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This article will give you twelve excellent ways in which you can maximise your interview skills, with a view to getting the job you desire. If you follow each of the following twelve rules, you will increase your chances of success immensely, and give yourself a terrific advantage.

Without more ado, here they are.

1) Do your homework. Preparedness is everything - find out as much as you can about your prospective employer. Use your local library or a business library, carry out research on the internet, make contact with someone at the company who can tell you about its history and culture. The more you know, the more it will show that you want to work there.

2) Be punctual. Discover beforehand exactly where the interview will take place, then work out exactly how you will get there and how much time you need to allow yourself. Factor in such things as traffic jams, rush hour and bad weather. Make sure you arrive ten or fifteen minutes early, at least.

3) Dress appropriately. Find out about the dress code for your prospective workplace and select clothes that will make sure you fit in. Is this a conservative suit-and-tie place, or a trendy jeans-and-sneakers outfit? When in doubt, though, dress up rather than down, just to be on the safe side.

4) Prepare for the questions the interviewer will ask you and the scenarios he or she will present. Some of these will be obvious ones: "What strengths will you bring to this role?" Some may be out of left field: "If you could be any famous person in history, who would you be?" You cannot prepare for every possible question the interviewer might ask, but cover the common ones, and include a few uncommon ones as well.

5) Talk the talk. There will be plenty of words and phrases specific to the industry or profession you have chosen. Especially if you are just starting out, or making a career change, make an effort to learn and master the language. However, avoid spouting half-understood buzzwords - this will not impress. Make sure you convey the fact that you understand what the words mean.

6) Use the "big-to-little" strategy, identified by career coach and author Wendy S Enelow. When asked, for example, about your experience of managing people, first give the interviewer the broad picture: "For three years I led a research and development team at Microsoft." Then focus on the smaller details, the specific ways in which you led the team: "I recruited, hired and mentored new team members during a very challenging phase of the

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