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" Fight the Panic! You&amp;#039;ve nabbed the elusive interview. Now what? We asked career coach Nicole Williams, author of Earn What You&amp;#039;re Worth, how to close the deal. MC: How do I mentally gear up for an interview - other than blasting the 8 Mile soundtrack? NW: I&amp;#039;m always surprised by how many people give up before they enter the room. They buy into the hype - that there are so many more qualified applicants, that no one&amp;#039;s hiring - and assume they&amp;#039;re not going to get the job. You&amp;#039;ve got to go into every interview believing this is the one you&amp;#039;re going to nail. MC: In a room full of candidates, all tricked out in their Ann Taylor pantsuits, what can I do to set myself apart? NW: Don&amp;#039;t underestimate the power of the nonverbal. You&amp;#039;d be amazed how many people come in for interviews with poor posture, weak handshakes, and blank stares. MC: At the end of an interview, I&amp;#039;m always asked if I have any questions about the company. How should I answer? NW: The best questions are of the get-to-know-them variety: What do you enjoy most about working here? What attracted you to the company? The worst: How many sick days am I allowed? MC: Is it career suicide to take a pay cut or lesser title just to start bringing in a paycheck again? NW: A lower-paying job can still help you advance your career. Ask yourself, What skill am I going to learn here? Will I meet people who will be useful to me down the road? Who knows what could happen - maybe the head of marketing leaves and you can score her position. MC: Should I mention in an interview that I&amp;#039;m available for freelance work? NW: Only if you mean it. Freelance isn&amp;#039;t for everyone - you&amp;#039;ve got to be aggressive and enjoy working alone. But you could make more money than you ever imagined. - By Julia Scirrotto Dubious Gigs Need to earn some cheddar, pronto? There&amp;#039;s always Craigslist. Mandarin lyric translator, $35/song, Atlanta Bud Light girl, $20 - $30/hour, Boston Scotch taster, $20 - $25/hour, Chicago Line Dance Teacher, $50/two hours, San Diego Marilyn Monroe impersonator, $50/hour, Las Vegas Muscular-calf model, $50/hour, Houston Alpine ski-racing coach, $4000/two months, Minneapolis Victorian s\u00E9ance party bouncer, $50/event, Portland, OR Flag-football official, $10/hour/game, Phoenix Pregnant woman for art installation, $250/four hours, NYC Confessions of an Interviewer For any candidate who&amp;#039;s ever wondered whether those ragged fingernails and scuffed shoes have cost her a job: Yes, they have. The bosses dish on interview pet peeves. &amp;quot;I hate sob stories. Don&amp;#039;t tell me about your divorce or the coworker who stole your e-mail account info. I have my own headaches. Tell me why you have the chops to get the job done.&amp;quot; - Marc Ecko, founder of Marc Ecko Enterprises &amp;quot;Improper grammar is a deal-breaker for me. I was speaking with one candidate who said, &amp;#039;Her and I worked together on that project.&amp;#039; I literally cringed.&amp;quot; - Laura Danford Mandel, VP of publicity, Telepictures Productions &amp;quot;I once had a candidate walk in late, wearing leggings, chipped black nail polish, and doused in perfume. I thought I was being punk&amp;#039;d.&amp;quot; - Polly Blitzer, editor-in-chief, Beauty Blitz &amp;quot;I once received flowers with a r\u00E9sum\u00E9 attached. That&amp;#039;s a good way to get my attention. But know where to draw the line - don&amp;#039;t wait outside my office for three hours, hoping to catch me.&amp;quot; - Kaity Benedicto, HR director, Travelzoo &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t apply for just any opportunity. It sends a signal about how seriously you take your career.&amp;quot; - Erin Hand, VP of talent &amp;amp;amp; development, Cox Communications &amp;quot;Candidates should know we make more than chocolate. Familiarize yourself with our brands.&amp;quot; - Judy Cascapera, senior VP of HR, Nestl\u00E9 USA 7 Shameless (but Effective) Ways to Make Contacts 1. Sync your company-gym workouts with those of the execs. Spot them during chest presses. (They&amp;#039;ll owe you if you save their life.) 2. Identify the children of your industry&amp;#039;s power players. Encourage your niece and nephew to befriend them on the playground.. 3. Steal all the toilet paper and tampons from the office restroom. &amp;quot;Rescue&amp;quot; the VP in the next stall. 4. Frequent happy-hour bars in the business district. Buy a drink for the person everyone&amp;#039;s sucking up to. 5. Host a &amp;quot;cocktail party&amp;quot; (read: job fair) and invite only your management-level friends. Stash copies of your r\u00E9sum\u00E9 in the goody bags. 6. Bring your business cards to funerals. Distribute with a solemn, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m here for you.&amp;quot; 7. Raid the business-card bowl at restaurants known for their power-lunching patrons.- Thea Palad "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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