A good resume and cover letter can get you in the door.

But once you're there, you've got a halfhour or less to set yourself apart from all the other qualified candidates on the recruiters calendar. "The interview is everything," says HR recruiter Abby Kohut, author of "101 Job Search Secrets." "You have to sell yourself. Whats the best way to do that? We asked Kohut and other top recruiters for their advice on how to ace the interview every time. (Be sure to check out the 5 things not to say in a job interview too.)

Spin It Forward
Recruiters often ask questions that can be answered quickly. While you should keep your responses concise, sharing examples of how you tackled a tricky work problem or got great feedback from a client gives you an edge over candidates who give general answers, says career coach Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers recruiting firm. She recommends pointing to a specific measurement of how you did something smarter, faster, or more efficiently, like explaining how you increased your company's sales by 10 percent in six months.

Ask the Right Questions

Almost every recruiter will ask if you have any questions for them. Kohut recommends these winners: "What are the challenges that keep you up at night that I can help you solve?" and "Is there anything Ive told you in the interview that might keep you from passing me on to the next round?" Why? The first is all about helping the hiring manager see how you will make their life easier, and make a difference in your role. The second gives you the chance to address any concerns they might have. "If you can change their mind, you might have a second chance," says Kohut.

Show You're Interested

It may seem like it's obvious since you showed up for the interview, but recruiters stress that saying how much you want the job makes a huge difference. "Don't assume that the hiring manager knows you're interested," says Paul Rega, owner of Paul J. Rega & Associates executive search firm and author of "How to Find a Job When There Are No Jobs." Do your research on the company in advance and pepper your conversation with your knowledge. Then, before the interview is over, say something like, "This is a great opportunity and I really want to be a part of your company."

Don't Come Empty-Handed

"It always wows me when people bring examples of their work," says Kohut. That means toting along everything from a portfolio to thank you letters people have sent you. Kohut has even had candidates show a short (think: five minutes or less) presentation on what they've done and why they're perfect for the job. And its worked. "It shows that they're really interested in the job and have taken the time to set themselves apart," she says.

Make It a Conversation
The best way to show a recruiter you should get the job? Spin the interview into a conversation among two professionals, says Martin Yates, author of "Knock 'Em Dead: Job Interview." Try asking questions like, "What are the biggest obstacles you've had in this position?" and "What mistakes have people made in this area?" Asking the questionsand following up with how you would tackle the issuesshows that you have an understanding of the job and industry. And that will definitely move you onto the next round.

You've landed that interview for your dream job. Now it's up to you to ace the interview and get that plum position. Here are some important steps to give you an edge over your competition. If your initial interview is a phone call with Human Resources, take the opportunity to confidently make the case as to why you're the best candidate for the job. If your interview is taking place virtually via Skype, for example remember to dress appropriately and make sure there is nothing distracting or unprofessional in the background, such as barking dogs or a roomful of kids' toys. When prepping for a face-to-face interview, select professional attire. Dress at least one level above what the company's employees typically wear. Even if you're interviewing with an ad agency, for example, skip the jeans on interview day. Here are some important things you should do for the face-to-face interview: Research the company.Check out the company's website for important information that you can interject during the interview. That can go a long way toward setting yourself apart. Come prepared. Laura DeCarlo, executive director of Career Directors International, advises bringing four copies of your resume, a copy of your cover letter, a pen, a pad and some type of carrying case. You'll also want to have a ready response to the almostalways asked question: "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" An interviewer will also likely ask if you have any questions. By being prepared with several questions, you'll be demonstrating that you've done your homework. Conduct a dry run. There's nothing worse than being late to the interview. To avoid that, do a dry run at least a day before so you know exactly how to get to the location and approximately how long it should take to get there. On interview day, plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Make a great first impression.When you meet the interviewer, few things project confidence like a smile, good posture, a firm handshake, and steady eye contact. During the course of the interview, avoid fidgeting and punctuating your responses with crutch words such as "like," "um," and "uh." Also avoid asking questions about the salary or benefits. You only want to discuss those once you have an offer. After the interview, thank the person for his or her time. Always send a handwritten thankyou note. That will leave a lasting impression and could make you stand apart from competitors.

years with the career counseling firm The Five OClock Club, says a lot of job seekers forget that one of the most crucial parts of interviewing is convincing the hiring manager that you truly desire the job. Interviewers dont just look for applicants who have the requisite skills and will fit in with a company. Now more than ever, they want candidates who want them. How To Ace Your Job Interview
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How To Give Great Interview

When you interview for a job, make sure the hiring manager knows you have the necessary skills and that you'd be a good fit at the company, but also, just as important, make sure you convey how enthusiastic you are about doing the job. Here are some tips for mastering the job interview.

