You have the chance to dazzle potential employers during interviews with your expertise and charm. To determine a candidate’s suitability for a certain post, interviewers ask them various questions. Companies may use several interview types to narrow down their candidates depending on the job currently open and the stage of the hiring process. In this post, we’ll look at 10 distinct interview types and provide you with practical advice to improve your chances of getting hired for each one.
What Are The Different Interview Types?
Companies assess candidates using a variety of interview types. Most of the time, they would let you know in advance what kind of interview to anticipate. Here are the top 10 interview types used by organizations when hiring:
In-person interviews
In an in-person interview, you and the hiring manager will meet face-to-face person to go over your qualifications. An employer, manager, member of the HR department, or outside recruiting consultant that the business has hired may conduct this interview type. Typically, this interview type is conducted on the business’s grounds. The interviewer often moves on to evaluating your field of study after asking broad questions about your abilities, education, and experience.
Preparation Tips
While getting ready for these interview types, do some research on the business and its work environment. You may have an edge over other applicants if you thoroughly comprehend the business strategy and work ethics of the organization. Your body language is a crucial factor to consider when participating in interviews held in person. The interviewer can tell a lot about your personality by the way you move, sit, and speak. Go to this interview type in comfort and with confidence. Take advantage of the chance to make a good impression on the person who interviews during this one-on-one meeting.
Panel interview
You would answer inquiries from several interviewers in a panel interview type. People from several departments or specialties may be on the interview panel. The panel typically decides whether to choose you for the position as a whole. For instance, a project manager, human resources manager, and expert in the field might be on the interview panel. The project manager may concentrate on your team fitness, the human resources manager may assess your long-term career aspirations and compensation expectations, and the subject area expert may assess your depth of knowledge.
Preparation Tips
In a panel interview, you must astonish each interviewer to improve your chances of getting the job. When you walk inside the interview room, say hello to the panel members. Maintain eye contact with every panelist throughout this interview type. However, address the interviewer who posed the question to you directly in your response. Make sure your responses to inquiries and rebuttals from various interviewers are uniform.
Group interviews
Companies interview multiple candidates at once in this interview type. Group interview types are frequently used by businesses when they need to hire several candidates quickly. The interviewer has the option of posing questions to the whole group at once or to each candidate separately. To evaluate your interpersonal, teamwork, and communication abilities, they might also invite you to engage in conversation with other applicants or even assign you a task to do in a group.
For instance, the interviewer can request that all of the applicants break up into many small teams. To comprehend one another, each team may need to engage with its members. The person conducting this interview type may ask each applicant for their perspective on who would make an excellent leader for their team and the reason why after giving the group some opportunity to talk.
Preparation Tips
Look for opportunities to differentiate yourself from other candidates in a group interview type. Whenever necessary, state your opinion plainly and authoritatively. Pay close attention to what others are saying. Be courteous to opposing candidates and respect their opinions. Make an effort to come across as a happy person with a proactive mindset.
Telephone interviews
Companies frequently employ telephone interview types to narrow down potential candidates for a later in-person interview. Employers might perform the telephone interview in the first phase of interviews when there are numerous rounds scheduled for a vacancy. They might inquire about your background and the reasons you applied for the employment, among other simple things. They might call you for an in-person interview type if they choose to proceed with your choice.
Companies may need to evaluate your telephone abilities if you apply for certain job types, such as telemarketing, receptionist, and voice-based call center work. In such situations, employers might conduct a second round of candidate selection through telephone interview types. Similarly to this, a telephone interview can be used as an official interview for remote jobs.
Preparation Tips
Being able to consult your notes while doing a telephone interview has its benefits. However, make an effort to approach it like you would an official in-person interview. Keep in mind that, unlike in an in-person interview, where body language and gestures are additional forms of communication, you are only allowed to communicate through your voice. Therefore, be careful to speak clearly and concisely without taking any unnecessary breaks. For this interview type, try to choose an area that is calm and uncluttered.
