While a number of business reports indicate 2012 will bring an improving U.S. economy, that does not mean an unlimited supply of jobs await those out of work or looking to change employers.

For those individuals searching to rejoin the workforce or believe now is the time to change jobs, it is important to hone your interviewing skills in order to place yourself in the best position available to attain the job you want.

When going on your interview, your appearance and means of communication with your interviewer are just as important if not more so as what resides on your resume.

It is important for those interviewing for a job to focus in on their non-verbal means of communication so they don’t mess up. Keep in mind, your non-verbal communications can actually kill or deliver the results you want.

When you first meet and greet your interviewer, do you make good one-on-one eye contact and offer a firm handshake? If not, you could lose points right off the bat, leaving you to have to play catch up over the course of the interview.

Some other missteps that can doom an interview include not smiling, appearing unusually nervous, demonstrating bad posture, bad wardrobe or grooming and being animated when asked simple questions. Oh, this seems like a no-brainer, but don’t be late to your interview; you’d be amazed what message a little tardiness (non-emergency) can mean to an employer before you even sit down for a one-on-one chat.

A good way to avoid many if not all of these mistakes is by doing a practice interview the evening prior in front of family, friends and/or a mirror. While you don’t want to appear too rehearsed, a little practice never hurts. This also holds true with getting to your interview on time. It never hurts to do a practice run so you know the exact location of the interview and about how long it will take to get there.

When it comes to actually starting the meeting, be sure to maintain good eye contact with the person interviewing you. By being focused in on your interviewer, you’re engaged in the discussion and interested in what the company may be able to offer you; staring past the interviewer is surely not sending a good signal.

While not talking over or continuously interrupting your interviewer, it is to be expected that you will have some questions regarding the company, so prepare them ahead of time. This allows you to come ready to learn about the position you’re applying for, how your role will impact the employer and what the company can do for you.

One question that should not be at the forefront of your list is how much money the job will pay, as nothing looks worse than if you’re only interested in the salary. While it is only natural to want to know what your income will be with your new employer, don’t be overly aggressive in getting to that issue.

Lastly, the reason you're going to an interview in the first place is that you either lost your last job or want to switch positions. Either way, do not badmouth your former or current employer.

The last thing a person should do is burn bridges with a former or current boss. If you do that, it can have a negative impact going forward on your career, not to mention be seen by a potential employer as negative and one reason not to hire you.

When you head off for a job interview - the bottom line is easy - Sell, sell and sell yourself.

Dave Thomas writes extensively for B2B lead generation online resource Resource Nation that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs. He is an expert writer on items like credit card processing companies and is based in San Diego, California.