Also bring any information you may need to fill out the personnel forms such as names of former supervisors and phone numbers and addresses of companies you worked for in the past. You want to appear organized. Always be nice to the receptionist - some companies ask her for her opinion of you.
As far as answering questions, be prepared for standard question like where do you want to be in 5 years or why should I hire you. (hint the answers are not - "your boss" or "Because I need the money.")
Look up the company you are interviewing for - know what they do and if there is any recent big news there such as a recent aquisition.
If at all possible, bring work samples, even student exercises (especially final project type exercises)can be a plus if they are interviewing only recent grads for a position. I've done a lot of hiring and this can often be what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Don't ask about benefits on the first interview - first you need to sell them on why they should hire you - then worry about the nuts and bolts of the offer. Bring up the subject too soon and you look greedy.
Remember, you are competing with other people who probably have roughly the same qualifications as you do, what will get you the job is finding a way to distinguish yourself positively from the rest of the crowd. Your personality is important in an interview. At the entry level, showing that you know how to behave professionally and are organized is an effective way to help distinguish yourself. An even better way is to recognize that the company wants to know how you will benefit them, not vice versa. So answer questions in terms of what you can bring to the company. Ask business oriented questions, things like asking how the position fits into the overall structure of the company or department. Ask about the duties or what they see as the most important need for the position and then in summary, make sure you hit the reasons why you personally would meet that need or how you can show that you can do the duties described.
It sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many people don't seem to grasp it - the purpose of the first interview is to sell yourself to the company. Try to answer positively and if you don't know say that but express how you would go about finding the information if you need it for the job. If you feel you had to say you didn't know to a question that was important to them, then find out the answer and include it in a follow-up thank you note for the interview. Don't say anything bad about a former employer or school no matter how much you want to.
Look the interviewer in the eye. If you are interviewed by a panel or if the interviewer gives no signals as to how you are doing, then don't panic. Interviews are often designed to see how you react to pressure and these are ways to put additional pressure on you.
If you think you are totally wrong for a position, then tell them as soon as you know so you don't waste their time or yours. This won't get you that job (which you probably don't want anyway in this circumstance) but might get you an interview for a different opening that suits you better.
Remember that you won't get every job you interview for. Don't let that discourage you. Sometimes you aren't a good fit for the company and sometimes somebody else just did better than you did on the interview. After every interview, try to think what you could have inmproved, but remember, you are better off not getting the job if your personality and the company culture aren't compatible. So don't try to be fake at the interview - you want ultimately to work for a company that wants exactly the kind of employee you will be (assuming you have a certain minimum that all companies want like coming to work every day on time and taking supervision well.)
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