Video interviews
When a candidate cannot attend an in-person interview, companies frequently arrange video interview types. This is especially common for remote roles. You can use a PC, laptop, or smartphone to participate in a video interview. Installing the teleconferencing program that your employer employs for this interview type may be necessary.
Preparation Tips
You can get ready for a video interview exactly like you would for a conventional in-person interview type when it comes to interview questions. Dress professionally in neat, clean attire. you should have a reliable, speedy internet connection. Locate a peaceful area with a plain background, then set up your workspace efficiently.
Off-site interviews
The majority of off-site interviews are informal in style. You might receive an invitation from the hiring manager to meet privately over dinner or lunch. During these interview types, your manners and personality might be more in the spotlight. The interviewer may watch you gauge how well you interact with others and behave at meals.
Preparation Tips
Despite the interviewer’s best efforts to make you feel at ease by fostering a relaxed environment, always conduct yourself professionally. If you must place an order, pick an item that will allow you to converse while you eat. Eat and drink mindfully to avoid spilling anything on the dress or table.
Stress interviews
Companies employ stress interview types to observe a candidate’s behavior under pressure. If you are looking for a position with a high level of stress, you can experience this interview type. Your capacity to handle tough clients, work in a multitasking atmosphere, and solve challenging challenges may be evaluated during the interview.
Preparation Tips
The interviewer could ask you strange questions, interrupt frequently, quicken the interview, be nasty to you, act strangely, or ask you to complete an odd job to make the setting stressful. Although you might feel uneasy or scared, keep your cool, act politely, and concentrate on finding a solution.
Be prepared for certain typical stress interview questions and remarks, such as:
- I believe you are unsuitable for this role.
- How would you react if you were accused of stealing?
- How would you approach a customer to make a sale?
- That response is clichéd. Please tell me something new.
Breathe deeply, gather your composure, and proceed at your own pace. Attempt to maintain a smile and a positive attitude throughout the interview.
Structured interviews
In structured interview types, each candidate is asked the same set of questions. The interviewer then contrasts the contenders’ responses to determine which is best. In a structured interview, you may be asked either open-ended or close-ended questions. Closed-ended questions typically demand you to pick the best response from a range of options. There are many possible responses to open-ended questions, and you may be able further to elaborate on your answer.
Preparation tips
Searching for typical interview questions and coming up with responses in advance is the simplest approach to getting ready for a structured interview. What abilities do you have that will enable you to succeed in the job at hand?
Unstructured interviews
In an informal interview type, the interviewer can modify the questions and pose additional inquiries in reaction to your answers. They may have a few pre-planned questions in mind, but as the interview goes on, they may change or add to their list.
Preparation tips
Prepare for the typical types of questions about your field of expertise to do effectively in an unstructured interview type. Focus on comprehending the reasoning behind the answers rather than memorizing the answers.
Case interviews
When doing a case interview type, the interviewer will present you with a problem or describe a circumstance before asking you to offer a solution. The issue or circumstance can be hypothetical or based on personal experience. Your ability to solve problems at work will be put to the test.
Preparation tips
Take your time to listen and focus on the specifics. Analyze the current circumstance and make an effort to offer a workable answer that is appropriate for it.
Benefits And Drawbacks Of Interviews
The following are some benefits and drawbacks of interviews:
Five benefits of interviews
The following is a list of potential benefits from interviews:
1. Choosing the best applicants for the job
Interviewing has the benefit of perhaps helping you choose the best candidate for the job. When an applicant applies for a job, you can know some basic information about them through their Resume and cover letter, but interviews can reveal more specific information about their qualifications and character. In an interview, the expert can comment on the details in their CV and offer tales, which could help you better understand their skill set than if you only looked at their CV.
Furthermore, an interview gives you the chance to see how a professional responds to pressure-filled circumstances like an interview. You can predict how someone will do at work by knowing how they respond to these situations. Meetings could also help you figure out the amount of training the candidate would need.
