 Welcome to Unit 1 of Sailor.org's Interviewing Skills course. This may be the first course you have taken in the Job Search Skills group. If it is, we'd like to encourage you to look over other courses we offer in the Professional Development Program. Specifically, the Job Search Skills course and Resume Writing courses will provide you with the information and tools to assist you in targeting the right jobs and career paths for you and learning to write a resume and cover letter that will get you that interview. The Sailor videos you will view at the outset of each of the units in this course are necessarily brief. Our intention is to highlight the informative resources available to you in this course. Each reading contains helpful embedded links that you can click on to pursue more in-depth information on that or related topics. That being said, let's jump right into the subject of interviewing. If you have assessed your skills and interests and have begun to market yourself to employers, that phone could ring at any time. Today's employers often begin their interview screening on the telephone. Your job is to be prepared for that one chance for a first impression and you want to make it a good one. In Unit 1, you'll learn about the various phases of an interview process. The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training describes seven phases beginning with before you go in phase, during which you should research the employer and obtain opinions from people who may work there. You'll receive advice on opening moves and how to progress through the interview to the closing. You'll also receive follow-up suggestions, points to prepare for negotiations, and finally, guidelines for making a decision to ensure that you make the right career choice. Surprisingly, interviewers form their first impressions of you within the first three to five seconds of meeting you. You want that impression to be a good one. North Dakota State University's Career Center discusses how to dress for success for the interview. Whether you're a male or female, you'll be able to learn how to dress appropriately for an interview in a specific industry. To master the interview, College Grad describes techniques and tactics to study prior to your first interview. You'll learn the top 10 critical success factors that nearly every employer is seeking. This article offers links to many relevant articles such as 10 Tough Interview Questions and 10 Great Answers. Trustee Guides Deborah Wolf tells us on the day of the interview there should be no surprises. She describes six steps in the job interview preparation process. Use these suggestions and her interview preparation checklist to appear confident, well-informed, and enthusiastic on the day of the interview. You'll also be able to assess your knowledge about how to prepare for a successful interview by taking Wolf's brief job interview quiz. As is the case with all units in this course, each resource in Unit 1 contains links to allow you to pursue more in-depth information on any items of interest. Please feel free to follow any embedded links in these readings to obtain more detailed information on a given subject. We recommend that you take notes throughout your reading and keep a file on particular items of interest to you. You'll notice a continuing theme throughout this course. Prepare, prepare, prepare. This unit offers you the resources to ensure that you are ready to enjoy the interviewing experience. Remember, the interview is your chance to sell your personality and qualifications to an employer. You'll only have one shot at this, so make it a good one. Good luck and see you at the beginning of Unit 2.