No doubt losing your job for whatever reason is traumatic and the time until you get new employment can be an overall hair raising experience.  The same is true for job interviews.  I was reminded of this in speaking with a good friend the other day who claimed that as an older worker you cannot expect to get employed ever again no matter how good you look and how qualified you are.  What a self-limiting belief!  This is like going to a high roller poker game and you come mentally equipped with $5 chips.  You have to come prepared to an interview by showing the interviewers that you genuinely want this job and how you would make the position work for them. 

Yes, I have never been in this position and have been gainfully employed ever since leaving high school.  One thing that I have been blessed with though, was being part of or leading literally 100’s of panel interviews.  Folks that appeared insecure and anxious faired so much worse than people who liked themselves and were able to concentrate on how to apply themselves to the proposed positions.  That is exactly where you can make the biggest difference:  Show that you did your research about the company, products, services and people.  There is a ton of knowledge that you can obtain through the Internet.  Call the receptionist and get to know who some sales people in your area may be.  Call them and ask them to describe the company, culture etc.  Then take a moment and envision yourself in the proposed position and how you would like to get training, how long that might take and ultimately how would picture carrying out this job.  In other words:  You are projecting the future into the present. 

With this kind of prep work you exponentially increase your chances of getting hired. 

Ralf