v Contents Introduction 1 1 Know your enemy 3 Understanding interviewers What do they want? 3 What sort of things are they looking for? 4 What will happen at the interview? 4 What sort of questions will they ask? 5 How do they know what they're looking for? 6 2 Prepare yourself 10 What you need to know before the interview What should you prepare? 11 Exhibit 1: Evidence that you meet their needs 11 Exhibit 2: Reassuring answers and explanations 14 Exhibit 3: Industry knowledge 16 Exhibit 4: The reasons you want this job 20 3 Answering questions 21 What the interviewer will ask and what you need to tell them Make a good impression 21 Three cardinal rules 24 4 Starting the interview 26 What to expect from the interview and how to begin confidently 5 Questions they ask everybody 32 Standard questions you should prepare for 6 Questions for practical jobs 41 Core question, `Are you reliable?' Professional knowledge 50