8 interview types and ways to handle them

Did you know there are 8 main job interview types?

Interviewer-Interviewee:

This is a one-on-one with you and the company representative interviewing you. Generally these are less formal and the interviewer will have the authority to hire you if he feels you will be an asset to the company. It is important to maintain eye contact throughout the interview.

Hot Tip To maintain eye contact does not mean to stare. Use the power of eye contact wisely. It is a means of demonstrating that you are both confident and resolute in being good enough to get that job.

With a committee:

You are interviewed by a panel or a board of people that will determine if you are the best candidate for the available position. It is important to direct your attention to the person asking the question. Maintain eye contact with those on the board and if possible address them by their names when answering questions. This will make you appear personable and interested in them.

On-the-spot:

You will find this type of interview happens mostly at job fairs, and other large interview gatherings. These are impromptu and generally are the pre-formal-interview types during which the interviewers will ask questions to determine if you are an appropriate candidate to call for a formal interview.

In an out-of-office setting:

Although this interview is not one of the more common types, a dinner-setting interview is something that does happen. When in such a setting, and offered to order first, choose something off the menu that is as easy to eat as possible. Be prepared for a quick-topic-changing conversation. Keep your conversation flexible between informal and business talk. Stay alert especially when the conversation tends to the informal.

On the phone:

Stay calm. Because they cannot see your face, the interviewer will make out who you are by the way in which you present yourself through your voice. Try to make your surroundings as quiet as possible so you can concentrate and be heard clearly. Keep a pad of paper and a pen to take notes when and where necessary.

Group setting:

In this type of interview you will be meeting the group or the team in which you will be working if you get hired for the job. Members of the team will ask you several questions trying to evaluate how you would relate to others/their ideas, how much you will be able to contribute to the success of the team, etc. The most important thing to remember in this type of setting is to remain personable and friendly. You want them to remember you are someone who is capable of being (and willing to be) a team player.

The ‘calm test’ interview:

When the job for which you are applying involves a lot of stress you will be given a ‘calm test’ interview. This is to gauge how you will react when facing stressful circumstances. How you react in this interview will be the deciding factor with you either getting or losing the job. It may happen by the interviewer making you wait for long periods of time in between interview rounds, or it may be in the way questions are worded are directed strongly at the individual. The thing to remember is to just stay calm. They are trying to test how much external pressure you can take. Stay calm!

The next visit:

This kind of interview happens after you pass the first round of interviews. The kind of questions you will be asked will likely be more in-depth questions asked by those to whom you will be reporting to in the future, should you get the job. They may even ask you some of the same questions asked to you previously to cross-check your answers. Don’t panic. Stick to the truth. Be confident. You’ve been invited to the next round of interviews because they thought you were worth it.

S.C. Mishra is a well-know career counsellor with many years of experience in career counselling and education. Has written articles for an Indian job site. Some articles written by the author are included in Career Resources, and a Blog - Indiajobsite.blogspot.com