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Deborah M. House, vice president and deputy general counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel, has done her share of job hunting and hiring.

Before joining the Washington-based in-house bar association, she was a deputy general counsel of Fannie Mae. She also practiced law in Washington and London. She estimates she has pursued and been offered 10 jobs in her career -- she has been rejected for three -- and has hired 50 people from hundreds of candidates.

So House feels she is in a strong position to offer advice to in-house lawyers who've been laid off or downsized in the current economic calamity and are looking for work.

She did that in a four-page article in the current issue of her group's magazine, the ACC Docket. Titled "Top Ten Tips for Job Applicants," House's advice would work well for any professional preparing for the interview process.

For those who need help in a hurry, here is a condensed version of House's 10 tips:

1. Information is your friend. Research the company and the names of those who will be conducting the interviews. Use Web sites and search engines to be prepared. Set up pre-interviews for information with those who know the company.

2. Put your best foot forward. First impressions are crucial in the job interview process. "I regularly weed out applications by eliminating those that have typos or are improperly addressed. If an applicant can't get it right now, then I assume his or her work will be equally unreliable," wrote House. She suggests proofreading all application materials and having a friend or colleague proofread them as well.

3. Follow directions. Provide all information requested in a job advertisement -- cover letter explanations, pay requirements. "As an interviewer, if you don't follow my directions now, I have to ask myself whether I can depend on you to follow them later," House added.

4. One size does not fit all. Consider creating different résumés for different positions, emphasizing the experiences relevant to each. Always be truthful, but highlight the most relevant qualifications. "At one point, I had six or seven different resumes, all of which were truthful, but all of which had a different emphasis. It worked," House said.

But keep résumés short -- and not by using small type. "A lot of today's interviewers are wearing bifocals and, speaking from personal experience, small type does not go over well."

5. Do the hard work and be creative where necessary. "Getting the job of your dreams often requires hard work," House asserted.

6. Practice, practice, practice. Rehearse answers to likely questions, especially difficult ones. Here's a question House said interviewers like to ask: What are you not good at or what do you not like to do? "If you answer that you like everything, you've just undercut your credibility," she said.

7. Be ready with that question. "Inevitably in an interview, the interviewer will turn to you and ask whether you have any questions. This will be the time to cut yourself off at the knees or shine," House wrote. It's important to ask questions, but not about pay, work schedule or benefits at this point. "This is a great time to use all that information you developed and read before the interview to pose a couple of educated, thoughtful questions which also reflect that you have done your homework."

8. Keep the discussion balanced, interesting and even entertaining. House gave a rule of thumb: The interviewer and the applicant should each talk about half the time. Give way if the interviewer wants to talk a lot. But don't leave without building a case. And make it easy for the person doing the often hard work of conducting interviews to, hopefully, "view you as someone he or she wants to work with in the future."

9. Conduct yourself professionally at all times. "I am often amazed at what people will tell me in an interview. It defies common sense," House said. "Do not disclose confidential information about former or existing employers or badmouth them. When you do that, it tells the interviewer that the company's secrets aren't safe with you, and that they may be your next topic of conversation. It also tells me that you lack judgment -- one of the principal skills looked for in any employee at any level."

House noted how crucial acting professionally at all times everywhere can be: She once got a new job introduction from the secretary to an old boss. "Had I not treated her well in the four years that I worked with her, the door would not have been opened for me."

10. Network, network, network. "If you are a regular networker, life will be much easier when you find yourself looking for a position as your contacts will be there to assist you," House said.

She added one final overreaching tip: "Above all, be positive and upbeat. If you view the job seeking process as a welcomed opportunity to encounter new worlds and new challenges, your attitude will not only be extremely helpful to you personally, but will make you a more attractive candidate."

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