You're there in the hot seat – sitting across from the interviewer, the person who has the power to give you the job you desperately want or who can decide to give it to someone else. The pressure is on, and you know there's no instant replay – you must succeed. Your stomach tightens, your throat feels dry, your heart pounds, your hands get sweaty – who ever said job interviews were easy?

In the current economy there are less new openings so when you want the job so badly you can taste it, it's a make it or break it situation. Here are the keys to interview success:

• Determine a 5-Point Agenda
The 5-Point Agenda is your customized hiring strategy - your top five selling points that you bring to the job. Examine your previous experience, noting any special accomplishments. After reviewing the employer and position needs, determine which of your abilities and experience will be most important to the employer. Zero in on your important work strengths – those abilities where you are most productive.

• Create Your 60-Second Sell
Successful job hunters noted that the 60-Second Sell was the most influential tool they used during the interview process. You create a customized 60-second statement that links your five top selling points into a few sentences. You open the interview by using your 60-Second Sell when asked: Tell me about yourself? Your answer focuses the interviewer, bringing attention to your most marketable skills, not telling a life story, which loses the employer's attention right at the start.

• Pay Attention To Your Non-Verbal Language
Your movements, gestures, posture and facial expressions are an important part of your overall performance. A sincere smile sends a warm, confident message. Eye contact is one of the important things employers notice about you. It is crucial and conveys that your message is believable. Be sure you do not sit there stoic, with a blank face. You'll come across boring and dull. Be warm and personable, but not loud and boisterous, letting your natural self shine through.

• Important Questions You Should Ask
A top manager at AT&T Wireless said: "I judge candidates by the questions they ask. That's what's most revealing to me. I want someone focused on succeeding in the job and not just centered around how much money I will pay them." Prepare a list of questions that focus on determining more about the actual job that needs to be performed. Learn about their corporate culture to define what it is actually like to work there. Never bring up salary, Instead ask:

• "Could you describe to me your typical management style and the type of employee that works well with you?"

• "What are some of the skills and abilities you see as necessary for someone to succeed in this job?"

• "What challenges might I encounter if I take on this position?"

• Know How to Negotiate Salary and Benefits
Handling salary questions like a pro can assure you of obtaining the highest offer possible from an employer. Know what your skills are worth prior to the interview. Investigate what comparable jobs pay for the job title you are looking for in your geographic area. There are several places to find this information. Associations and business magazines frequently publish annual salary surveys or look on www.salary.org. Never bring up money first. It's best to dodge the question, not revealing your past salary, and first establish why you're the best person for the job. That will preserve your negotiating power. Once they decide on you the most important thing to do is ask them to pay you more. It works like a charm.

Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, CNN, CNBC and is considered America's top career coach. She is the best-selling author of: 60 Seconds & You're Hired!; Winning Resumés; Winning Cover Letters, and What to Do with the Rest of Your Life. She's the creator of the highly acclaimed audio training program Interview Advantage and The DreamMaker. Robin's passion is helping people find better jobs which she successful does through her career counselor practice where she offers individual career coaching and resume writing services. A popular national speaker, Robin has spoken to over a thousand audiences on improving their lives and obtaining greater success.

Robin presents free job search seminars, and book signings.

7 p.m., October 28, 2003
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
626 106th Street NE
Bellevue, Washington

12 Noon, November 5, 2003
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
Pacific Place
600 Pine St. Suite 107
Seattle, Washington

Contact Robin to speak to your group.

Dr. Phil Show Appearance
Robin is appearing regularly on the Dr. Phil Show as the career expert assisting Angela Carter, one of Dr. Phil's Weight-Loss Challenge participants, to launch a new career.

Interview Advantage
There are no second chances in a job interview. One mistake, and the job goes to someone else. Employers are looking for a reason to not hire you. You either make the cut, or you're out.

Robin Ryan helps you succeed. The "Interview Advantage" is how you prepare. In the Interview Advantage, Robin reveals the secrets that decision makers told her through surveys and hour upon hour of interviews. You'll learn the employer's mindset when hiring. You'll learn how to encapsulate your skills and experiences to make them clear and impactful - using techniques developed by Robin Ryan.

PLUS in the Interview Advantage, you'll receive a copy of Robin's groundbreaking interview book "60 Seconds and You're Hired."

After you've listened to this tape and reviewed the book, you'll be able to practice your skills using Robin's Interactive Practice Tape. Your work with the practice tape will send you into any interview confident and prepared. That's the promise of the "Interview Advantage."

"I used your approach on my interviews and received three offers in one week. At one company, I was competing against fifty other applicants and I came out on top! Thank You!" - Tony Scuderi, Field Service Engineer, Lunar Corp.

To order "Interview Advantage" go to http://www.robinryan.com/interviewAdvantage.htm

Contact Robin Ryan by email: RobinRyan@aol.com
Call her office at 425-226-0414 or visit her website at www.RobinRyan.com

© Copyright 2003 Robin Ryan, all rights reserved. To reprint contact author at Robin Ryan, 14404 93rd Street, Newcastle, WA 98059, or call her at 425.226.0414, or e-mail robinryan@aol.com.