Types of Interviews.pdf

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Types of Interviews

Home Careers Prepare For Interv iews Types of Interv iews

Whether you are preparing to interview for a summer job, graduate school, or a full-time position after graduation, you will

likely experience a variety of interview styles and formats. Depending on what you are applying for you may have just one

interview or experience multiple interviews during the interview proces s. If your interview proces s is made up of more than

one interview, you will almost certainly be exposed to multiple interview types, formats, and questions.

Interview TypesScreening Interview

Telephone Interview

Video Conferencing

One-on-One Interview

Panel Interview

Group Interview

General Group Interview/Information Sess ion

Sequential/Serial Interview

Interview FormatsBehavioural Interview

Situational Interview

Structured Interview

Unstructured Interview

Semi-Structured Interview

Case Interview

Testing/Assessment

Interview TypesScreening Interview

This type of interview is generally conducted by larger companies when there is a large applicant pool and is typically thefirst phase of selection. Screening interviews are us ed to ensure that the candidates meet minimum requirements and are

often conducted by a computer or by an interviewer from the human resources department who is skilled at determining

whether there is anything that might disqualify you from the position.

Tips:Highlight your qualifications and accomplishments using non-technical language - the HR professional is not

necessarily an expert in your field.

Answer questions clearly and succinctly - personality is not as important at this stage of the process.

If asked about s alary expectations , use a range make sure youve done your homework in this area.

If conducted by phone, have your resume beside you to refer to for dates and names.
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Telephone InterviewTelephone interviews are often used to screen candidates in order to narrow the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-

person interviews- and is a good way to minimize travel expenses! They can be challenging because you arent able to rely

on nonverbal communication or body language. You s hould prepare for this type of interview just as you would for a regular

interview so, if you are not given any warning and are not ready for an interview when called, politely request that the

interviewer call back at another mutually convenient t ime. This will allow you to refresh your memory on the organization

and be better prepared.

Tips:Have your resume, organization information, points that you want to highlight, and list of ques tions you may wantto ask in front of you - and have a short list of your accomplishments prepared to discus s.

Although youre not required to dress up, you may find that its easier to get into the interview mindset and feel

more confident when dressed professionally.

Have a pen and paper handy to keep notes or write down any ques tions that come up; keep a glass of water beside

you.

Close the door or ensure you are in a quiet setting to eliminate any potential distractions .

Speak slowly, enunciate clearly, and vary your voice tone, tempo, and pitch to keep the interviewers attention.

Provide short answers that make interchange eas ier on the phone; do not interrupt the interviewer.

Restate the question if you have not fully heard or understood it.

Smile even on the phone it will project a positive image.

Video ConferencingVideo conferencing is typically used to conduct interviews us ing video technology from a distance. The same interview

strategies you would use if you were meeting in person apply - clothing, body language, and dialogue are important.

Tips:Depending on the sophistication of the technology, you may experience short transmission delays so be sure to

take that into account when you are interacting with the interviewer.

Make eye contact with the camera, which, to the employer, appears as direct eye contact .

Check the monitor periodically to observe the interviewers body language.

One-on-One InterviewThe most common interview format is the one-on-one (or face-to-face). This interview is traditionally conducted by a direct

supervisor and if often the last s tep in a s eries of interviews. The interviewer may or may not be experienced in conducting

interviews and, depending on personality and experience, the interview may be directive following a clear agenda, or non-

directive relying on you to lead the discussion as you answer open-ended questions.

Tips:You will likely be asked a variety of interview questions, so be familiar with all of the different types of questions

so that you can adjust your answers appropriately.

It is important to be thoroughly prepared know the job and know yourself.

Panel InterviewA panel interview is conducted by two or more interviewers and is designed to reduce individual interviewer bias. It is very

common for entrance into graduate and professional schools. One member of the panel may ask all of the questions or

individual panel member may take turns.

Tips:Make eye contact with the person asking the questions, but also to give every member on the panel your attention,

regardless of if they ask any questions at all treat them all with equal importance.

Be prepared to extend more energy in this setting, as you need to be alert and responding to more people


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Group InterviewA group interview occurs when several candidates for a pos ition are interviewed s imultaneous ly. Group interviews offer

employers a sense of your leadership potential and style, and provide a glimpse of what you may actually be like as an

employee and how you would fit into the team. Candidates may also be asked to solve a problem together which allows

interviewers to assess candidates skills in action (e.g. teamwork).

Tips:Be aware of the dynamics established by the interviewer, try to discover the rules of the game.

Regardless of how you may feel about any member of the group, treat everyone with respect, and avoid power

struggles which make you appear uncooperative.

Give everyone a chance to speak and not monopolize the conversation.

Be aware that all interactions are being observed; dont let down your guard or lose your perspective.

General Group Interview/Information SessionThis approach is intended to save time and ensure applicants understand the basics of the job and organization by providing

large amounts of information. This process is usually followed by an individual interview.

Tip:To s tand out in a group setting, a well-timed and intelligent question may help the employer remember you

pos itively.

Sequential/Serial InterviewA sequential interview is conducted by two or more interviewers, separately or in sequence. The candidate either moves

from one location to another or stays in one room and while different interviewers join them. Sequential interviews involve a

number of first impression opportunities so be aware of how you present yourself each time. At the end of the process, the

interviewers meet to evaluate each applicant and make their decision.

Tip:If you have difficulties remembering what you have already said to one person dont be afraid to ask!

Interview Formats

Behavioural InterviewThe Interviewer will ask for specific examples from your past experiences to determine if you can provide evidence of your

skills in a certain area the best predictor of future behaviour is pas t behaviour. Although the interviewer is having you

recount stories from your past, they are really trying to imagine how you would handle similar situations in the future.

When deciding what examples from your past to use, cons ider the following:

The more recent the behaviour, the better its predictive power.

The more long-lasting the behaviour, the better its predictive power.

Prepare yourself for the probable skill areas the employer will be interested in and will, therefore, likely be askedabout in the interview. Determine this by reviewing the job description.

Situational InterviewThis format is highly structured in that hypothetical situations are described and applicants are asked to explain what they

would do in these situations. Interviewers may use a scoring guide consisting of sample answers to evaluate and score each

applicants answers.

Structured InterviewThis format combines the s ituational interview with a variety of other types of interview questions. Typically, each

candidate is asked the same set of ques tions and their answers are compared to a scoring guide and rated. The goal of this

approach is to reduce interviewer bias and to help make an objective decision about the best candidate.


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Unstructured InterviewQuestions here are based on the individuals application documents such as their rsum and so different variants of a

ques tion will be asked to each applicant. Without s tructured guidelines, the conversation can be free-flowing, thus making

this method of interviewing the most prone to bias, but allowing the interviewer to get a more natural and perhaps more

realistic sense of who you are. Although this type of interview may seem more casual, and may even occur over lunch or

dinner, you must still be well-prepared and maintain a professional demeanor. Be careful not to provide information you

would not have communicated if the interview was more structured.

Semi-Structured InterviewThis format is a blend of structured and unstructured, where the interviewer will ask a small list of similar questions to all

candidates along with some ques tions pertaining to your resume.

Case InterviewThe case interview format is popular among consulting firms. It gives the interviewer a good idea of you ability to s olve

problems on the spot an important s kill for any consultant. This interview format is also des igned to assess logical

thought processes, quantitative skills, business knowledge, general knowledge, creativity, and communication skills.

Testing/AssessmentIt is common for employers to use standardized tes ts or work simulation exercises to asses s a candidates fit to the position or

to tes t work-related competencies. Testing is usually done after an initial screening process and can be a very cos tly

proces s for the employer.

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