Job Interview Questions

DO make direct eye contact. People who fail to make direct eye contact often come across as shifty people with something to hide. So even if you are a shifty person with something to hide, train yourself to look right into their eyes. Allen does make an interesting suggestion, if the person is ugly, look at the bridge of their eyes. Wow, I would never have come up with that gem on my own. That knowledge would have made it so much easer to survive high school in New Jersey.

DO smile. Smiling really matters more than most of us realize. I used to have a photo attached to this column that I really liked. But I wasn't smiling. And people would write to me about it. Then I replaced it with a smiling photo, and the reaction is totally different. Smiling matters. One trick you should try is to practice smiling in front of a mirror. Sure it sounds dumb, but anything that increases your smile ratio is worth the time and trouble.

DO greet by name. We've all met the annoying people who keep repeating your name when they first meet you, are all you insurance agents out there listening? But just because people do annoying things using your name doesn't mean that we should all just nod at each other anonymously. Learn people's names and use them. You'll notice that most people really appreciate your acknowledgement of them.

DON'T wimp out on the handshake. It sounds like a cliche, but a firm handshake really sends a message of strength and confidence. On the other hand, one of those dead fish handshakes just makes me want to keep my hands in my pockets. And this isn't just something for men. Women you need to learn how to give a confident handshake. All bets are off however, if Avian flu ever strikes our shores. Elbow bumping, anyone?

Experts on career guidance and hiring say answering one particular question in a job interview is a no-win situation for the applicant. If it comes up, they actually recommend you politely decline to answer.

Arizona State University senior Gabriela Johnson says the question came up in one of her interviews: "In a previous job, has there been a company policy you disagreed with?" Brian Gagan calls it "a dangerous question". Gagan is a partner at

"This is filled with a lot of pitfalls," said Karen Lamb, Assistant Director of ASU Career Services. "Any way you answer it you're going to look like a renegade." According to Lamb, the "rule of thumb" for any interview question is to find a way to turn a negative into a positive. But she told 12 News, "It would be difficult to have any amount of honesty here and not get yourself in a difficult situation."

Lamb advised Johnson, "Never say anything negative about your former employer, even if they were Attila the Hun...because it's going to reflect negatively on you." Lamb added, "I think if you're criticizing any (company) policy, no matter how valid (the criticism is)...you're going to look bad. I would almost step away from this question." Politely decline to answer the question and emphasize that you would always follow company policies.

On Tuesday night, just as the sixth and final season of "Lost" gets under way, New York City’s own reality TV show, "Job Hunt," will kick off, as well.

While it won't have the appeal of polar bears and smoke monsters, "Job Hunt" may tell you what color suit to wear to a job interview, or how to use Google and social media to your advantage. The 10-part series, which runs on New York’s NYC Life network, tries to help New Yorkers get back on their feet if they are out of work. And just to give the audience a little extra inspiration, it stars actual job seekers.

"You may know the season premier of 'Lost' is on for two hours tonight, but if you are looking for a job then you know what? The only show for you to watch tonight is 'Job Hunt,' " said Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn's borough president.

The city’s efforts mirror a national push to help the unemployed. In his budget plan, President Obama proposes to extend unemployment benefits. For the past week, Mr. Obama has announced a new jobs-related program almost every day, including Tuesday in New Hampshire, when he unveiled one to jump-start hiring at small businesses.

We’ve been told it’s a new year — a new decade in fact — and things are different now.

Although they spent last year grappling with the problems considered top priority, like cap and trade and getting the healthcare bill through, congress has now decided its time to refocus on what really is the number one issue. With the unemployment rate sitting at above 10 percent, Congress has decided it is time to completely focus their attention on the very pressing issue of jobs — their own.

I find it amusing that when it looks to members of Congress that they could actually become one of those unpleasant statistics standing in line at the unemployment office — figuratively speaking of course — this issue suddenly moves to the top of the list.

Last year during the cap and trade bill negotiations House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even managed to convince people the bill was really as much about jobs as it was about green energy — really. I find it difficult to equate that with the fact that the bill has $4.2 billion written into it to compensate for the jobs that will be lost once it’s implemented. This $4.2 billion, to be spread out from 2011 to 2019, allows $1,500 per person for job-search assistance for people expected to be put out of work because of it. It also gives them an unemployment check for up to three years while they look for a new job or get retrained in another field. In fact, experts say when implemented, the bill is likely to cause a 0.5 percent drop in jobs in the first 10 years — and that’s over and above the unemployment rate we’re already dealing with