding a good job isn’t easy, there are many different factors to consider when picking the best job for you and your family. Here are some job hunting tips to consider when going through a career change or even just changing jobs within your industry.

Research and networking: Researching the latest trends, pay and job prospects are important to any job move, but it’s just as important to get face-to-face with people in the field. You don’t want to do a job search on your employer’s time, but if you can get away at lunch or after work to attend networking functions, it’s worth your time for two reasons.

First, you might meet your next boss there. Second, simply by talking and getting to know people already doing the job you want, you’ll get a ground-level view of whether the industry is for you and which employers are the most desirable. You’ll also get an idea of companies to avoid.

Weigh the pay/potential balance: With each job move, we naturally want better pay and benefits. That’s common sense. But as you weigh benefits – sometimes companies feature overviews of their benefits packages on their websites – weigh on-the-job opportunities as well. Here’s the job comparison tool that I’ve used.

A hot, new company with great prospects may not pay or offer the same benefits as a mature employer, but the chance to gain unique experience and responsibility faster might make you a more attractive candidate in a year or two.

Consider timing issues at your current employer: If you are up for a salary review soon, it might make sense to have a better idea of what you’re worth in the marketplace. Also, as the end of the year is coming, you might want to use up any money in your flexible benefits accounts for medical appointments, glasses or dental work before you leave. 

Plan to maximize your take-home pay at the next job: This is where a call to your tax or financial planner comes in handy. Some fringe benefits may be taxable, which means your real take-home pay might be less than you expected. To the extent that you get to negotiate your benefits on your way into a job, do it in a tax-smart way.

Plan a request for a written offer from your next employer: Not only should pay, vacation time and other key benefit issues be in writing from a prospective employer, it’s wise to have them list performance evaluation criteria with relevant bonus information.

Decide what you’ll be doing with your 401(k) and other retirement funds: You may not want to make any moves for awhile, but it’s good to talk with a financial planner about whether you’ll be moving that money to private accounts. Also, make sure you know when you can enroll in the company 401(k) and other retirement offerings at your new employer.

Secure your health insurance: You might wait a few months to a year for new health coverage to kick in at a new job.  You might need to buy private insurance until then or go onto a spouse’s health plan in the meantime.

Don’t stop networking:  Even once you’ve taken a new job or decided to stay where you are, don’t stop building your network. Networking keeps you open to new opportunities and helps you value yourself when it’s time to ask for your next raise.

These job hunting tips were produced in association with the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the leadership and advocacy organization connecting those who provide, support and benefit from professional financial planning.

Career planning may be the only thing between you and total insanity! Take my word for it, planning your career can help you find a new job that you’ll enjoy more than the one you have now. 

Career planning can help you get a better job that pays more, teaches you new skills, requires you to work fewer hours… whatever it is that will make you happier in life.

Career Satisfaction, Zero

I was unhappy in my old job for quite a long time but didn’t spend much time on career planning or career development.  I was SUPER busy at work, then I’d come home to spend time with family, work on Money Smart Life until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, and then crash for the night.

My wife pleaded with me to get a new job.  I was always stressed out and unhappy but for some reason I couldn’t seem to get “unstuck” and look for a new job.

What I probably really needed was some career counseling or career advice from someone who had been in a similar position before. I must not have been looking hard enough because I never did find a career coach to work with.

Quitting My Job, Kind Of

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the day I knew I was going to quit my job. The morning started with the typical daily frustrations but with each miserable meeting my soul protested more and more violently. Full to the brim of misery I entered an unused office with two of my co-workers to join a conference call for one of my “favorite” projects.

I can still see the look of confusion on my team member’s face when the client dropped a major bombshell on us.  The look slowly contorted to one of horror as she realized the implications of the changes and how much work it would require in a short amount of time.  I felt exactly the way her face looked and at that moment decided that I’d had ENOUGH. I could see from past experience exactly how this was going to play out and how my team was going to get screwed over yet again. I realized that I didn’t have to take it anymore and that my life was going to change.

