Nanette Pearson of Pleasant Grove is in Atlantic City this week for the biggest job interview of her life.

That's how Pearson, Miss Utah, sees the 1996 Miss America Pageant, where on Tuesday she was being interviewed by the judges."It's really a job interview and there are 50 girls applying for it," Pearson, 23, said during a lunch break on Monday.

The contestants are vying for at least $40,000 in scholarship money and the chance to spend a year on speaking engagements and appearances that can bring thousands more and open doors for fu-ture jobs.

Pearson and the other 49 contestants are competing in four categories - physical fitness in swimsuit, onstage personality in evening wear, talent and interview. The interview, which Pearson had on Tuesday, counts for 30 percent of the total score.

The University of Utah student said that as Saturday night nears, the contestants are a little less open than in the previous 10 days. They first met Aug. 29 in Orlando, Fla., for a three-day stay before going to Atlantic City on Labor Day.

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"Everyone is extremely nice. There are a few who are trying to be a little intimidating, but I've made some really good friends," said Pearson, who is staying at the Trump Taj Mahal along with Miss New York, Miss Texas and Miss Alaska.

The time in Orlando was spent doing promotional work for pageant sponsors and shooting video clips for broadcast Saturday night. But it was also designed for fun.

The work came soon enough once Pearson and the other contestants reached Atlantic City. They worked from dawn to dark on production numbers.

"I expected a lot of glamour and didn't know it would be such hard work. No one can explain it to you. The days are long and you're sick of everything, but I didn't want to hear that before coming here," said Pearson, a dancer.

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