Inspired by the questions I often get from friends and acquaintances on how to get hired at their dream company, I’ve compiled my top 10 easy tips for this How To Get Hired blog series, where I’ll explore—in detail—one tip at a time.

With over 17 years of experience in hiring talent, I have unique and invaluable insight into the interview process.

Let’s ensure you’re prepared for your dream interview!

Tip 5: Practice.

I’m often shocked by what I perceive as a lack of preparation on a candidate’s behalf. For instance, showing up to an interview without multiple resume copies comes off as being ill prepared; you never know how many managers are going to join the meeting!

Also, it’s amazing how many candidates don’t bring examples of their work or references to share on site. Remember, the minute you sit down to be interviewed, you need to be in selling mode.

First, be prepared to sell yourself as the only person for this job.

Interviews are about selling yourself: Your skills, your experience, your personality. Be able to answer basic interview questions. Research possible questions online, write them down and answer each one. Practice them out loud. It’s painful, but it will increase your ability to retain the information tenfold!

Second, know that the responsibility is yours, and yours alone.

You’re in charge of your interview performance. Always use personal experiences and stories from your career/school to illustrate examples of prior behavior and success. Take the time to do this well, to let your personality come through, and you will blow the manager away.

Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself speaking into your smartphone, or have a friend quiz you on your questions. Do whatever it takes to feel comfortable and confident for your interview; this makes a huge difference in getting that much closer to getting hired.