In 2000 I lost my job. I didn't worry about it because I knew (I thought) my skills were much in demand. After thousands of resumes and many dozens of interviews (more like cattle-calls) I revised my opinion. I even tried a coach who urged me to be empathetic and malleable (!). He wanted me to become the Chameleon that could be anything that any audience might want. Screw that!
I was working temp jobs when I accepted an interview for a job that I really wanted (as opposed to just another gig). I decided to try a different approach. I had mostly interviewed well in the past - consistently finishing in the final five (and in several cases final two) but wasn't closing the deal. Instead of passively answering questions which are designed to place you on the defensive and winnow out the square pegs, I would take a more aggressive stance and drive the events. Throughout the interview process (there were three separate interviews) I stuck to a consistent theme: "I will save you money because I work safe, I work smart, and I work hard". I was prepared with strong examples of each facet, anticipating not only their next question but their objections as well.
The closest I came to butt-kissing was when I had the interview with what would become my boss. I told her that, "in my opinion my job is to make you look good. When I perform well people notice and it reflects well on you. If I crew up people immediately look at you as co-equal in blame. My job is to make sure people look at you approvingly".
Of course it does help that I believe that ;')
Remember the three rules of a good presentation: Tell them what you're going to tell them; tell them; and then tell them what you told them.
My statement about saving them money is an example of telling them what you're going to tell them. Fleshing out the claim with specific, relevant (to their organization) examples is telling them. And finishing with a strong, confident close is telling them what you told them.
One more anecdote: During a particularly dry spell when I couldn't scare up a decent interview for love nor money, I interviewed for several jobs I didn't care about. I did so to hone my skills and try out techniques that I didn't dare try on a "must win" interview, and to keep my spirits up. That last part is crucial. It is demoralizing as all get-out to want to work and not be able to do so. It's also one of the most stressful things in a man's life. Your husband is a lucky guy to have someone on his side. It's killer to go it alone.