Hey, congratulations! You got a call back. An interview. You and 32 other qualified candidates. A resume, no matter how well crafted and persuasive, rarely gets you the job. That résumé gets you the interview.

And that’s where you get the job. So, there’s life-altering issues on the table for discussion, and that’s why even the best of us think job interviews are as much fun as a tax audit. Nobody likes job interviews. You aren’t alone.

However, it doesn’t have to be like this. With some pre-interview preparation and some simple suggestions, you can shine. More importantly, you can stand out from those other 32 job seekers.

1. Preparation begins the day you know about the interview.

Preparation builds confidence – yours! So get yourself ready and start prepping as soon as you know the interview date.

The better you prepare yourself, the more confident you’ll be. So how do you prepare yourself to ace that interview and land the job? Here’s how.

2. Research the school, university or agency that’s conducting the interview.

The interviewer knows all about you. You sent her your resume and cover letter. She even knows you’re a Libra!

So, gather information about the school, the district, the university, college, country – whatever’s involved in the job. If it’s a school or an agency of any kind, it has a web site. Good place to start.

Do a Google search of the school to see what pops up. Has the school been in the news? Has the district published its budget request yet? What’s the school’s history look like?

If you know the name of the person who’ll be conducting the search, Google his or her name. If they have a pulse, most academic professionals keep profiles on LinkedIn.com, the school site, regional education associations – you can learn a lot about the individual sitting across the desk. This de-mystifies the interviewer. He’s not some big, scary guy. He raises cats!

3. Choose your outfit carefully.

Your best suit – and nothing flashy. Show up in a flaming magenta suit and the interviewer will focus on your clothes, not on what you’re selling – you! Anything that distracts from you – jewelry, hair accessories, shoes, clothes, the tie your kids gave you for your birthday, make-up – anything that draws attention away from what you say is out.

Never wear perfume or after shave. You may love it. It may drive your spouse wild. But if the interviewer doesn’t like it, that’s already a strike against you and you haven’t said a word.

4. Rehearse and prepare examples for your past performance.Go over your resume and the key skills required for the new job. Prepare to provide examples of your past work and accomplishments framed in respect to the key skills that are required in your new job. That’s the reference the interviewer will be using, and often they will prepare ‘behavioural-based’ questions to evaluate your past behavior in terms of the job opportunity to which you are applying. Prepare a list of questions that might come up based on the information contained in your resume and the required skills of the new job. For example, your resume Career Goal may read: “To work with youth-at-risk to create a supportive academic environment.”

You can almost be certain the interviewer is going to ask you to provide some specific examples of how you dealt with youth to support their academic performance. Prepare yourself to do just that. Same with professional activities you’ve listed, experience, education status and so on.

Then, ask yourself each question, get your thoughts in order, maybe create a series of bullet points for each anticipated question and study it. It’s not new information so you don’t have to learn anything. You just have to get ready and rehearse to provide example of your past performance, build a little of that self-confidence. (Hey, I AM good.)

5. Draw up a list of questions for the interviewer.

A job interview shouldn’t be a monologue. Interviewer asks. You respond. That’s NOT a good interview and it’s not how you stand out from the competition.

Prepare a list of questions that focus on the school, the district, etc. DON’T ask: What’s the salary? How many sick days? Start asking these questions and you might as well get up and find the exit. Your questions should be couched in such a way that they elicit a response that, then, allows you to elaborate on your experience. Example:

You: So I see you’ve just opened a resource center for at-risk kids. How’s that work?Design your questions to generate a response that, then, allows you to expand on your expertise and experience. This does two things: (1) it shows you’ve done your research and (2) you highlight your professional strengths, i.e. administration, organization, innovator, team player and so on.

Interviewer: Well, teachers who identify…..etc.

You: Interesting. I began the student center at XYZ school and expanded the services delivered with adding anything to the budget.

6. Get to the vicinity of the interview 60 minutes ahead of schedule, or these days, if it’s an on-ine interview test out your Skype functionality with a friend ahead of time.Use map blast and figure out how to get where you are going ahead of schedule. Find a nice coffee shop, go over your notes and questions and get your mind focused on the interview. Give yourself a chance to relax, take a deep breath and prepare the internal you for a great job interview. Or test out your Skype settings with a friend before you connect to the employer, and still follow all the rules and guidelines in this article as if it were an in person interview.

The last thing you want is to run into the office, sweaty, out-of-breath and frazzled because you had to park 10 blocks away, run to get there and now compose yourself. Cool, calm and focused – take the extra time to build your confidence, not run to avoid being late.

Speaking of which…

7. …not too early, never too late.

Arrive about five minutes before the scheduled interview time. That’s enough time for the interviewer to clear her desk and for you to relax in this new environment. Mentally go over your notes.

Oh, and being late for a job interview? It’s just not done. You might as well wear a “Plague” sign around your neck. If you aren’t there on time for the interview what will the interviewer think about your attention to detail, reliability, professionalism. That’s why you get there an hour ahead of schedule, find a coffee shop and go through last minute preparations.

This way, if you do get caught in a traffic jam, or have to walk 10 blocks, you’ve built in that extra time. Think if it as time for yourself – time to prepare to ace that interview.

8. A firm handshake, eye contact and body language

Each says something about you. A firm (but not too firm) handshake, eye contact, greet the interviewer by name (”Hello, Dr. Smith, it’s a pleasure to meet you…), wait for the interviewer to sit then you quickly follow.

Get comfortable but not too comfortable. If you hunch yourself into a ball, you don’t look confident. If you slouch in the chair, you look “cocky” – too confident. Relax. Don’t sit ramrod straight, but be alert.

Make sure you have a pad and pen to take notes as the interviewer speaks. How embarrassing to have to ask for a pad and pen. Bring them with you. You’re a professional.

The interviewer will cue you when the interview is over. She’ll close your file. He’ll stand up. She’ll reach across the desk to shake hands. Take the cue. You’re done. Again, firm handshake, eye contact, thank the interviewer by name, and head for the exit. That poor lady may have a dozen interviews scheduled that day so don’t waste the interviewers time, i.e., know when to get off stage.

9. Immediately follow up with a thank-you note.

That day. As soon as you get home.

It can be email or handwritten but skip the flowery or funny stationery. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes and send it. This way, your interview is still fresh in the mind of the interviewer when the card arrives.

10. Show patience.

Hiring a new staff member or faculty member takes time. During the interview, ask the interviewer when a decision will be made, but don’t press.

It’s perfectly acceptable to write a letter after two weeks. If you have an email address you can drop the interviewer an email but a letter makes more of an impression. Don’t sound desperate. Just inquire about the status of the job search and ask the recipient(s) if additional information would be helpful in making their decision.

This shows you’re pro-active, helpful, concerned about aiding the search committee and professional. Again, your letter should exude confidence.

There’s no guarantee that following these suggestions will land you the job, but you’ll have a better chance.

So, prepare, research, rehearse, get there early, mentally prepare yourself, be confident (you know you’re good), follow up and hope for the best.

One last point: if you don’t land the job, learn from the experience. Every job interview is a learning experience and with every interview you take, the better you get at taking them, so don’t view it as a waste of time. Don’t view it as a failure on your part. It’s not. You have no idea why the search committee went with someone else. It probably has nothing to do with you.

So, if that first interview doesn’t get the job done (pun intended), start preparing for the next one. You don’t get a job with a well-polished resume.

You get the job when you ace the interview.