We know interviews by their very nature are stressful. There are many things you can do to reduce the stress an interview produces. You can prepare the possible questions, dress your best, research the company, and the rest of the interview preparation strategies.

However, there is one more thing you can do. Breathe. Yes, breathe. Not the breathing you are doing right now but breathe from your diaphragm. There is a remarkable relationship between how you breathe and the stress you feel. Put breathing from the diaphragm into your interview preparations.

The Problem

Pinterest is a new type of social media website that serves as a virtual bulletin board (or "pinboard") where web content can be shared. This unique site is changing the way that people share web content related to personal interests, using a design style that relies on images rather than text.

According to the Internet news blog Mashable, Pinterest is social media's rising star. Last summer, Time named Pinterest as one of its "50 Best Websites of 2011."

Pinterest members (referred to as "Pinners") gather and share images of interesting things that they find online, creating "Pins." Pinners can create multiple pinboards, each representing a collection of Pins that relate to a different interest or category. A Chrome browser extension allows Pinners to drag and drop an item and "Pin It" onto a pinboard. The social aspect of Pinterest comes into play when Pinners browse each other's pinboards or search for specific types of Pins. Pinners can find inspiration, share their interests and connect with like-minded people. According to the Pinterest mission statement, the company believes that “a favorite book, toy or recipe can reveal a common link between two people."

I work as a "video producer" with about 15 years experience in video editing, five years professionally. I do a lot of freelance work as a video editor, director, and producer, and a lot of that comes from the video games industry, cutting promos, interview clips, and so on.

I think there's a misunderstanding a video editor is just the guy who pieces the finished footage together. That's part of it, but it often feels more like I'm a cartoonist choosing the best moments to tell the story. I've been able to tell entirely new stories by editing together old video clips.

Editors are not just the guys who piece everything together for the writer and director. In my experience working on my own projects, I've found that editing is where the story really comes together. That's where you have final say. I can excise entire characters or loop in dialog to change the meaning of things. Just look at reality television for an example of how powerful a good editor can be. Almost none of what you're looking at on those shows actually ever happened.

On average, people will change jobs 10 times during their lifetime.  Whatever your reason for switching jobs—whether it be a desire for a new career path or the result of a downsizing effort—it can be a stressful time. If you find yourself at a career crossroad, the first thing you can do is take control of your finances.

6 Things You May Want to Do

1. File for unemployment benefits immediately: To qualify for unemployment insurance, your previous employer must confirm that  you were laid off. Since each state has different eligibility requirements, you can visit the Department of Labor Web site (www.dol.gov) to obtain information regarding your state.
2. Understand your severance package: Some companies allow you to negotiate a severance package. Make sure you get reimbursed for outstanding vacation days and expenses. See if your stock options have vested in order to sell them.
3. Health insurance: When  you get laid off, your health insurance may end immediately. One option is COBRA, a federal program that allows you to continue group plan coverage. In the new stimulus bill, COBRA recipients may be eligible for federal coverage  of 65% of the cost. This means a family facing a $1,000 COBRA monthly payment would only need to pay $350. The coverage period for the federal  subsidy in nine months and the eligible period for COBRA is 18 months. The recipient must meet certain requirements, for more information and eligibility requirements, please contact the Department of Labor at www.dol.gov.
4. Retirement accounts: Consider rolling over eligible assets into a new employer’s plan or into an IRA. You need to check with your previous employer regarding eligibility and retirement account options. In addition, you should take into account any potential tax consequences, as well as expenses and sales charges and/or penalties for selling or buying investments before initiating a rollover.
5. Reduce spending and  avoid debt: Take a look at your monthly expenses and see here you can cut costs. Contact your credit card company to see if you can reduce or defer your payments. You may have to give up such luxuries as cable TV, cell phone, or entertainment.
6. Take inventory of your assets: Find out exactly how much you have in stock options, mutual funds, savings accounts, checking accounts and retirement accounts. This will help you find out exactly where you stand financially.

3 Things You Shouldn’t Do

1. Withdraw from your 401(k): Times may be tough, but resist the urge  to take money out of your 401(k). You will get hit with income taxes and in some cases a 10% penalty.
2. Rely on a home  equity  line of credit (HELOC): It will be extremely difficult to obtain a home equity loan while unemployed. But if you already  have one, be careful when tapping into it. You could be without a job for a lengthy period of time.
3. Abuse  your credit cards: It may be tempting to purchase everything with your credit card, but that  can be a mistake. Most credit card companies will raise your interest rates if you miss one payment.

Ruth Cameron, founder of New World Wealth Concepts- Financial Blog, has over 22 years’ experience in Corporate America; managing technical projects; designing processes; and developing and implementing business strategies.

Career transition finances image from Shutterstock

"JT & Dale Talk Jobs" is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.

Dear J.T. & Dale: One common question I've been asked during interviews is whether the potential employer can contact my current employer. I never know how to answer this. One concern is that if I give permission, my current employer could find out I'm looking for a new job. At best, this would make for an awkward work situation, especially if I don't get or accept the new position. At worst, I imagine it could get me fired. However, if I don't give permission, I'm concerned that I take myself out of further consideration because the employer might think I have something to hide. What's the correct way to handle this? - Eric

DALE: Unless you are in some unusual situation, such as a company that is closing or a facility that's relocating to another city, you do have something to hide - and it is that you're looking for another job. Any decent prospective employer would take this into consideration. So, the answer is no, they can't contact your current employer. However, you needn't put it in such stark terms. You would mention that you currently have a great relationship and wouldn't want to do anything to risk that, and then refer the potential employer to references from prior companies, or perhaps a current co-worker who knows that you're looking.

"JT & Dale Talk Jobs" is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.

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