Thinking back, she says, "I fumbled. I didn't know if it was a trick question and whether I was supposed to give a smart answer or a flippant one." What she said, eventually, was: "The manholes in India are square."

The interviewer gave her a wan smile. The question was one that aspiring job candidates for Microsoft were often asked, he told her.

There's a lesson to be learnt here. Technical qualifications, impressive resumes and glowing references are all very well. They may, however, be no substitute for quick reflexes -- what students of management call 'thinking-out-of-the-box' -- and a lot of smart preparation.

GENERAL INTERVIEW

-- Handling tough questions -- Winning responses -- Inside the mind of a recruiter -- Potentially tricky questions -- Surviving tricky questions -- Top 10 interview tips -- What can you ask? -- Common mistakes -- Ease interview jitters -- Sample questions

When it comes to handling questions at an interview deftly, Sheetal's not the only one in the dark. Which is why it makes sense to pay more attention to possible queries. Start off with the more traditional ones like "Tell me about yourself?" and "Why do you want to work here?" You could check careerbuilder for a collection of other commonly asked questions.

For specialised fields, interviews go beyond the usual personal details and career goals and try assessing skills in areas that demand a certain level of proficiency. This article has a lot of helpful tips on surviving a 'technical' interview.

TECHNICAL INTERVIEW

-- Acing your tech interview -- Microsoft interview questions -- Inside job

There are lots of specialised resources online, such as the top ten questions and answers for XML Developers, technical interviews, tips from the College of Engineering, University of Texas and this IT World special report. Vault's interview guides concentrate specifically on the Internet, technology and science.

The pressure starts to build from here. The questions get tougher, but you can always prepare yourself. How do you convince an interviewer that you are the right person for the job? How can you explain a career change? Similar questions ought to be handled with a lot of care.

Suppose you were asked, "Why do you want to leave your present job?" Saying you didn't get along with a colleague may not be the best response. You might want to look at probable answers and other questions like these.

Then there are 'behavioural type' enquiries like "Tell me about a time when you worked with a team and found someone difficult to work with" or "What is the most difficult situation you have faced so far?" Preempting these questions is recommended because coming up with spontaneous answers can be difficult. Also, according to this feature, most technically competent professionals pay little attention to communication skills.

The questions posed at Microsoft are supposedly a favourite with interviewers. In most cases they check how quick and creative you are rather than the accuracy of your answers.

And yes, there are also several answers to the "Why is a manhole round?" conundrum.

None match Sheetal's reply. Now you know why she didn't get that job.

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