The rest of the day was pretty much a blur, I had been unstuck. My mind was now focused on the next step, whatever that would be.  I didn’t end up quitting my job until several months later but that day finally kicked me into action and into some major career planning.

Career Planning, Blog Style

I still wish that I would have found a career coach to work with because I think it would have made the process easier.  However, I didn’t have one so I spent a lot of time in self-reflection and writing down some of my career planning steps here on the site. Following is a view of my career planning journey from searching for answers, to giving my two weeks notice, to learning from my co-workers.

Career Planning

• Quit Your Job Or Keep Your Job – How to Decide When a New Job’s Right for You
• Make Morey Money & Be Happy in Your Job Using a Work Portfolio
• Would You Take a Better Job for a Lower Salary?
• How to Make Your Job Better or Find a Better Job

Quitting Your Job

• Two Weeks Notice – The Art of Quitting Your Job Gracefully
• How Quitting Your Job Can Make You a Better Employee

Co-Worker Feedback

• Career Advice to Help You Get Ahead & Feel Good About It
• Career Tips from Co-Workers Show Room for Improvement

Career Planning Saved My Life

It’s been a year now since I’ve switched jobs and I’m amazingly happy. Career planning didn’t literally save my life but so far it’s saved me a whole year of being miserable. 

A year during which we watched our 2 year old toddler turn into a 3 year old little boy.  A year when my expecting wife had our sweet baby girl.  It’s been a spectacular year that I’ve been able to enjoy, thanks in large part to some focused career planning.

Job layoffs are sometimes sudden but other times you may suspect they’re on their way.  One of our friends is going through a corporate merger and he thinks there’s a chance he might lose his job.  It could be several months by the time the merger is approved and the company executives start making decisions about who to let go.  Here are some things he and other’s in his same position can do to prepare for a layoff.

Start or Build Your Emergency Fund

Unemployment insurance won’t even come close to meeting your cash needs when you’re out of a job.  Start slashing your spending and funnel that extra cash into an emergency fund that won’t be touched for anything but essentials – housing payments, food and insurance expenses.

Get a headstart on building an amount equal to 3-6 months of those expenses as soon as you can, first by cutting your basic spending and then possibly by paying the minimums on debt purchases until you get that fund in good shape.  If you’ve still got your job after you hit your emergency fund target, then keep your tight spending in force and go back to attacking any debt that you have more forcefully.

Get Legal Advice

It might not be a bad idea to invest in the services of a workplace attorney to make sure you know what to ask for in an exit package. Always ask if you can build unused vacation and sick days into a package and see what you can do about extending health benefits before you start having to pick up the cost via COBRA.

COBRA refers to the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, which gives workers and their families who lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue them under their group plan for a limited time.
 
Research Health Coverage

The recently passed federal stimulus package provides 65 percent subsidy for COBRA premiums for up to 9 months, which is good news because COBRA can be very expensive.

In any event, it makes sense to research individual, high-deductible coverage that might be an affordable alternative to staying on your employer’s health plan while you’re looking for your next job. Many quality carriers offer enrollment online, but ask around and see if friends or associates know good agents who can find coverage that fits you so you’ll be prepared if you need it.

Get Personal Disability Coverage

Disability coverage offered through your workplace may barely cover you if you are disabled while working, but once your job is gone, there goes your coverage. It’s always a good idea for individuals to have some personal disability coverage of your own, and you should buy it while you’re employed because you need to prove income before you can get the maximum coverage based on your current income. No job, no income, so do it now.

Understand Your Unemployment Benefits

Generally, it’s a good idea to file immediately for unemployment benefits, even if you’re getting severance. Check on these provisions as soon as you can.

