How to get a job in a rough economy.

break every rule you've ever been taught about job-hunting.

(disclaimer: If you're here looking for the short bursts of code and computer help I usually offer, rest assured they'll return on Monday. I'm reserving Saturdays for a more philosophical (and verbose) "How To" and Sundays for a wrap-up of interesting "How To"s I found in other peoples' blogs.)

All of the advice you tend to get when job-hunting appears to be of the "try not to piss off a potential employer on your way to impressing them" variety. Suit, white shirt, tie. Polished shoes. Resume one or two pages, on watermarked paper. Arrive five minutes early to your interview. And for Godssake, don't do or say anything controversial.

This is generally awful advice for landing a job, but when times are tough, it's practically a guarantee for failure. The people giving this advice forget that hundreds of millions of people are following the same advice at the same time. That means that, if you're one of ten people up for a job, then you're one of ten forgettable drones all acting the same way. If you're remembered for anything, it will probably be that you were so nervous about saying or doing the wrong thing during the interview that you looked like you needed to throw up the whole time.

So, if you haven't had a lot of luck in your job hunt, then it's time to break out of that mold and become the only one in ten that your potential future employer remembers. And to do that, you'll have to break every rule you've ever been taught about how you should dress or act for an interview.

This isn't to say you should throw away all logic and sensibility and act like a cretin; rather, treat your interview like a date instead of an interview. Dress and act like a slightly more professional version of yourself, but don't drown yourself out. If you hate wearing ties, don't wear a tie. If you're a HUGE fan of Star Trek, and you've got a Star Trek pin, then wear the damned thing. Relax and enjoy the interview, as though you were at the other side of a table at a nice restaurant with an attractive date. Lean back in your chair. Smile. Give your interviewer honest and interesting answers to her questions, even if you think the answer might not be "interview-worthy". Be totally honest. Make her laugh. Surprise her, even shock her. As long as you're being yourself, feel free to do it.

This will accomplish a number of things. First, if you're being honest from the beginning then your interviewer will never trap you in a lie. Second, being yourself will make you more relaxed, which will in turn give you more confidence. Third, you'll stand out memorably from the other nine people who acted and responded woodenly throughout their interviews. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, your interviewer will realize that you're a fun and interesting person. Think about it: if you had to choose between two people of equal qualifications with whom you would have to spend eight hours a day in an office, would you rather pick the relaxed, fun, interesting one; or the one who clearly memorized every line of The Jobhunter's Bible?

Here are a few more tips, related to my above point, that will help you land your perfect job:

1. Negotiate from a strong position. That is, don't job hunt while you're out of a job and desperately in need of one. If you do. then you'll say and do stupid things during your interview out of pure fear. It'll also prevent you from trusting your instincts and making honest judgments about whether you should really be working for this employer.

2. Be willing to walk away. Just as on a date, you're not just there to impress her. She's there to impress you. If she or the job or the company is not impressing you, then feel free to politely tell your interviewer that you're not interested and thank her for her time. Remember that you'll ultimately be spending a third of your day at this job with these people; better to go a few extra days jobless than spend a year or two in a job you loathe.

3. Before you even contact the company, spend an hour learning about them. Find something, or several things, about that company that excites you. Feel free to mention those things in your cover letter and in your interview.

4. Extend your relaxed approach to the cover letter on your resume. Once again, you'll want to use basic common sense, but personalize your cover letter to make it sound like you wrote it yourself instead of copying it out of a job hunting manual. In particular, you should never, never, NEVER use the same cover letter for two different jobs. Don't even use one as a template for another. Delete after printing.

5. Design a second resume, something that shows off your strongest skill set. If you love Excel, design a multi-page spreadsheet; if you love PowerPoint, design a presentation. Here's a fantastic example. If you're in contact with an employer by email, include it with your standard resume and cover letter. Otherwise, find out her email during your interview and email it to her afterward.

6. Meet the receptionist. While you're waiting for your interview, find out her name and chat her up. When you see her again on your second interview, talk to her like you've become old friends. At the very least, she'll have nice things to say about you to other people in the office, including your interviewer, and she might be able to give you a heads-up on your competition. Moreover, it will give your interviewer a chance to see your interpersonal skills in action and compare them to your skills during the interview, so even if you fumble during the interview she'll attribute that fumble to nerves.

7. Humanize yourself. There's an old farmer's joke about how you can't eat a chicken once you've named it - the same goes for rejecting a job applicant. During the interview, find something you and the interviewer have in common. If you have kids, find a way to mention them. Make yourself more than just another faceless applicant, and your interviewer will have a hard time simply dismissing you.

8. After every interview, however it goes, send a thank you email. Again, personalize it, but be warm and gracious. Remember that you'll be judged on your email skills when you send it, so spend as much time proofing that email as you would a cover letter or resume. But above all, be as friendly and engaging as you were in the interview. Make sure you can't be forgotten.

9. If you get called back for a second or third interview, remember the things you were told in the previous interviews and reference them, ESPECIALLY the personal things. If your interviewer mentioned that her daughter was sick, ask about her daughter at the next interview. If you're told that your next interview will be by phone because the interviewer has just had a baby, offer congratulations at the next interview. These little considerations will let an interviewer know that you're cognizant of other people's lives and needs, which is a strong sign of a team player.

10. Finally, remember that even in a rough economy people are still hiring. You may need to lower your standards or expectations slightly (only slightly), but if you're a strong candidate and you keep hunting you WILL find a dream job. Believe in yourself, and eventually the right interviewer will believe in you.