Types of Interview

Employers are constantly developing new types of job interview. Knowing about the main types of job interview can give you an advantage over other candidates. You can't predict the exact interview format you'll encounter, but if you understand the most common types of job interview, you're on the road to success.

Structured Competency-Based Interview Behavioral / Situational Job Interview Telephone Interview Panel Job Interview Technical Job Interview  Types of Job Interview How To Handle Them Structured Interview - Competencies The employer identifies the competencies (skills, abilities and experience) required for the role. They design the questions to test whether the candidate has these competencies. The questions are often phrased, "tell us about a time when." Review the job description / advert. Identify the types of skills, abilities and experience required for the role. (This may need lateral thinking). Think of examples in your career where you have demonstrated these. It may help to make notes. This means you'll be well-prepared for any competency-style question they ask. Behavioural job interview (situational job interview) Behavioural interviews are trying to suss out how you would act in certain situations. The interviewer wants to be able to predict how you would behave in the role, if they recruited you. So they ask hypothetical questions. These might be about a time in your past, or asking you to imagine yourself in a future situation. It's difficult to second-guess which questions might come up. So the best advice is to: Prepare as for Structured Competency Interviews Listen to the question. Make sure you have understood it. Take a moment to think about what they're looking for. Give an honest answer, but make sure you remain positive. If possible, back up your answer with an example. Telephone Interview 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. Find out more about telephone job interviews. Prepare as you would for a face-to-face interview. Dress smartly and arrange a time for the call when you're not at work and can finish the interview without interruptions. Be able to clearly explain why you think you're a suitable candidate. Pay special attention to the interviewer's tone of voice. Make sure you focus your attention on the interviewer and don't get distracted by other things in the room. Panel Job Interview 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. Prepare as for a normal interview. Don't let the thought of multiple interviewers stress you out. Focus on the person who asked you the question, but make good eye contact with all of them. 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 Interview 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. As long as you have the relevant experience, you should be fine with this type of job interview. Make sure you've fully understood the brief and keep your cool. If in doubt, ask them to clarify what they're looking for.