Interview Types

Following are the different types of Interviews:



Structured Interviews

Þ    Review the job description / advert.

Þ    Identify the types of skills, abilities and experience required for the role. (This may need lateral thinking).

Þ    Think of examples in your career where you have demonstrated these. It may help to make notes.

Þ    This means you'll be well-prepared for any competency-style question they ask.

Þ    Prepare as for Structured Competency Interviews

Þ    Listen to the question. Make sure you have understood it. Take a moment to think about what they're looking for.

Þ    Give an honest answer, but make sure you remain positive. If possible, back up your answer with an example.

Panel Job Interviews:

Sometimes employers want candidates to be seen by a number of managers or peer-workers. A panel interview simply means a candidate meets multiple interviewers at once. They may play the "Good cop / Bad cop" routine, where one of them is aggressive and another sympathetic, to see how you perform under stress.

Handling Panel Job Interviews:

Þ    Prepare as for a normal interview. Don't let the thought of multiple nterviewers stress you out.

Þ    Focus on the person who asked you the question, but make good eye contact with all of them.

Þ    Don't be put off if one of them seems grumpy. But don't be lulled into a false sense of security if one seems very friendly.

Technical Job Interviews:

This usually refers to a "hands-on" interview. For example, an engineer might be expected to do some analysis of an engineering problem; a market researcher might be asked to analyse some data; a sales person might be expected to make a mock sales call. This type of interview is designed to predict how you would perform in the role.

Handling Technical Job Interviews:

Þ   As long as you have the relevant experience, you should be fine with this type of job interview.

      Þ    Make sure you've fully understood the brief and keep your cool.

      Þ    If in doubt, ask them to clarify what they're looking for.

Telephone Job Interviews:

This type of remote job interview can be a first point of employment screening. Although this may seem daunting, it's actually a good thing. It means your CV or resume impressed the recruiter enough to want to find out more. If you're called to a face-to-face interview, it means they're serious about you and not wasting your time.

Handling Telephone Job Interviews:

Þ    Prepare as you would for a face-to-face interview.

Þ    Dress smartly and arrange a time for the call when you're not at work and can finish the interview without interruptions.

Þ    Be able to clearly explain why you think you're a suitable candidate.

Þ    Pay special attention to the interviewer's tone of voice.

Þ    Make sure you focus your attention on the interviewer and don't get distracted by other things in the room.

To prepare for a phone interview, it's critical to:         

Þ    Set the call up for a time when you're able to relax and not be disturbed. This might mean asking to be called outside of office hours.

Þ    Don't do it at work. You'll be too nervous to do yourself justice. And what would happen if your boss walked in?

Þ    Dress as you would for a face-to-face interview. Sit upright in your chair and hold the phone as you would at work. All of this helps you present a professional image. If you're at home, in your jeans and lounging on the sofa, you could come across as being too laid back.

Þ    Really listen. You can't see the interviewer, so you'll need to concentrate on their tone of voice and what they're saying. You might be surprised how much information a "pregnant pause" can give you.

Þ    Think about your body language. Try to imagine the other person sat on their end of the phone and move your body as though you were looking at them in a normal conversation. If you would normally smile, then smile. This will help you avoid sounding "wooden" on the phone.