There is a huge amount of advice on job interviews available on the internet and most of them say pretty much the same thing. A very good example is Kiplinger’s article, What Not to Say at a Job Interview – all good, sound advice.

But what I’d like to add is that you can do everything right and still not get the job. So much depends on the character and personal preferences of those interviewing you – and that can come down to as silly a thing as someone not liking the fact that you wear brown shoes (don’t laugh – I had an area manager once who detested them!).

Just as an instance, I once gave the job to an interviewee who gave exactly the wrong answer to the the question, “Why do you want this job?” His answer was so clearly honest and without the usual carefully pre-constructed explanations that I just had to give it to him. He answered, “Because I need the money.”

Many interviewers would have turned him down immediately; honesty is less important to some people than others, I guess. But I see it as one of the most telling factors in any interview; if someone is not prepared to give you a straight and simple answer, the thought must occur that he is hiding something. Incidentally, that guy turned out to be one of the best employees we’d ever taken on.

So I’m saying that you cannot ever be certain that your interview technique will necessarily hand you the job. Be prepared for disappointments and decide that you will push on to the next interview regardless. That is what wins in the end: determination and persistence.

A job at the Post Office sounds like a sweet deal. Good benefits and job security are just some of the attractive perks. But Postal Service jobs are not advertised in the Classified Ads.

A scammer, Jeffrey Wayne Simmons and his companies, Information Resources of Nashville, LLC and Career Services, LLC, misrepresented that they were connected with or endorsed by the Postal Service; that postal jobs were available; that customers would receive study materials that would help them pass the postal entrance exam; and that customers who pass that exam were assured jobs with the Postal Service. In reality, none of these claims are true.

In a settlement with the FTC, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the United States Postal Service, a judgement was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee on November 7, 2006 which stipulates that the companies will forfeit all their material assets (which include property, a motorboat, jet skis and more).

Beware of ads selling worthless prep materials for postal jobs or other government jobs.

The Internet is changing the way we search for jobs and the way prospective employers choose which candidates to interview.

You may have carefully prepared a resumé in years past that you mailed or presented to an employer whom you wished to have consider you for a position. With 80% of employers using the Internet to search for job candidates, you are going to need a resumé that will be easy to transmit electronically and get selected by the company’s computer.

When writing of your experience and qualifications remember that a computer is going to read this first and it is going to be looking for specific keywords. So check the listing to get an idea of what the position you are applying for entails. Then read over your resumé to see how many words coincide.

I found a couple of sites with the information you will need to create new resumés for e-mailing, faxing and other electronic submissions.

The Riley Guide: Resumes and Cover Letters

Advanced Resume Concepts

Happy in your present career but not your present job? Will you be launching a new job search? Did you know are entitled to claim expenses related to a new job search as deductions on your federal taxes?

IRS Publication 529 lists the following rules regarding eligibility for the tax deductions:

You can deduct certain expenses you have in looking for a new job in your present occupation, even if you do not get a new job. You cannot deduct these expenses if:

1. You are looking for a job in a new occupation,

2. There was a substantial break between the ending of your last job and your looking for a new one, or

3. You are looking for a job for the first time.

You can deduct fees you pay employment and outplacement agencies, the costs of preparing, copying and mailing a resume and even travel expenses related to a job search in a new area as long as your trip to the area was primarily related to seeking a new job in your present occupation.

Further information and instructions can be found in Publication 529 available from the IRS.