You better be on your toes when speaking with HR, because she's looking for reasons to eliminate you from the hiring process. What are your strategies for preparing for a job interview. Post your thoughts below.  Why? First, companies receive hundreds of resumes for every open position.  Secondly, HR folks are responsible for eliminating unqualified applicants along with those who lie about their credentials or might cause a row in the workplace. In fact when qualified candidates are hard to find, HR reverses course and recruiters start looking for reasons to screen candidates in rather than out. However, unless you’re a highly sought software engineer or mobile app developer, chances are HR will be looking for reasons to eliminate you from the pack. So how do you make it past them? Just in time for the Final Four, here's some tips.

1. Watch Film: In other words, take the time to understand your opponent’s tendencies and moves. Watch videos and read articles that teach HR professionals how to interview and screen out risky candidates. Put another way, get inside their heads.
2. Develop a Game Plan: If you fall into a trap, blame yourself. There are literally thousands of articles on the Web that tell you how to answer wacky or gotcha interview questions. You know you’ll be asked why you left your last job and how much you currently earn, so get out that whiteboard and draw up some plays to counter your opponent’s moves.
3. Practice: Seriously, do you think you’ll prevail without role-playing or rehearsing your answers? Maybe you should ask Bobby Knight about that.
4. No Lead is Safe: Don’t let your guard down no matter how well things seem to be going. Remember, the hiring process doesn’t end until you cut down the net.