At some point—whether it be for college, our first job, or a career change—we all have to interview. Because this article could go on forever about tips to succeed, here are three of the most important tips:

Do Your Research. Before your interview, look into the company or job you are applying for and that particular industry. And, if you know the names of the people interviewing you, do a quick Google search and learn a little bit about the interviewers. You may find out that you and the interviewer are both from a small town in Texas and know the same people, or that you both went to the same college. Then, during the interview, you can casually mention that you are from Port Arthur, Texas and the interviewer will think you are just like him and would fit in at the company perfectly.  Just don’t be creepy. Don’t stalk the interviewer’s Facebook page and all his pictures and then comment on how adorable his daughter is—that’s too far, your resume will be placed in the “no” pile.

Dress The Part. Dress for the job you want. If you are interviewing seeking an attorney position, dress like an attorney. If you are unsure about what to wear, err on the side of business professional. No one will ever say you are overdressed if you show up for your interview in a suit. But, you will likely be crossed off the list immediately if you show up in ripped, faded, jeans and a tank top.

Ask Questions. Usually, at the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions. This is your chance to show your interest in the job so, have some questions. If you did your research and looked into the company prior to the interview, you should have 2-3 questions for the interviewer. Try not to ask things you can find out on the website or things that were already addressed in the interview. 

During the day, there are usually moments of downtime—anticipated and unanticipated. But, the busier we become in our careers, the more valuable those moments of unanticipated downtime become. If you are prepared to maximize your downtime, you can accomplish more throughout the day. For example, while waiting in line at the grocery store, answer an email or two. And, instead of getting angry that your gynecologist is behind and has you waiting 20 minutes for your appointment, pull out your Surface Pro, turn on your phone’s hotspot, and draft that memo you need to get done.

Boom, you are unstoppable. 

No laptop? Type yourself an email from your phone with the text you want to include in the memo, and cut and paste it later. Whenever you are faced with some downtime that is unintentional—and you don’t want to simply relax—ask yourself, “what could I do during this time that needs to get done?” Be creative. Maybe you return a phone call, schedule your son’s parent-teacher conference, or pay some bills online. Either way, you are maximizing your time and plowing through your to-do list, win win.

You wake up at 6:30am, by 8:03am you are at Starbucks waiting on your triple, venti, non-fat, mocha latte. At 8:07am you are in your car Instagraming your latte with the hash tags #earlymornings #workflow #girlboss. But, you have a work meeting scheduled for 8:30am, and by the time you are done posting, commenting, and checking your likes, you are late for your meeting. Because you are friends with your boss on Instagram, your boss later learns why you were late—you stopped for coffee—and now your boss has the perception that you are irresponsible, which may or may not be true, but that doesn’t matter—perception is reality.

If you choose to be friends with your boss and coworkers on Instagram and Facebook, you need to be extremely careful about what you post and what time of day you post it. If you are not friends with your boss and coworkers on social media—which is advised—your social media accounts should be private and you should change your account settings to require your approval before your friends can post and tag you in photos. The last thing you need is your boss or coworker seeing you half-naked and drunk because your bestie tagged you in a photo she posted from #girlsnightout. As a professional, those types of posts should not be on your page. If they are, go through your pictures and start deleting and untagging yourself, now. Make sure your social media accounts reflect the person you are—professional, responsible, and someone with good judgment. Otherwise, social media could be ruining your career and you don’t even know it.

Choosing a path that not many have traveled, is not something we usually jump into feet first. But, we should. Choosing a major in college or a career that no one in your family or circle of friends chose can be difficult because you lack the connections, resources, and direct link to people with experience and information. However, just because no one in your family is a doctor or a Broadway dancer, doesn’t mean you can’t be. It doesn’t mean you can’t make it. To the contrary, there is a benefit when we decide to travel down a road that no one we know has traveled before; we learn to be independent, and it forces us to make connections that we wouldn’t have otherwise made.

If you decide to take the road less traveled—which you should—be aggressive in making connections that will help you along the way. Ask your school for email addresses of alumni that work in the area you want to work in; email them, explain who you are, why you are emailing, and ask them to meet for lunch or coffee to learn more about what they do and how they got there. The worst thing that could happen is they say no, or they don’t respond—so, what? If just one or two people respond and agree to meet you, you will not only receive some insight and guidance, you will slowly create your own network of people that all share the same interests as you do, and, who probably traveled down that same lonely road you are currently navigating.

In high school, you tried out for cheerleading; you didn’t make the squad. You made good grades and dreamed of going to Columbia and majoring in journalism but, you received an insensitive, generic, rejection letter not even a month after sending in your application. When it was time for you to find a job and work towards a career, you got an interview with a reputable publication; but, the day after your interview you found out that you didn’t get the editor position because “there were an overwhelming number of great candidates this year.” You thought to yourself, why even bother? Maybe you thought you were simply meant to be average. Unfortunately, these feelings are not only normal, they are the common result of repeated rejection.

Throughout our lives, we are repeatedly rejected and we repeatedly hear the word “no.” Sometimes, it’s hard to not get discouraged. We start expecting to be rejected, and we lose drive and motivation because we feel like failures. We compare ourselves with others, and we wonder why we seem to be the only one receiving “no” after “no.” But, the truth is, it takes a mountain of “no’s” to get to “yes.” Life’s failures prepare and teach us how to be tough and resilient. And, despite what you think, everyone faces failure and rejection. The difference between the person who allows failure and rejection to defeat her and the person who ends up successful and thick-skinned, is that the latter did not give up or quit when faced with rejection but rather, used what she learned from being told “no” to her advantage.

Rather than allowing yourself to crumble when you’re told “no,” ask yourself what you can learn from the experience and use that going forward. Be vigilant, and stand on the mountain of “no’s” and the lessons you learned from them to get yourself to that “yes.”