6 things to do before your job interview

(MoneyWatch) Before you walk into a job interview, you want to give yourself every opportunity to show your best self. Even if your interview is later today, there's still time to improve your chances. Here are six things to do in the hours and minutes before your meeting:

Eat brain food

Put down the glazed doughnut -- it'll just leave you susceptible to an energy crash during your big moment. Instead, fill up on meals and snacks that will sustain you and won't leave your stomach growling mid-question. "Eat meals that are low on the glycemic index and combine carbohydrates, fats and proteins," says Tony Morrison, vice president of Cachinko, a social networking and professional community. "Proven brain food includes fish, blueberries, spinach, nuts and legumes."

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Warm up your mind

You want to be firing on all cylinders by the time your interview begins. If your meeting is first thing in the morning, consider doing the crossword or Sodoku while you're already stoking your cerebral fires with coffee. "It's a great way to get into the problem-solving mode," says Morrison.

Get handy with deodorant

Sweaty palms leave a soggy first impression, and just feeling yourself melting down can cause you to lose focus. "For those of us who occasionally get sweaty palms under stress, rub a dab of unscented deodorant on your palms," suggests Roy Cohen, career coach and author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide."

Call a positive pal

"Don't spend time with someone who tends to discourage you, makes you nervous, or who you envy and/or feel inadequate to be around," says Cohen. Instead, call a cheerleader -- a friend, partner, mentor or even a relative -- who can give you a last-minute boost.

Put away your notes an hour before

Many candidates have a tendency to rehearse talking points in the car or cab ride on the way to an interview. But preparing up until the very last second can backfire. "Don't over-practice," says Bruce Hurwitz, CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing. "You don't want to memorize your answers. You have to be genuine."

Take a quiet moment

Before you enter the office where your meeting will take place, try to briefly clear your head. "Find a quiet place near your interview -- a church, a library or a far corner of a hotel lobby - - to meditate and to calm your brain," says Cohen. You'll enter your meeting prepared and on point.

[SpeakEtc.]

Interesting choices of points to write about. One of the most important things I think you can do before an interview is to get clear on what it is you have to give. So many people I coach on interview skills worry too much about how they are going to be perceived and if they will get the job. Spend some time thinking about what you have that will align with the company's needs and will help them improve their bottom line. Use language that will help them visualize you doing just that. And while we're visualizing, visualize yourself as being just as important as your interviewer that will help you adopt an assertive but not aggressive or submissive demeanor.

[Stevefoxy]

Valid as the tips might be, to gain additional confidence, consider all the them and then note:
1) Case the route to the where the interview will occur. If you have to ask for directions, you come off as not very enterprising. Besides they won't tell you about the darn construction and detours current employees navigate every day.
2) Find out what building and door and reception area to use. Is there a live body there or only a "rent a cop?" Know this somehow, someway.
3)Take plain, but classy note cards and envelopes with you so, if a decision is going to be made sooner than you thought, you can craft handwritten thank-you notes that DON'T start with the words "thank you" please, pretty please and then take them back in to the greeter person to ensure the notes get to the people addressed. You got their business cards didn't you?
4) Get the name of the greeter person so you can send a hand written thank you note to him or her when you get home. If the greeter person has a mouth, your name just might leave that person's lips positively at exactly the right time before the hurried-up decision is made. If not, you have still made a great new friend for next time.
5) Deodorant applied to your hand? Consider one ply hidden tissue in your right hand palm removed just before the hand shakes begin. You are dry and you are not transmitting chemicals to someone else. Also see the book Sweaty Palms that is regularly updated if in fact sales calls (which are interviews) are not your thing.

[Cicuta2011]

Amy Levin-Epstein, I have never heard such an idiotic advice regarding job interviews.