Once you determine type of person interviewer is looking for, you then need to decide for yourself whether you could fit in that position. If they're looking for someone they can pay a low salary to (like what they'd pay someone right out of school), you may decide to decline offer. However, if you're not a recent grad but you're comfortable with taking a job that was designed for one, your next step becomes explaining to interviewer how you would be a good fit for job even though you're not a recent grad. You could talk about how you are open to new ideas/experiences, would love challenge of learning something new, and that salary is not of utmost concern to you because you are very interested in working for their company (or something along those lines).

Another possibility if you determine that they're looking for someone who's different from you is to explain how your skillset and attributes would be a better fit than what they originally had in mind. For example, if they're looking for a recent grad to do an accounts receivable job, you could tell a story about how you worked at a company once where they hired a recent grad to do A/R and it didn't work. This puts you in position of being a coach/advisor to interviewer, and your perspective may be something they hadn't thought of.

One of best ways to deal with strange interview questions is same way you deal with all kinds of interview questions: preparation. The Job Search Handbook (www.jobsearchhandbook.com) has a chapter on interviewing which can help you come up with a strategy to prepare for your interviews.

If position you're applying for requires specialized experience or knowledge, it is important that your resume communicate that you have that experience and knowledge. Here is where going into details is helpful. Going into details about work you did that is not relevant to position you're asking recruiter to consider you for could be detrimental because it can make your resume seem dauntingly long.

HOW TO GET HELP IMPROVING YOUR RESUME

The best ways to get advice on improving your resume are to talk to recruiters and hiring managers. And not just any recruiters and hiring managers: they should be people who are currently hiring or have recently hired someone with your background. You can find these people through networking with people you know, or through cold calling/cold emailing. With hiring managers, you can contact a company that hires people with your skills and try to get an informational interview with someone who manages people with your background. Even if this person is not hiring at moment, an informational interview will give you a chance to learn about industry and for you to ask them to critique your resume. You could present it that you want to learn about their company for future employment opportunities, even if they're not hiring now. People feel flattered if you tell them you like their company and want to learn more about it.

With recruiters, you can probably find one in your field by networking. You can also access directories of recruiters on sites like these: http://www.recruitersonline.com http://www.topechelon.com

Another avenue for networking to find hiring managers and recruiters is through various professional networking online forums. With these forums you can contact people working at specific companies and sometimes you can connect with a hiring manager or HR rep who might be willing to help give you feedback and information. WetFeet's site has some good forums along these lines: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/wf.htm

While not as good as getting information from "horse's mouth," another option is to connect with someone who recently landed same kind of job you're going for. You can do this through networking. After looking at their resume, you may notice things that may have given them an edge in getting noticed and considered by employer who ultimately hired them.

Resume writers and job coaches can be another source of information. The caveat here though is that many resume writers and job coaches have expertise in only certain fields. The ideal situation is to find a resume writer or job coach who has recently helped someone get placed in same position, or at least same field, that you're going for. You may be able to get a prospective resume writer to let you talk to someone they helped get placed recently as a reference to vouch for quality of their services.