(5) Saying unfavorable things about previous employers. Even if you left a job because boss was an egomaniac who took credit for all of your hard work, verbally abused you in front of others, and poisoned plant on your desk, don't say anything bad about him/her during an interview. When asked "Why did you leave your last job?" say something like "My manager and I both agreed that my advancement opportunities were limited there and obtaining another position was best option for me and my career goals."

(6) Having a poor/limp handshake. Why do people think you'll be a lousy employee if you have a lousy handshake? That's not really logical, is it? Doesn't matter. It just turns people off and gives them a bad impression of you. So make your handshake firm and confident but not bone-crushing. (It's not a competition to see who winces first!)

If you DON'T want to be unemployed, don't let any of those traits apply to you!

So without directly answering their question, try to address their underlying concern. In this instance you might say, "My career is very important to me. I'm fully committed to performing at my highest level at all times, and don't allow any kind of distractions to interfere with that. I'll deliver results you're looking for."

If you're not sure what their true concern is, ask something like "Could you please rephrase or elaborate on your question? I want to make sure I address your concern."

Please realize that many interviewers are untrained and therefore unaware that a question they might ask to break ice -- such as "Do you have any kids?" -- is inappropriate. Yes, this question may be an attempt to determine if you have child-care issues that could interfere with your job... but it's MORE likely that interviewer is innocently trying to find something he/she has in common with you.

In end, it's basically a judgment call on your part. If you feel interviewer has no legitimate reason to ask an inappropriate question, and you do not want to answer it, say "I'm sorry, but I don't see how that has any relevance to my ability to do this job." You might run risk of losing job, but if your gut instinct is telling you there's something amiss, you wouldn't want to work for that person anyway.

Here's a list of some questions -- wrong way, and right way, to obtain legitimate information:

Inappropriate: Are you a U.S. citizen? OK: Are you authorized to work in United States?

Inappropriate: How old are you? OK: Are you over age of 18?

Inappropriate: What's your marital status? Do you have children? OK: Would you be able and willing to work overtime as necessary?

Inappropriate: How much do you weigh? Do you have any disabilities? OK: Are you able to perform physical duties required in this job, with or without reasonable accommodations?

Inappropriate: Have you ever been arrested? OK: Have you ever been convicted of _____? (The crime should be reasonably related to performance of job in question.)