2. Carrying out thorough assessments
During interviews, both the interviewer and the applicant can envision how they will complement one another’s lives and advance their careers. When you ask a prospect the proper questions during an interview, you can see how informed they are about their field. The interviewer’s detailed explanations of the job’s duties and the workplace culture will also help the candidate decide if this is the right job for them.
The candidate’s educational history, including the degrees and certificates they have obtained, as well as their soft and hard talents, might be discussed in detail during an interview. When interviewing a candidate who is changing careers, for instance, you might focus more on their soft skills than their technical talents. Their soft talents are adaptable skills that they may use in a variety of jobs and industries, such as teamwork and communication.
3. Getting to know both the applicant and yourself thoroughly
A key objective of an interview is frequently thoroughly getting intimately acquainted with the candidate. You can learn about a professional’s advantages and disadvantages. Knowing their assets can help you decide how to best use their skills within the organization. The subject of the interview may also go over the areas where they are making changes.
You might learn more about your professional self during an interview, such as your management and leadership style. Understanding these elements of yourself will help you become a better professional and can improve your interviewing abilities, which could result in meetings that go more smoothly.
4. Developing stronger customer ties
Since you are conversing with a potential client when you speak with prospects, this benefit may be experienced. Interviews may offer information about what customers want, need, and think about the business, which you can use to influence investors and other management experts. Salary and other staff retention data are frequently relevant when businesses compete with one another. Candidates can be questioned about expected salaries and the reasons they left their previous employers.
It may also be beneficial to inquire about any retention strategies their previous employer may have used, and to confirm that your employer will be able to give them the answer. For instance, if a candidate says they want to gain promotion with fair compensation, you might collaborate with the business to make sure this happens to keep their talent.
5. Making similar prospects stand out
An interview might help you distinguish between similar candidates depending on their resumes and cover letters. Interviews can be scheduled with each similar applicant to get to know them and see how well they might get along with the other employees. You may discover special abilities or capabilities that the applicant did not include in their application materials.
Five drawbacks of interviews
The following is a list of probable interview drawbacks you might experience:
1. Managing one’s prejudices
Managing your biases could be a disadvantage during an interview. Stereotypes cannot be considered biases since stereotypes are based on facts, whereas biases are based on your opinion. For instance, you would prefer a candidate for a position to have a marketing degree, thus you might consider a candidate ineligible if they have a communication degree but still possess the same skill set.
Ask a colleague from your organization to take part in the interview with an applicant to see if they are a suitable fit for the position to avoid this prejudice. Getting a second person’s perspective may assist prevent your own biases from playing a role in the decision to hire a candidate.
2. Making hasty judgments about individuals
It can be difficult to make hiring decisions during an interview because you might do so during the first few moments of the conversation. It is difficult since you could unintentionally miss crucial details the candidate discloses about their qualifications later on in the interview. To prevent this, make an effort to pay attention to the person during the entire conversation and probe further when they share new details about themselves.
3. Fostering stereotyping
Introducing stereotypes might provide several difficulties during an interview. A stereotype is a preconceived notion about a particular group of people. Ask fair and pertinent questions regarding a candidate’s abilities, credentials, and other situational inquiries to understand them as a professional to prevent projecting prejudices onto them during an interview. To ensure impartiality, it is crucial to ask the same questions of all candidates.
4. Dealing with uncertain results
Although it is not always accurate, interviews can give you helpful perspectives into how an employee might behave at work. A candidate may provide one response to the inquiry while displaying a different response in other scenarios. There isn’t a way to guarantee that a candidate’s response to a question is entirely accurate and reflects their behavior, thus occasionally it may be incorrect.