Also remember that the federal stimulus plan applies here as well. Benefits will increase by $25 per week for some 20 million jobless workers, while the first $2,400 they receive in benefits will be exempt from federal taxes. Also, if you get a job before your severance or unemployment runs out, use those funds to top off your emergency fund and then attack debt so you’re in a good position to weather any future storms.

Utilize Free Job Advice & Assistance

If your employer is providing office space, resume-writing assistance or any other benefits to help you transition to your next job, by all means, take advantage of them. It’s particularly smart to get advice with resume writing because as industries change, the type of experience that hiring executives want to see on resumes changes as well.

Network

Make sure you’ve identified key professional groups both locally or nationally that will allow you to meet colleagues and hiring executives in your industry or the industry you hope to work in next.  And plan to do little things that keep you in touch with potential employers – make sure your cell phone, e-mail and voicemail are always working, and make sure you have resumes, cover letters and an interview outfit always at the ready in case you have a sudden opportunity to interview.

This post on preparing for a layoff is produced in association with the Financial Planning Association (FPA), the leadership and advocacy organization connecting those who provide, support and benefit from professional financial planning.

Your emergency fund is your best friend if you lose your job in this bad economy.  We’ve had an emergency fund in an online savings account ever since we joined the work force and last week was the first time I thought I might have to use it.

Losing my Job?

One afternoon last week a co-worker mentioned that the product I was hired to work on was being phased out.  I stopped by my boss’s desk to find out whether I’d still have a job but he was gone for the day so I spent the evening thinking about being laid off and what it would mean for my family.

My initial reaction was a mild case of panic, we’re having a baby pretty soon, what would I do without a paycheck and health insurance!  As I drove home I started walking through the details of how to prepare for a layoff financially in my head and the closer I got to home, the better I felt.

Emergency Fund

We have over six months of living expenses in online savings accounts, some with ING Direct and some with FNBO Direct. Our emergency fund is the single biggest reason I remained so calm when faced with the possibility of losing my job.

We actually have more than 6 months of worth of expenses saved up but Murphy’s Law makes me worry our expenses might actually increase for unforseen reasons if I was unemployed. So I figure I’d have about 6 months of no income before we ran out of money.

Health Insurance

I would qualify for COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which would allow me to buy insurance coverage from my former company for 18 months if I was let go.  Of course I’d have to pay the full premiums myself but with a baby on the way it would certainly be worth the money.

Job Market

I spent several months last fall networking and job searching so my paper and online resume are up to date.  I’m fortunate to be in a good career for a recession, there always seems to be demand for computer programmers.  Even if I couldn’t find full time work I could get a freelance job here and there to help us get by.

Job Security

I went into work the next morning after thinking about losing my job all night and had a meeting with my manager and his boss. It turns out everything should be okay, they are phasing out my product but they have a lot more work to do in other areas.  It may actually end up being a good change, I’ll be learning a whole new programming language and set of technologies, which will make it easier for me to find a job in the future if I ever do get laid off.

Start an Emergency Fund

Even though everything turned out okay (for now), I’ve never been more glad to have an emergency fund than I was that night.  With the security net of 6 months living expenses, the possibility of losing my job seemed a managable crisis.  So, if you don’t have an emergency fund, I’d highly recommend starting one this week.  You may not have much to contribute but start putting some money away now and over time it will add up.

You can open a separate emergency fund account online tonight, with a online bank like FNBO Direct.  It’s easy to do, you can create and fund your account without having to leave your house.  Then setup direct deposit and start putting away some money every pay period.  You won’t regret it : )

Company layoffs at big corporations like Ford, Dell, and IBM are making the news these days but as many of you are aware the bad economy is affecting companies both big and small. With so much stress building around the country over the fear of losing jobs we decided to take a look at some career moves you can make to help prepare for a potential job loss and find a job if you are laid off.

The first thing we talked about was how building your personal brand can make it easier to get a job.

