If you know people who work in a similar company (or same company) in same location, talk to them about how people dress for work. Especially if you are moving from another part of country. For example, lawyers in California often dress a bit more casually and wear less conservative ties than lawyers in New York.

Be sure to follow rules of etiquette when on interview itself. Give interviewer a chance to offer you a seat. If you're wearing a suit jacket, don't take it off in interview. Remember, an interview is partly a formality. Especially if interviewer is a human resources person or other staff member who is not very familiar with your field, you may be judged much more on your appearance and how well you conform to "picture" of what a good interviewee should be like than on content of what you say in interview.

A great movie about creating right appearance is recent Steven Spielberg film, "Catch Me If You Can," which starred Leonardo Di Caprio. In movie, which is based on a true story, Di Caprio plays a con artist and counterfeiter named Frank Abignale, Jr. Frank is able to work as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer all because he is able to come across like he fits in. Even though he was only 16, he knew enough to do his research ahead of time and create right appearance. One of great lines in movie is when Frank says to detective trying to catch him, "Why do you think Yankees always win? Is it because of Mickey Mantle? No, it's because everyone's busy watching pinstripes."

Potential Employer: So what is it you do?

You: I'd love to tell you about how I've saved money for my employer in my job as a cost accountant because I think you'll find this interesting.

By starting out your pitch this way, you've given listener a couple of reasons to pay attention. One is because you've said you're going to entertain them, which people enjoy - especially in social situations. Another is because you've told them you're going to give them some potentially valuable information. One caveat here: you should talk about most important benefits to employer towards beginning of elevator pitch just in case you run out of time.

Another tactic good public speakers recommend is using motion in descriptions. For example, saying "When I walked in and told my boss we saved a million dollars in previous quarter" will create more of an image in listener's mind than saying "we saved a million dollars in a quarter." If a listener is not able to visualize what you're saying, there's more of a chance they will lose interest.

People like and remember stories and anecdotes. Telling a story about a customer's reaction to a new product you developed is more memorable than just saying it.

Your elevator pitch should not get into minute details. Rather, it should address primary concerns a potential employer would have:

- What have you done in past that demonstrates your value? - How would you benefit my company specifically? - Why would I want to choose you instead of other candidates?

The beginning of your elevator pitch should give a summary and say what your competency is. Next, it should clarify who you want to work for. Then explain why you are a good fit for job and employer. Next, talk about your background and experience, highlighting benefits you brought to previous employers. If you still have time after that, you can talk about how you will achieve what you said you can do for potential employer. This last part should focus on results that employer would see rather than mechanics of what you'll do.