HELP ON INTERVIEWS: Just landing an interview these days is tough.

There are more job seekers out there right now than at any other point this decade, according to government data — in August, the latest data available, there were about 6.3 unemployed workers competing for each open position. Job openings are at their lowest point in nine years of data.

So if you actually get called in to talk about a job, congratulations. Be sure not to undermine your chances of landing it with shaky responses to common questions.

In their book, "101 Toughest Interview Questions," career experts Daniel Porot and Frances Bolles Haynes also advise interviewees to practise tough questions beforehand with a friend or family member, memorise effective answers, be truthful, listen to what you're actually being asked and keep answers concise.

What are some of the toughest questions?

— "What interests you most about this job?" Answer this with specifics: Emphasise how your past work experience relates to the opening, or how your skills fit with the job's tasks and responsibilities. Also mention what makes the company unique and appealing to you from your research of it.

— "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Give them your strengths. If you bring up a weakness, keep it minor or address how you work around it.

— "What salary figure do you have in mind?" Give them a broad salary range. Porot and Haynes also recommend saying that compensation is a topic best left until after you've received a job offer.

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BIZ BOOKS: It's been a stellar year for lovers of books on business and economics. This week, watch for "SuperFreakonomics", the follow-up to the best-selling "Freakonomics," a pop economics book from 2005 that explored such varied topics as the economics of drug dealing and how the legalisation of abortion affected the violent crime rate. "Freakonomics" authors Steven Levitt, an economist, and Stephen Dubner, a journalist, also write a blog for The New York Times website.

The new book delves into global warming, high-end prostitution and how you sift out terrorists from a group of millions of bank customers.