“The goal of personal branding is to communicate your experience and build trust in your abilities and expertise so that when a hiring manager has to make a decision of which candidate to choose, you’re the obvious choice”

We followed up by reviewing some of the technologies available to help you build an online resume and find job referrals based on your expertise.

There are times when your current job or industry isn’t the best place for you to be working so the next topic talked about how you can get a degree or get additional education such as certifications or licenses to make you more competitive in the job search.

When you’re in between jobs and still need to make money, you can always try out a freelance job, we cover places you can go to find freelancing work. Last but not least, check out this post on how to prepare for a layoff financially.

Job interview stressing you out? Job interviews can be daunting for even the most confident applicant but interviews can be manageable and even enjoyable if you are well prepared.  Today we’ll look at ten job interview tips that can help you get your next job.

Your online resume and job skills helped you get the interview, now it’s time to make your case in person. If you have a big interview coming up, it’s time to stop fretting and start prepping; these interview tips might help:

Do your research.
You need to be prepared to demonstrate that you have solid knowledge of the company, its business and its challenges. Check out their website, and study all of their press releases and what they seek to accomplish as a business. Chances are you will be asked the important question, “Why do you want to work for our company?” or “What do you know about our business?” Failing to show that you have done your research will tell your interviewer you didn’t care enough to take the time to prepare.

Shut up and listen!
While you will be anxious to tell the interviewer all about your professional career, don’t be so chatty that you miss important signals and messages from the other person. You’ll need to present your story in the context of what the interviewer is looking for. Listen for clues and adjust.

Remember what’s in your resume and cover letter.
Re-read your resume before you go to your interview and be able to talk intelligently about anything and everything included. You want to sound sharp if the interviewer brings up something in your resume.

Know how your qualifications relate to the company’s needs.
It is not enough to just be prepared to talk about your skills and qualifications. You need to relate your skills to the company’s needs. Examine the job description before the interview. Then identify the skills needed for the job and think of how your qualifications relate to those skills.

Don’t forget to prepare for telephone prescreen interviews.
When I was searching for jobs, I had about three phone interviews that caught me off guard. It’s a double-edged sword, because I didn’t feel prepared, but I also didn’t want to lose the opportunity when an employer called me. Prepare in advance for phone interviews just as much as you would any other interview opportunity. Many companies are now conducting phone interviews before they grant an in-person interview as a method of whittling down their pool of candidates to save time.

Practice.
The best way to be prepared for an interview once you have done your research is practice. Think about potential interview questions such as “Tell me about yourself,” “Why are you leaving your current employer?” and “Why should we hire you?” You should also be prepared for behavioral questions, such as “Tell me about a time when you had a problem at work and came up with a way to solve it.” Practicing with your significant other is always a good way to prepare for interviews.

Save the salary talk for later.
Discussing money is always tricky, and it is best to save the talk about salary for later, once you have received an offer.

Have a list of questions for the interviewer.
Almost every interview will end with this question: “So, do you have any questions for us?” Be sure to develop a list of questions to ask before you go to the interview. Do not ask questions that are clearly answered on the employer’s Web site and/or in any literature provided by the employer to you in advance. Instead, ask specific questions like “What is the organization’s plan for the next five years, and how does this department fit in?” or “Could you explain your organizational structure?”

Be confident.
If you are in for an interview, the company has seen something in you that is attractive. Now you just need to believe in yourself and let your talents shine. Balance confidence with being too cocky. Don’t come across as a know-it-all.

Follow up.
Your best-laid interview plans will go to waste if you neglect to follow up with your interviews. Send a thank-you letter immediately after your interview that reiterates positive characteristics about yourself and, if possible, refers to some part of your conversation. E-mail is a little less personal, but it’s the most common way to shoot a thank you to the hiring manager, because it is the quickest and easiest way to do it. Check out my article about the importance of following up with people.

Job interviews can be stressful but if you prepare for them you can really make yourself stand out from the other candidates. Don’t forget, your resume got you in the door, but your interview skills will likely land you the job.