DALLAS (Business Wire EON) April 8, 2008 -- With Americans fearful of a recession, the competition for $100K+ jobs has become more intense than it has been in years, says Sanjay Sathe, president and CEO of RiseSmart, the human-powered job site for $100K+ job candidates.

If you want to win your first $100K+ job, you need to show mental toughness in your interview - so bring your hard hat, not your pacifier

In this environment, it’s more important than ever for jobseekers to be well-prepared for job interviews – particularly when they are seeking their first $100K+ job. To help candidates break the $100K+ barrier, Sathe offers senior-level professionals the following interview advice:

1. Brand yourself. “To be a $100k+ manager or executive, you must have a brand -- a one-sentence or one-phrase way to powerfully describe yourself in your interview. Don't just tell the person where you worked and what your responsibilities were. Instead, tell them you're a ‘sales turnaround expert’ who's 'tough-minded' and ‘thrives under pressure.’ That's the kind of meaty characterization that recruiters use in pitching candidates to employers, and it's how you need to present yourself in the big interview,” Sathe says.

2. Know the employer. Explains Sathe: “One of the biggest differences between the candidate who gets the $100k+ job and the one stuck forever in five figures is doing your homework before the interview. If you can reference and react intelligently to what journalists, investment analysts and others have said and written about your potential employer, you present yourself as a leader who thinks strategically -- not a worker bee who waits around to be handed a new task.”

3. Dress for the part. “Dress for the side of the $100K salary line you want to be on. For example, high-powered male executives are far more likely to wear French cuffs than sub-$100K managers. So add a couple of new shirts and some nice cufflinks to your wardrobe – at least for your job interviews. Female executives, meanwhile, tend to dress more conservatively as they move up the corporate ladder – favoring high-end pantsuits over skirts, cardigans and other early-career options,” Sathe says.

4. Don't ramble -- be concise. “Answer questions thoroughly, but then stop,” says Sathe. “If you feel the need to continue talking simply because the interviewer hasn't asked the next question, you'll come off as weak and indecisive -- not a leader. Some interviewers like to put you in awkward situations just to see how you’ll respond to them. Don’t take the bait; stay in control – especially of what comes out of your mouth.”

5. Ask for the job. “If you want to win your first $100K+ job, you need to show mental toughness in your interview – so bring your hard hat, not your pacifier,” Sathe says. “Bashful people don't become $100K+ executives. Do you want the job? Then ask for it directly. Employers respect assertiveness, particularly for leadership positions.”

About RiseSmart

Based in Dallas, RiseSmart is a human-powered job search service that prescreens online search results for time-starved managers and executives. The RiseSmart team matches opportunities with jobseekers based on each member’s unique profile, freeing senior-level professionals to focus on networking or the demands of their current jobs. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.RiseSmart.com or its blog at www.RiseSmart.com/blog. To view a demo, visit www.RiseSmart.com/demo.

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