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While author and playwright Ellen Gordon Reeves taught writing at Columbia University, she became the resident expert on resumes and job hunting. The title for her new book, "Can I Wear My Nose Ring To An Interview?" comes from an actual question a student asked her.

Yet even those applicants whose questions aren't quite as colorful as the nose ring query can still find solid job hunting advice in the book.

First, even though digital communication is increasingly the norm, job seekers should still have paper resumes.

"I say always have a paper resume. If you're job hunting, you should always have that piece of paper with you. You never know who you'll meet, where," says Reeves.

That said, resumes should also be available in digital formats.

"You need a resume in a format that can't be corrupted, so you have to turn a resume into a PDF," says Reeves. "You have to mail it yourself and make sure it'll come, it'll be received the right way."

Traditional cover letters are also still relevant.

"A cover letter is something that really shows what you can do for me as the employer," says Reeves. "It shows whether you can write a letter, whether you can observe business conventions and it gives you a chance to highlight things that aren't on your resume. It's really an important piece of the whole package."

Simple strategies can make cover letters more effective.

"The most important line in a cover letter is the name of someone known to the reader. So say, 'Ellen Reeves suggested I write about this position,' but don't fake a connection," she says. "If we just met recently, say, 'I met at the home of a mutual friend and she suggested,' something that will absolutely get the cover letter picked up and paid attention to."

One interview strategy will never fail is a rewording of President John F. Kennedy, "Ask not what your company can do for you, ask what you can do for your company."

"What I care about, as the employer, is finding a dream employee," says Reeves. "It's not that I don't care about what you are interested in and your career goals and all that, but really, as an employer, I have a job to get done."

A follow-up, handwritten thank you note can seal the deal.

"A lot of employers say that the reason some people don't get jobs is they never ask for them. A thank you letter allows you to do that," says Reeves. "The more I heard about this job in the interview, the more I realized this is something that I think would really work."

Finally, NY1 asks Reeves, "Can I wear my nose ring to the interview?"

"I actually say yes. 'To thine own self be true,' but you have to understand whether the environment is a nose ring-friendly environment," says Reeves. "It really depends on the situation. But really, it's a question about how do I present myself professionally, and how can I do the homework to find out what the culture is at the organization to which I'm applying?"