No way around it, one of the toughest jobs in America right now is Treasury Secretary.

Timothy Geithner has the horrifically huge task of overseeing the government’s plan to shore up the nation’s banks, and today he’s expected to introduce a detailed plan.

Now comes the hard part — selling the plan, something Geithner and the administration started doing over the weekend.

But there’s one problem.

The front guy on this effort is Geithner, and he has a confidence problem. Even people in the Democratic party are having trouble getting behind the secretary, and unfortunately, Saturday Night Live is already parodying him.

The former labor secretary under Clinton, Robert Reich, is also getting in on the bash-Geithner act. In his blog, which was picked up by the national media, Reich offers advice to President Obama: “You may not want to hear this, but your Treasury Secretary is making things worse. His dithering on what to do about Wall Street, and his incapacity to speak clearly to the Street and to the public about what needs to be done, is spooking everyone.”

My favorite comedian, Bill Maher, even compared Geithner to a deer in headlights last week:

If President Obama really wants to be transparent and level with the American people, he must replace Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner with an actual deer caught in the headlights. Interesting what makes them clap versus boo. It’s like Geithner could learn a thing or two about economic stimulus from the deer. For example, if you want to make a couple of bucks, you need a little dough up front.

Not a good comparison if you’re trying to infuse confidence into a financial system that is in desperate need of some confidence.

No one is even talking about this man’s credentials, which are incredible:

He served as president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and worked in three administrations for five Secretaries of the Treasury. He served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs under Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers. He was director of the Policy Development and Review Department at the International Monetary Fund and worked for Kissinger Associates, Inc. He’s a graduate of Secretary Geithner Dartmouth College nad has a master’s in International Economics from Johns Hopkins School.

Despite this resume, it’s his demeanor, his mettle that are questioned.

But right now, it’s not just Geithner that’s in trouble for his inability to garner faith.

If you’re looking for work or you’re worried about losing your job, and you consider yourself a bit wimpy, it’s time to stiffen your upper lip. It may even be time to run out and take an assertiveness training class.

Many of the job seekers and hiring managers I’ve been talking are seeing the importance of confidence.

One woman that will be in my MSNBC.com “Your Career” column next week told me she didn’t get a job because one of the many managers she interviewed with thought she was nervous even though she was perfect for the position.

Hiring managers and human resource professionals have also been singing the praises of more experienced workers and job applicants lately. They want someone who is confident and can keep a level head during these tough times.

Experience and training are all important, but just looking good on paper isn’t going to cut it folks, especially during a recession.

Time to do some role playing with friends before those interviews so you don’t come off as unnerved or intimidated. And, if you’re struggling to keep your gig you may want to take some chances right about now and show people how great and confident you are. Don’t hide under your desk.

The one thing Geithner has going for him, which many of you don’t, is a boss who’s got blind faith in him. Some have called for Geithner’s resignation, but President Obama has said even if Geithner was to hand in his resignation he wouldn’t accept it.

If you’ve got a boss like this, go head, hide under your desk. If not, it’s time to strengthen that backbone pronto.

What do you all think? How important is confidence in this economy?