Sheffield is absolutely right, says Cynthia Bragdon, owner of Urban Indigo, a gift store in Oakland, Calif. I dont know why some candidates miss this, she adds. Maybe because they think it seems desperate. She says the most eager applicants quickly make her A list. If they seem aloof, I get very worried, because any job requires a full commitment, she explains. And if they are aloof in an interview, they will probably be aloof to my customers, which is a very bad thing. You can get across your enthusiasm in many ways, coaches say. Sheffield suggests that you prepare an arsenal of stories illustrating your skills, strengths and accomplishments. Rather than bragging in a general way about your abilities, describe specific experiences that show you putting those skills to use. You can speak animatedly about the pleasure and pride you took in overcoming obstacles. One advantage of storytelling over plain boasting, Sheffield says: Its the interviewer who draws the conclusion. In addition to offering stories that illustrate your strengths, use a direct approach and tell the interviewer how thrilled youd be to work for her and for her organization in particular. Describe other offers or discussions youve got going, and let the interviewer know she is your first choice. Most applicants understand that they should do their homework, learning as much as they can about a company and a job, before going in for an interview. But Bragdon says candidates who havent done basic research still show up. If they ask me what the store hours are in the interview, that shows me they dont give a rip about getting the job, she says. Or theyre just plain stupid and intelligence is a big, big factor for me. Ahead of time, take a notebook, jot down a few points to help you remember your best stories and note three questions to ask about the specific job and the company. Then, when the interview starts, ask permission to take notes. Use your notebook as a cheat sheet. Before the interview winds up, ask where you stand compared with the ideal candidate. Then ask how you compare with other applicants. These questions

emphasize how much you want the job and help you take action after the interview. Write a follow-up note that addresses any ways you were told you might not fit the ideal mold. Robert Hellmann, 50, like Sheffield a coach with The Five OClock Club, says a client of his turned a no into a yes through diligent, enthusiastic follow-up. In the interview, the hiring manager confessed concern about the candidates lack of an analytic background. The interviewee wrote a follow-up e-mail that described her relevant experience and offered to analyze some sales data. The hiring manager sent her a terse note with some data attached. She analyzed the data and followed up with a phone call requesting another meeting. She got the job, Hellmann says. In the interview, he adds, sometimes the most important thing you can do is get the information you need to sell yourself. This is an update of a story that ran previously. Show enthusiasm
Make sure you show your eagerness about both the job and the organization. Start by making sure you know everything you should about the position and the company before the interview begins.

Emphasize how you can help the employer

Explain how your previous experience and your fresh ideas can solve problems and make a contribution at the new job.

Tell specific stories that illustrate your accomplishments

Come to the interview prepared with at least three experiences you can describe to illustrate how you tackled challenges and met and surpassed goals.

Say how much you want the job

Look the interviewer in the eye, say you want to work for her and why. Let her know of any other offers you've got or interviews you'll be having, and make it clear that you favor this job above all the others.

Refer to notes
Use a notebook as a cheat sheet of stories to tell and points to make in the interview. Then ask the interviewer if she minds if you take notes during the interview.

Mercado Vs. Manzano Case Digest

Mercado Vs. Manzano 307 SCRA 630 G.R. No. 135083 May 26, 1999

Facts: Petitioner Ernesto Mercado and Private respondent Eduardo Manzano are candidates for the position of Vice-Mayor of Makati City in the May, 1998 elections. Private respondent was the winner of the said election but the proclamation was suspended due to the petition of Ernesto Mamaril regarding the citizenship of private respondent. Mamaril alleged that the private respondent is not a citizen of the Philippines but of the United States. COMELEC granted the petition and disqualified the private respondent for being a dual citizen, pursuant to the Local Government code that provides that persons who possess dual citizenship are disqualified from running any public position. Private respondent filed a motion for reconsideration which remained pending until after election. Petitioner sought to intervene in the case for disqualification. COMELEC reversed the decision and declared private respondent qualified to run for the position. Pursuant to the ruling of the COMELEC, the board of canvassers proclaimed private respondent as vice mayor. This petition sought the reversal of the resolution of the COMELEC and to declare the private respondent disqualified to hold the office of the vice mayor of Makati.

Issue: Whether or Not private respondent is qualified to hold office as Vice-Mayor.

