How to ace the fundamentals of a job interview

(NC)—Everyone wants to walk into a job interview feeling prepared and confident. But there are other factors that your potential new boss may be paying attention to that aren't on your resume.

According to the Crest and Oral-B “Great Canadian Smile” survey, 55 per cent of Canadians expect others to have white teeth, and this may include your future employer. The survey also reveals that more than half of us believe that someone with straight, white teeth would be more likely to get hired for a job over someone with a less attractive smile. Other important physical cues during an interview include maintaining eye contact, good posture, offering a firm handshake and smiling.

Here are some tips from Dress for Success, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and providing women with career development tools to help them thrive in work and life:

• Dress the part –Make sure your clothes are appropriate, fit correctly and are polished from top-to-bottom.

• Be prepared –Research the company and your interviewer and create a couple talking points in case there is a lag in the conversation.

• Ask questions at the end –This shows that you were listening and care about being part of the team.

• Talk about what you bring to the table –Employers want to hear about your skills.

• Wear a big, fresh smile –Brush, floss and rinse prior to the interview; food in your teeth and bad breath will distract from your performance.

More information is available online at www.facebook.com/CrestCanada.

www.newscanada.com

Source: For the study, a national sample of Canadian Adults 19 to 65 years of age was randomly selected from TNS Canada's Internet research panel and invited to complete an online survey. In total, 498 Adults completed the questionnaire between November 6 to November 12, 2012.

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