If you have an interview tomorrow or in the next couple of hours and you are expecting some miracle to happen at the end of this article which will convert you into that incredible superhuman the employers are looking for, then I'm afraid you would have to close this page and continue your search on the ever-so-loved Google.

On the contrary, if you are one of those who are looking at mastering this incredible art of war.... Congratulations, you've hit the right page... And no.. you do not get an early bird prize for hitting this page!

Before you go through this article, I expect you to have gone through the numerous other articles on interview tips that you can Google up whenever you want coz this article takes up exactly where others leave.

And yes, before it all.. make sure you read up (or at least attempt to) a book by Sun Tzu called "The Art of War" which will equip you with the basics to emerge a winner at this battle and every other battle in life.

Before the War

It's impossible to over prepare for an interview. Develop as confident a delivery as possible by practicing responses alone or with family and friends. People can find it difficult to talk about their talent and ability. The more you practice, the less alien it will sound. But even before that, prepare your advertisement... And prepare it damn well.

You call it CV, Resume, Bio-Data etc.. but to give it one word, I'd call it, your "advertisement"; it's a written advertisement calling customers to hire you! Treat your CV as the initial promotional campaign for a product that you are about to launch.. You don't want it to be shabby, do you?

While preparing, keep in mind STP (Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning), extremely important! Know your enemy well... As according to Sun Tzu in The Art of War "A good general feeds off his enemies".

1. Not all interviewers are alike. Hence, it is extremely important to draw a psychographic image of your interviewer and predict his interests based on his age, qualification, designation and industry/job type. Example, you cannot expect the financial head of a bank to buy an introduction that you prepared for Creative Director of an Ad Agency. Hence, prepare introductions well in advance based on different industry types and temperaments.

2. Understand the management style of the interviewer (the primary one if there are more than one), and present your strengths accordingly. Example, focus on your people management skills when interviewing to a sales head but your people management skills are of no interest to a finance head.. focus on your analytical abilities and your love for numbers here.

3. Arrive with plenty of time ... There's more to this than showing evidence of punctuality. You may be interviewing in a different department, building, town or city. Arriving early gives you the time to get used to this new environment and eliminate some of the feelings of the unknown. You may need to cool down, catch your breath or put the final touches to your appearance. Now is also the time to switch off those mobile phones! And then is the time to silently sketch that long awaited psychographic profile that can take you a long long way.

4. Most importantly, do NOT read up too much on interview tips and body language. The nagging nature of these articles often destroys more than they create. Usually, the contrasting opinions from different authors leave the readers in a highly perplexed state of mind often disabling their natural talent.

On the Battleground

A smile and firm handshake go a long way. Even if you feel like a rabbit in headlights, cover it with a bright smile. You could be in competition with candidates with similar experience and qualifications. Interviewers may be analyzing you for the 'right fit'. You are more likely to be seen as a person that can join an existing team if you appear confident and approachable.

Change Roles
Try to analyze the interview as if you were the interviewer. What would you be looking for in a candidate? How is your experience or your qualifications interesting to the interviewer? What would you like to hear if your roles were reversed?

Think about those questions then try to tailor your responses towards them. Don't forget that there is more to a role than duties and responsibilities. You are selling yourself as a package. 90% of the interviewees would be having the same skill sets that you do.. so what makes u different!

Be Heard!
Interview trepidation can sell you short. Complacency is equally destructive, especially when interviewing for positions familiar to you within the sector. Obliterate both with a controlled, professional approach and you're on the way to that dream post.

Firstly, one should be loud enough to be heard with a pleasing sound pitch. The variation in your voice and a well-controlled pitch and tempo can magnify the effect or your words by several times. Being vociferous would mean that you're uncivilized and being inaudible would imply you're under-confident.

The second aspect is spontaneity. Prepare yourself well to answer anything. He is rarely testing you on historical data etc. but he often tests on how active and spontaneous you're.

Lastly nothing can substitute a concrete in-depth knowledge. If you know all the questions he's to ask you and answer them well in time, I'm sure you'll be hired. Know your subjects/ job you did last/projects done etc... Very well.

Concentrate on Listening
Listening is highly valued. Show you can listen and are interested in what the interviewer says. Maintain eye contact. This is especially important when interviewing for a post within a familiar environment, such as with departmental promotion.

Humour
Humour can make or break an interview depending on the interviewer's mood and profile. Do make an attempt at introducing a few smart answers if you think the interviewer will appreciate it.

Show Don't Tell
Examples of your skills are incredibly powerful. 'I'm good at teamwork' is a vague statement. Evidence of your ability is much more effective - 'When the department adopted new targets some junior team members struggled to control their workload and I was involved in an initiative to help them cope.'

Lie gracefully
When it comes to proving your skills through small real life examples, lie gracefully. Be spontaneous with your lies only if you are a pro at this. If you consider yourself an amateur at the heavenly skills of lying, prepare yourself well beforehand.

A couple of lies about your past achievements can always put you in the limelight. But remember to only cover events that cannot be substantiated by evidence. Example, do not lie about your scores or achievement in a competition. They just might ask for your certificates!

Ask Don't Grill
Asking questions at interview is as important as answering them. Despite popular belief, now is NOT the time to begin probing and prodding about detailed job role, terms and conditions, salaries, perks. You're interested in this role and show how you can contribute to it.

Finally.. and most importantly

Fake it, till the time you make it

Whoever said "honesty is the best policy" had no clue of the corporate world. It's not about who you are, but about who others think you are. It's not about what you know; it's about what others think you know.

Its not about how perfect you are for the job, it's about how perfectly you fake yourself as perfect for the job!

So go ahead, fake it, till the time you make it!