If Woody Allen is right that 80 percent of success is showing up, then Deb Gray would like to add that a key part of showing up is getting there on time.

Ms. Gray owns a franchise of Express Employment Professionals in McKees Rocks, one of the three Express Employment offices in the Pittsburgh area. It's a full-service staffing agency that works with employers to find entry level workers all the way up to managers.

She said for those who want to make a good impression on a job interview, the first step is to get there on time -- or even better, a little early.

That advice goes for all job seekers, those who are newly in the job market and those with years of experience. You can't make a good first impression when that impression is that you are late.

Ms. Gray said that besides figuring out what they want to do, job seekers also should figure out what they can do. For instance, someone without a car can't work the night shift in a location far from mass transit. Or someone who must be home to get their children from child care by 6 p.m. cannot take a job that ends at 6 p.m.

She also advises job seekers to do an honest self-assessment: "How adaptable are you? What are you good at? What do you enjoy? What are you willing to learn?"

Once they have answered those questions, they also should be open to some retraining or learning experiences, possibly taking a job that pays less than they wanted because it will get them through the door to other opportunities.

"Businesses simply need people who are dependable," she said.

"It's so sad how many opportunities people have, and two days later they are calling off work," she said. When that happens -- when just days after they get a job, they can't come in to work -- "They have blown that opportunity."

Ms. Gray's own background is in retail and not just on the sales floor. She worked for 33 years for the Sears department store chain in about six different careers. She started in a Sears store in high school and worked through college. Ultimately she was overseeing store construction for the company in a job that carried her all over the country. She came back home, still traveling with Sears and as a vice president of the flooring company Empire Today until she stepped out of the corporate world to buy her own business.

Pittsburgh, she said, is known for the work ethic of people here. And opportunities are still here, if people are willing to be flexible in their job hunts.

At the moment, there are jobs open at a wide range of salaries. Ms. Gray said her firm has been handling jobs with annual salaries ranging from $27,000 to $45,000. Their are currently openings ranging from mail room up to machinists, human resources and even logistics.

"They're out there," she said.

The difference between employers now vs. when the economy was humming is that more companies are hiring people on a temporary basis to see if they work well with the company, then extending the offer of a permanent placement if it works out.

Ms. Gray called those "evaluation hires," during which time the company and the employee try each other out. If it doesn't work out, either party can call it quits, and it was just a temporary gig -- no bad mark on a resume.

She said people should prepare themselves for rejection after an interview so they don't give up if they don't get the job.

Still, they can increase their odds by paying attention to the basics.

"Don't wear sweats to an interview. Don't wear shorts to an interview. Don't bring your children to an interview," she said. They are all signs that you don't take your career seriously.

"If you take pride in yourself, you can make something happen."