5. Confirming the facts of the candidate
A professional might discuss several important things in an interview, like the work they accomplished for their previous employer. For instance, someone can claim that they boosted their current business’s sales by 20% in the last year, but it might be difficult to verify their claim. You could ask the expert for a couple of references to prevent this. Before hiring them, you can then get in touch with the people who have been provided as their references to verify their statements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, being aware of different interview types and preparing accordingly can significantly enhance your chances of success. Whether it’s a traditional face-to-face interview, a panel interview, a behavioral interview, or a technical interview, understanding the unique aspects and expectations of each type is crucial. By researching and familiarizing yourself with the interview format, practicing relevant skills and responses, and adapting your preparation approach accordingly, you can confidently navigate any interview situation. Remember to stay adaptable, showcase your strengths, and effectively communicate your qualifications and experiences. With thorough preparation and a tailored approach, you can increase your confidence and present yourself as the ideal candidate for the job. Good luck with your interview preparations!
Frequently Asked Questions About Interview Types
- What are the different interview types that I may encounter?
There are various interview types, including traditional face-to-face interviews, panel interviews with multiple interviewers, behavioral interviews that assess past experiences, technical interviews that test specific skills, and virtual interviews conducted remotely. Understanding the different interview types will help you prepare accordingly.
- How should I prepare for a panel interview?
To prepare for a panel interview, research the backgrounds and roles of each panel member, if possible. Anticipate that each panelist may have different areas of focus and tailor your responses accordingly. Practice maintaining eye contact and engaging with each panelist individually. Prepare examples and stories that demonstrate your skills and experiences to address the diverse perspectives of the panel.
- What should I expect in a behavioral interview?
In a behavioral interview, expect questions that ask about specific situations you’ve encountered in the past. Prepare examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. Focus on highlighting your problem-solving abilities, teamwork skills, and leadership experiences. Practice articulating these examples concisely and with clear outcomes.
- How can I prepare for a technical interview?
For a technical interview, review the specific technical skills and knowledge required for the role. Brush up on relevant concepts and technologies, and practice solving technical problems or coding challenges. Familiarize yourself with the company’s products, services, or industry trends, as technical questions may be tailored to their specific context.
- What are some tips for preparing for virtual interviews?
To prepare for a virtual interview, ensure that you have a stable internet connection and access to a quiet, well-lit environment. Familiarize yourself with the video conferencing platform that will be used, and test your audio and video settings in advance. Dress professionally, as you would for an in-person interview. Practice maintaining eye contact with the camera and minimizing distractions. Consider your background and ensure it is clean and professional-looking.
Remember, while these are common questions about interview types, it’s important to research and prepare specifically for the type of interview you will be facing to tailor your approach and increase your chances of success.
- Tips for Using The STAR Interview Response Technique
The STAR interview approach is a methodology that aids in your preparation for questions that assess your ability to deal with particular job-related events. The situation, Task, Action, and Result are abbreviated as STAR. You can use examples from everyday life to develop clear, succinct responses using this technique.
Employing managers conduct behavioral interviews to ascertain a candidate’s suitability for a position. By employing this technique, you can guarantee that you are completely answering the interviewer’s question and also highlight how you’ve been able to overcome obstacles in the past to achieve success.
Here are some extra details on behavioral questions as well as some advice for maximizing the STAR method in your upcoming interview.
- What Are Behavioral Questions?
The behavioral interview is performed to find out how you have conducted yourself in past professional settings. Companies are searching for samples of your prior actions and your responses that could indicate how you could behave in similar circumstances in the future. These inquiries tend to be more open-ended and frequently ask you to provide anecdotes or instances from your prior employment.
- Examples of STAR interview questions
Below are a few instances of behavioral interview questions you can encounter.
- Give an example of a moment at work when you encountered a challenging issue. How did you come up with the solution?
- Give an example of a moment when your work was particularly demanding. How did you respond?
- Tell me about a time when you committed a mistake. How did you manage it?
- Describe a situation when you had to make a tough choice. How did you act?
- Describe a scenario when you relied on reasoning or evidence to support a recommendation.
- Describe a situation when you and your supervisor disagreed. How did you solve the issue?
- Describe a situation in which you had to break bad news. What was your method?
- Describe a moment when you collaborated with staff from other departments to finish a project.
- Give an instance when you stumbled. What did you take away from the encounter?
- Tell me about a moment when you established a goal and subsequently attained it.