There are definitely things that you can do to avoid minor mishaps which could ultimately blow an interview. Become familiar with these 7 potential interview disasters so you can prevent them from obstructing your path to that ideal job.

1. DON'T ARRIVE LATE Showing up late is both rude and inconsiderate. Is this first impression that you want to leave with a potential employer? Map out your route and try it out before interview. Plan on being at least half an hour early to your appointment. This will provide a buffer to protect against wrong turns, traffic jams and all other mishaps that may befall you. If you arrive early, you can use time to calm your nerves.

2. DON'T SAY THE WRONG NAME Many a nervous candidate has been known to accidentally call interviewer wrong name. In order to avoid this disconcerting faux pau, find out who you will be speaking to before interview. Memorize name(s). If this information is not available prior to meeting, then write person’s name on your notepad as soon as you sit down for interview. If you do slip-up, do not make a huge fuss. Apologize quickly (and sincerely) and move on.

3. DON'T SAY THE WRONG THING Choose your words carefully. Avoid impulsive answers; first thing that pops into your head may not be best response. Remember, it’s ok to pause if you need some time to think. Feel free to say "that’s a good question; let me take a moment to think about it." This demonstrates that you think before you speak. Is your everyday speech peppered with expletives or other potentially offensive phrases? If so, take care to avoid these during your meeting.

The more you try to be in control, less you really are…in life and at work. You just got fired and you think it’s end of world.

Know yourself, have a plan, make a footprint. After you’re fired, raw power needed to convert a job loss into a high-voltage catalyst that gains multiple job offers is surprisingly simple. Consider these energizers:

Who you are? Detangle your sense of job from your sense of self

Where are you going? Design a five-year plan for career focus / direction

What can you do? Maintain a life-long log of your career achievements

“Getting fired is a lot like getting divorced,” says Steve Johnson, Vice President of Information Systems for R. L. Stevens & Associates Inc., http://interviewing.com/ a leading international career marketing firm headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. “All you hear is ‘I don’t want you anymore’,” he says.

Own your success and your failures. When he was fired from a multi-billion dollar petroleum company earlier in his career, discernment gave Johnson, a business-world veteran, inner strength to get up and get on instead of rolling over and playing dead.

Despite an impressive portfolio of documented achievements that solidly contributed to bottom line through process reengineering, he was still let go. His stellar performance though appreciated, was undervalued by his employers. Johnson made sure that this unexpected event did not end his career or dampen his spirits. “The time I was given pink slip and told my talents were no longer needed, I faced a decision to either continually bemoan shut door or look forward and find a new door I could open.”