As political candidates answer endless variations of the same questions in pursuit of elected office, we can't help but be reminded of our own often-torturous experiences on job interviews.

Would you ever ask an interviewer for a cigarette? Or send your sister to meet a potential employer in your place? Or arrive with a bird on your shoulder?

Disastrous job interviews happen to even the best candidates. You can often sense the interview is slipping rapidly downhill: The interviewer loses interest, becomes openly hostile or tries to shut down the interview after 10 minutes.

So you've been hearing that voice again, the one that says you're not doing what you were born to do. That may be true, but how do you figure out what you should be doing?

When the going gets tough, your coworkers can be the first to get on your last nerve.

If you ask human resources people how to get out of a rut, they may dutifully present you with a career ladder that demonstrates how ...