Then one day, without any forewarning, you’re let go. In what seems like a split second, you go from being gainfully employed to joining ranks of unemployed. It’s a shock to system.

A tremendous level of stress can accompany being unemployed. You’re certainly affected by loss of income. You may also have a related drop in your level of confidence. Your unemployment may be impacting your home life and personal relationships. There may be a degree of depression that you are dealing with. You may be harboring lingering resentments toward those people responsible for your layoff.

Finding a job is challenging enough; if you bring these emotions into your job search efforts, you will be placing yourself in a very disadvantageous position. You need to be clear-headed and focused to move yourself forward. You must find a way to bring yourself into a more balanced state.

Be prepared to talk about your skills, competencies, qualifications and accomplishments especially as they pertain to specific opening. Know how to state your likes and dislikes, your strengths, weaknesses and goals succinctly and fluently.

Especially know how to convey value you bring to table – strengths, unique gifts and marketable assets that are distinctly yours. If you want to stand out in huge ocean of candidates that represents your competition, you must be prepared to state how you differentiate yourself from crowd.

You must be able to respond appropriately to question of why you left your previous position, assuming you left voluntarily. No matter how challenging your supervisor was or how grueling workload, you must frame your response in a positive light.

Make sure you do not discuss salary. Interviewers are aware of average job salaries and want to be sure you are in ballpark. However, their knowing your salary history or requirements can disqualify you or lock you in to compensation that does not match your worth. If asked, you can simply state that your salary is negotiable.