So, you've just finished your refrigeration and HVAC certification and training, and you're embarking upon that big first job interview. Before this, you've held only low-skill jobs: waiter, retail clerk, coffee slinger. This is your big chance. What can do you to increase your chances of landing this refrigeration, heating, or cooling job that you want so much?

One of the characteristics of first interviews that makes them so nerve-wracking is that you never know what you'll get. The potential employer might ask you any question in the world, from naming the best ways to diagnose malfunctioning HVAC equipment, to why you decided to begin training in Phoenix, Arizona, to where you see yourself in five years. The best antidote to interview jitters is preparation.

Go over your resume. Make sure you're ready to talk about each item listed on it. After all, if you don't know your employment and work history, how will you expect the interviewer to remember it as stand-out? While you're at it, think about how you'd answer some of the most common interview questions. No matter how unrelated to HVAC and refrigeration some of them might seem, your interviewer will be using them to assess how you would potentially perform on the job.

There are many places on the World Wide Web where you can find lists of potential interview questions and answers. If you stick with answers that are honest, but unoffensive, you should be just fine. After all, no interviewer wants to hear that old, canned response "I'm a perfectionist" to the question, "What is your biggest weakness?"

One of the commonest misconceptions about dressing for a technical career interview is that you should wear the uniform that's typical on the job. Wrong. You'll be an unforgettable candidate, for sure in a tool belt and knee pads, but not the one who gets the job!

It never hurts to ask the company's human resources department what candidates should wear for job interviews. If you get "business casual," that usually means a neatly pressed dress shirt and pants, as well as a tie and dress shoes for men -- and a neat skirt, blouse, and sweater set, or a conservative dress for women. More formal interviews require a pressed business suit and conservative dress shoes for both men and women.

Pay attention to the little details, too. Take out your facial piercings if you have them, avoid flashy jewelry, and sport appropriate (or, natural) hair and facial hair colors and styles. A briefcase or laptop bag is always a better choice than the shabby backpack you used on the Refrigeration School, Inc. campus. Make sure you put an extra copy of your resume in it - the employer may like to refer to it during the interview, especially if the copy he or she retrieved from e-mail or fax is garbled or unreadable.

Know your interviewer's first and last name, and greet him or her with a firm handshake. During the interview, be careful of speaking in a rushed fashion. Take time to speak slowly and clearly, and avoid filler words like "um" or "uhhh." Avoid profanity or street slang, as well. Make frequent eye contact.

Talk less, and listen more. The interviewer is giving you clues about what the job will be like. Ask questions, but ask the right ones. Questions about your daily duties and the work environment you will encounter are great. Talking about pay rates or vacation days are not.

Thank the interviewer when the interview is over. And, follow up with a written thank-you note no more than two days after the interview. An e-mail is quick and thoughtful. A snail mail letter is sometimes even better.