Held: Dual citizenship is different from dual allegiance. The former arises when, as a result of the concurrent application of the different laws of two or more states, a person is simultaneously considered a national by the said states. For instance, such a situation may arise when a person whose parents are citizens of a state which adheres to the principle of jus sanguinis is born in a state which follows the doctrine of jus soli. Private respondent is considered as a dual citizen because he is born of Filipino parents but was born in San Francisco, USA. Such a person, ipso facto and without any voluntary act on his part, is concurrently considered a citizen of both states. Considering the citizenship clause (Art. IV) of our Constitution, it is possible for the following classes of citizens of the Philippines to posses dual citizenship: (1) Those born of Filipino fathers and/or mothers in foreign countries which follow the principle of jus soli; (2) Those born in the Philippines of Filipino mothers and alien fathers if by the laws of their fathers country such children are citizens of that country; (3) Those who marry aliens if by the laws of the latters country the former are considered citizens, unless by their act or omission they are deemed to have renounced Philippine citizenship. Dual allegiance, on the other hand, refers to the situation in which a person simultaneously owes, by some positive act, loyalty to two or more states. While dual citizenship is involuntary, dual allegiance is the result of an individuals volition.

By filing a certificate of candidacy when he ran for his present post, private respondent elected Philippine citizenship and in effect renounced his American citizenship. The filing of such certificate of candidacy sufficed to renounce his American citizenship, effectively removing any disqualification he might have as a dual citizen.

By declaring in his certificate of candidacy that he is a Filipino citizen; that he is not a permanent resident or immigrant of another country; that he will defend and support the Constitution of the Philippines and bear true faith and allegiance thereto and that he does so without mental

reservation, private respondent has, as far as the laws of this country are concerned, effectively repudiated his American citizenship and anything which he may have said before as a dual citizen. On the other hand, private respondents oath of allegiance to the Philippine, when considered with the fact that he has spent his youth and adulthood, received his education, practiced his profession as an artist, and taken part in past elections in this country, leaves no doubt of his election of Philippine citizenship

Tecson Vs. Comelec Case Digest

Tecson Vs. Comelec 424 SCRA 277 G.R. No. 161434 March 3, 2004

Facts: Victorino X. Fornier, petitioner initiated a petition before the COMELEC to disqualify FPJ and to deny due course or to cancel his certificate of candidacy upon the thesis that FPJ made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy by claiming to be a natural-born Filipino citizen when in truth, according to Fornier, his parents were foreigners; his mother, Bessie Kelley Poe, was an American, and his father, Allan Poe, was a Spanish national, being the son of Lorenzo Pou, a Spanish subject. Granting, petitioner asseverated, that Allan F. Poe was a Filipino citizen, he could not have transmitted his Filipino citizenship to FPJ, the latter being an illegitimate child of an alien mother. Petitioner based the allegation of the illegitimate birth of respondent on two assertions - first, Allan F. Poe contracted a prior marriage to a certain Paulita Gomez before his marriage to Bessie Kelley and, second, even if no such prior marriage had existed, Allan F. Poe, married Bessie Kelly only a year after the birth of respondent.

Issue: Whether or Not FPJ is a natural born Filipino citizen.

Held: It is necessary to take on the matter of whether or not respondent FPJ is a natural-born citizen, which, in turn, depended on whether or not the father of respondent, Allan F. Poe, would have himself been a Filipino citizen and, in the affirmative, whether or not the alleged illegitimacy of respondent prevents him from taking after the Filipino citizenship of his putative father. Any conclusion on the Filipino citizenship of Lorenzo Pou could only be drawn from the presumption that having died in 1954 at 84 years old, Lorenzo would have been born sometime in the year 1870, when the Philippines was under Spanish rule, and that San Carlos, Pangasinan, his place of residence upon his death in 1954, in the absence of any other evidence, could have well been his place of residence before death, such that Lorenzo Pou would have benefited from the "en masse Filipinization" that the Philippine Bill had effected in 1902. That citizenship (of Lorenzo Pou), if acquired, would thereby extend to his son, Allan F. Poe, father of respondent FPJ. The 1935 Constitution, during which regime respondent FPJ has seen first light, confers citizenship to all persons whose fathers are Filipino citizens regardless of whether such children are legitimate or illegitimate.

But while the totality of the evidence may not establish conclusively that respondent FPJ is a naturalborn citizen of the Philippines, the evidence on hand still would preponderate in his favor enough to hold that he cannot be held guilty of having made a material misrepresentation in his certificate of candidacy in violation of Section 78, in relation to Section 74, of the Omnibus Election Code