I would like to look at the topic from a different perspective, though. My experience is that there are a lot of talented people here in the Czech Republic, but the real questions are "How do they get noticed?" and "How can they increase the odds that they'll be hired after that interview?" Assumption: You're bright, you're talented and you're looking for a break. Here's how to increase the likelihood of being given the break you're looking for.

I recently met with several directors of human resources in Prague and asked them this question: "What are the three things that you would advise potential applicants to be aware of and develop or improve upon in order to increase their likelihood of being hired?"

Here are the answers I received:

1. The blink factor: In his recent bestseller Blink, Malcolm Gladwell describes how we make decisions without thinking. For good or for bad, our impressions of things and people are sometimes made in nanoseconds. Impressions are hardwired into our brain and most of the time we don't filter input through logic, understanding or intelligence — they just happen. This, of course, is a critical thing to consider when you're going to be meeting for the first time someone who can have a direct and important impact on your life.

Here's the Czech version of the blink factor through the eyes of those who might be evaluating you when you apply for your next position. Take time to consider who you are going to be meeting with and the business environment in which you will be meeting when you put together your "look" for the interview. The rule of thumb here is never let one thing about you be a negative identifier at first glance and what you'll be remembered for. The most common things our panel identified were hairstyles and colors, the length of dresses (as in too short), the length of men's slacks (too short), men's socks that hover around the ankle, short-sleeved dress shirts on men, body odor, jewelry that is so noticeable it's distracting, facial expression (a nice smile goes a long way), a firm handshake, and posture (Are you really interested in this meeting?). Another point they stressed was that how much money you spent on your "look" was unimportant — the clothes, shoes, haircut, accessories, etc. — what mattered was how appropriate it was to the corporate culture and position for which the person was interviewing.

Still uncertain what will look right? Here's a tip: Go to the location where your interview will be taking place at the time when most people are arriving for work. This will give you real insight into what is considered appropriate for that particular corporate culture.

2. Interview preparation: This is a common complaint among human resource managers. How well you prepare for an interview not only displays interest and intelligence, but it is also a predictor of how you will approach things once you've been hired. Here are some things you should know or be aware of that will display good preparation: the name of the CEO, the company's products and services, their locations, their market and customers, recent articles written about them, recent interviews with senior management, trends you have observed in their marketplace, and why you are interested in working for this company. After you've done the research, you can then formulate intelligent questions and observations that will impress the interviewer.

3. Emotional intelligence: All through the interview the interviewer will be looking for key words or phrases that display your flexibility, humility, empathy, humor, common sense and interest in others. This is especially true, I'm told, when interviewing young professionals who have risen very quickly. Many have yet to experience failure, tend to view everything as black or white, have a tinge of arrogance about them or a feeling that they have all the answers. The message to be learned here is that employers aren't impressed by masters of the universe.

Spending the time to work on just these areas could make the difference in your next interview. Good luck!