Interviews

Never walk into an interview cold. You must prepare.
Have a set of stories from your past experiences. Be ready to provide: a time you failed, a time you succeeded, a humorous one, and an especially difficult co-worker story. Just be sure your stories place the blame where it belongs…on you, and how you adjusted yourself, your behavior, your approach, your reaction so that you aren’t caught in that same situation in the future.
Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”, just follow it up with something you do know that is close to the question. For example: What’s the memory limit for SQL Server Standard Edition? “I don’t remember off the top of my head, but I do know that SQL Express Edition is one gig, and with Standard Edition you are limited to two nodes in a failover cluster.” While I technically didn’t answer the question, I showed knowledge about the subject.
If you aren’t sure about an answer, preface your response indicating that fact. “You know, I’m not sure about that, but if I had to guess…”
Try to remember all the things you did not know during the interview. After you get home, look up the answers. Email the hiring manager and thank them for interviewing you. Include the answers to the questions you got wrong or didn’t know. When I interviewed for Mediaroom, they said that this made me stand out among the candidates.
Always, always send a thank you for the interview. Restate your interest in the position and invite them to contact you with any follow up questions. When I interviewed for IBM it was between me and one other candidate. I followed up and they didn’t. Quite literally the hiring manager said, “She followed up. She gets the job.”
Be confident, but not arrogant. Relax, but don’t slouch.
If you don’t normally wear a sports coat or jacket, you will look uncomfortable. Wear your jacket around the house for a few hours so that you get comfortable in it. Same with your shoes. Ladies, if you don’t normally wear high heels, don’t wear them for the interview. Same with skirts. If you rarely wear a skirt, wear slacks to the interview. You’ll be nervous enough without having to try to remember to sit properly and cross your legs and all that. (yes, guys, we don’t come out of the womb knowing how to walk in heels or how to remain modest while getting in and out of the car. That’s why there used to be beauty schools)
But the most important thing: don’t try to be something you aren’t. Be yourself.