Before you step in front of a Casting Director you may need to brush up on a few things including what the role is for and what type of performance they have in mind. If you go into an audition and act cheerful and glad but they are looking for a sad depressing type then you will immediately look wrong for the part. It’s great to be professional and great the panel when you enter, but don’t emote any strange over cheerful energy as it could immediately work against you.
A huge negative is to elaborate on how bad you need the part or how great all your relatives say you are. Its time to deliver a straight forward delivery with no added strings that will detract from the impression they have of you. No one got a part out of pity.
It is alright to be yourself but don’t overdo it with charm because the fact is you aren’t a star yet. You’re mind should be on giving them the character they want, not the star that you see in yourself. Hold off on delivering that Oscar performance because that will often look over dramatic or sappy. Be real with the part and stick to about 3-4 shifts in emotional range to show them some diversity in your ability without straying too far from the part.
If you have an talent agent or are doing your research on your own, you should definitely know more about the role to prepare for this ahead of time. Even if its for a commercial, its good to know what situation the character will be in or how they relate to the other characters in the script. Good luck, and remember to be remembered for all the right things during the performance, not the wrong things before and after.