COEUR d'ALENE - The questions came fast, one after another: Have you ever had an issue you tackled at work? Can you explain how you have worked with a team? Describe your computer and technical skills.

Leaning forward in her seat, hands clasped, Heather Hjelmstrom answered effortlessly, smiling.

"I'm diligent. If you show me, I can do it," the Post Falls woman said. "I'm very organized. Very organized."

Had that been a real job interview, Hjelmstrom said afterward, she believes she would have nailed it.

"I was nervous," she admitted.

But grateful for the practice, too.

"I just can't fail," said Hjelmstrom, searching for a better paying job to find a new home. "Any help I can get is just that. Help."

Gaining an advantage with job hunting was the general idea on Wednesday night at a job preparation workshop at North Idaho College, where folks crowded outside the door to take a turn.

Sponsored by NIC and the Coeur d'Alene Chamber Education Committee, the workshop was designed to groom students and members of the public on finding jobs, creating clean resumes and giving successful job interviews.

"We wanted to provide something to the community and to students in the community to learn more about the soft skills required by today's employers," said Gail Laferriere, assistant director of career services at NIC.

A survey of Kootenai County employers showed applicants generally lack those "soft skills" like computer competency, work ethic and team work, Laferriere said.

Hopefully individuals could hone those traits on Wednesday, she said, so they could "get a job, and become the employee that employers value."

Tables filled the room where individuals could go through practice interviews with real employers and receive feedback on their presentation.

Other stations offered information on job resources like the Idaho Department of Labor and Idaho Career Information System, and a St. Vincent de Paul program that provides free business attire.

Robert Ketchum, an employer who volunteered to give practice interviews, said he has seen some pitiful interviews in his time.

"Many times one of the first things they say is, 'What do you do here?' They had done no research," Ketchum said, shaking his head. "It gives you a very negative impression right up front."

He added that a woman he helped on Wednesday didn't know it was bad form to ask about pay at the end of an interview.

"'If offered this position, I would accept it.' That's how to end it," said Ketchum, a lecturer at the University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene Center. "End on an upswing."

Another volunteer, Rebekah Pichotta, who has interviewed applicants for a development disability agency, also said she has seen some clueless behavior.

"Some would come in not looking dressed appropriately, and when I asked them a question, they'd flutter their way through it," she said. "They didn't give you any eye contact, and that's something that's huge."

It was all new territory for Kelly Machado, 37, who hoped the event would arm her with skills to land a job "with stairs," where she could keep moving up.

"I've never had a true interview. I've just had entry level positions," said Machado, who drives from St. Maries to attend NIC, on top of a part-time job and raising two teenagers. "I'm looking for a better job. I want to know how to get that job."

Hayden resident Leslie Danielson, 21, said she had just applied for a wildlife technician job and hoped the workshop could confirm if she did well.

Danielson, who admitted she hasn't gotten many callbacks on her applications, said she wanted help succeeding in the current job market, which she has found harder for applicants her age with less experience.

"Interviewing, definitely," she said of where she needed help. "I've had a lot of help with my cover letter and resume, but the interview is my weak spot."

J.P. Bruckner left the Department of Labor station after learning about a job website he hadn't known existed before, he said.

Bruckner has been job searching for months to support himself while he studies to become a physical therapist, he said.

He expects the knowledge he gleaned from the workshop to help, he said.

"I'll really take anything," he said of appealing jobs.

Besides obvious skills, Bruckner added, he's pretty sure what employers are looking for.

"The key is confidence," he said. "After that, it's really just if they like you."