Are you struggling with job interview preparation? Maybe what you need is a different perspective or approach to things. Consider this: an interview is like being on a first date. In the same way your date is looking for someone nice, the interviewer’s looking for someone right for the job. You need to impress both in order for you to seal the deal and get what you came for.

Having this perspective when attending an interview may help you up your chances of acing it and ultimately getting the job you’re applying for. Here are a few things to remember when facing an interview.

Get there on time. And if possible, at least 30 to 40 minutes later. Being set to arrive nearly an hour early puts you at an advantageous position: You’re sure not to forget anything since you’re not rushing yourself in preparation, and should you forget anything else, that’s what those 40 minutes are for. Arriving early shows that you’re eager to meet, greet, and settle things -a good show of character.

Having the mindset to arrive 30 minutes early will also give you ample time to prepare at home, which means you’re likely to have everything prepared. If you by chance forget anything important, you can use that extra 30 minutes to dash home and back to the interview all in due time.

Dress to impress. This is not new information. Certain colors convey specific emotions and intent; take note of this fact and pick your colors well. As first dates prefer a particular way of dressing (depending on where you’re dining or going), so do companies have a dress code that’s especially required for interviewees. Dress your best and impress. Better if the interviewer gives you props for good style.

Job interview questions are never ever supposed to lead to your embarrassing college stories. Not only will retelling how you ate 44 hotdogs in a row and won the state wiener eating championships not get you to first base, it’ll also make you look immature and informal during an interview.

Likewise, you will know what to wear in an interview, depending on what the company does and how it operates. The best job interview skills will work for nothing if you’re the only one in the room wearing socks and sandals, or if you’re the only suit in the vicinity. Try to know beforehand the necessary info so you’ll know how to dress up.

Prepare prepare prepare. This cannot be stressed enough. Arriving 30 minutes before the actual date or interview gives you ample time to fix anything that might go wrong: you’re forgetting something, spilling a drink on your shirt, etc. Also, being set to arrive really early will ease you up as you prepare at home, leading to little chances of you forgetting anything, and generally leaving you less nervous and more confident.

If there’s one thing about a job interview that’s different from a blind date, it’s this: You can just leave if your date is a jerk, a slob, or just boring; you have to finish an interview, whatever happens.

The only valid excuses for not finishing an interview are natural catastrophe, personal emergencies, and not wanting the job anymore. So unless it’s any of these things, suck it up and finish.

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