According to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of April 2010, the unemployment rate for non-farm industries in America was at 9.9 percent. Professional job interview tips can help displaced workers and professionals who are seeking new employment to stand out from the crowd and possibly land a new job or more senior position.

Do Your Homework
Research data on the company that you will interview with, including facts, figures and trends, at least one to two days before the interview. For example, you could check websites like Hoover's and Dunn and Bradstreet to find out the number of employees who work at the company, the different divisions or subsidiaries the firm has, how many years the company has been in existence and what the firm's top selling products or services are. Write this information down or print it directly from sources that list company profile data. Also write down the name of the company's chief executive officer (CEO) and founder. If the interviewer asks you a question or mentions the CEO or founder's name, you can respond intelligently and show the interviewer that you researched the firm and want to work with them for well thought out reasons.

Dress Professionally
Wear corporate attire. Dress as if you are going to work for the first day. Men and women are encouraged to wear a suit or a nice business shirt, blouse or sweater and a pair of ironed dress pants. Shoes should be clean. Avoid wearing sneakers or work boots.

Introduce Yourself
Bring an extra copy of the most current version of your resume with you to the interview even if you already mailed a copy of the resume to the company's recruiter or to the hiring manager. Look the hiring manager or the interviewer (sometimes a human resource professional will interview candidates first to screen them before the hiring manager meets and interviews the candidate) in the eye when you shake his hand and introduce yourself by name. For example, you could shake the human resource professional or hiring manager's hand and say, "Hi, I am Jane Doe. I appreciate you taking the time to interview me for the staff writing position."

Answer and Ask Questions Thoughtfully
Let the interviewer or hiring manager ask the first two to three questions at the start of the interview. Hiring managers and interviewers often prepare a list of questions they want to ask potential employees. Take a few seconds to think about the questions before you start to answer; this shows the interviewer that you are not providing canned or practiced answers. Before the close of the interview, ask two to three questions about the firm, the specific department that you are interviewing to work in and the culture at the firm. For example, if you were interviewing to be a staff writer at a local newspaper, you could ask if you can travel outside the United States to cover international stories.

Salary Discussions
If the interviewer asks you what your salary requirements are, ask him what they typically pay someone with your experience. Avoid setting firm minimum and maximum salary levels during an interview. Interviewers and hiring managers typically have a range in mind that they are willing to pay a new employee. If you tell an interviewer that you want to receive at least $80,000 a year and the firm is only willing to pay $65,000 for the position, you could talk yourself out of a job. Should the firm decide to hire you, they will contact you with an offer that will include an annual salary amount. You can negotiate an annual wage at this point.