2. • As a job seeker you can expect to have a
number of interviews before getting a job
offer. Not all of these interviews will be the
traditional kind, where you meet the
interviewer one-on-one for a discussion.
3. • Regardless the type of interview, your goal
is to always come across as the best
candidate. Knowing in advance which
format you’ll be facing can help you
prepare effectively.
4. Screening Interview
• Before you even get asked in for an
interview, you might receive an initial
phone call from the employer.It could be
one of their Human Resources people
wanting to ask you a series of questions
that will help them decide if they want to
bring you in for a face-to-face discussion.
So be alert and on your best behaviour
when your phone rings.
5. Panel Interview
• It’s nerve-wracking enough to have one interviewer take
you through your paces. Imagine having two, three, or
even more people interviewing you all at once. That’s
what a panel interview is all about. It gives the employer
multiple opinions about you.
Your job is to engage each member of the panel when
answering a question. Start by making eye contact with
the person who has posed the query. Then gradually
shift your focus to each of the other panel members
while continuing to answer the question.
6. Stress Interview
• You’ve been given an “in-basket” full of tasks. The
interviewer gives you 20 minutes to sort through the
tasks and put them in the proper priority. Or part way
through the session, your interviewer suddenly starts
asking two or three questions a time, glaring at you when
you try to answer, then suddenly gets up and walks out
for a few minutes – no explanation supplied.
Chances are you’re being stress-interviewed. The
employer puts you under pressure to see how you react.
You show them what you’re made of by keeping your
cool. The more they continue to apply the tension, the
calmer you become.
7. Case Interview
• The employer gives you a problem or topic for which you
must prepare a presentation, either before arriving or
directly on the spot. They want to see how you
communicate your ideas in front of a small group.
That’s why you do your homework and show up ready to
perform. Keep in mind who your audience is, what they
might be expecting to hear, and the time limit you’ve
been given to make your pitch.
8. Beauty Parade
• Sometimes the employer has decided to hire you, but
asks you back just to meet a few more people. Probably
their objective is to make certain they haven’t missed
any obvious shortcomings that others might see in you.
You’re now in a beauty parade. Show up dressed
professionally, be enthusiastic, and don’t give them a
single reason to reconsider giving you the job offer.
These sessions tend to last no more than a half hour
each.
9. Behavioral Interviews
• Behavioral based interviewing is interviewing
based on discovering how the you acted in a
specific situation. The logic is that how you
behaved in the past will predict how you will
behave in the future.
• Instead of asking how you would behave, they
will ask how you did behave. The interviewer will
want to know how you handled a situation,
instead of what you might do in the future.
10. Performing Consistently
• From the screening interview to the final
interview, you’ll need to come across as
confident and upbeat. Having an understanding
of each interview format helps. You’ll know what
to watch for and how best to get yourself ready.
Being yourself each time you’re interviewed
makes for a consistent impression. The
employer then begins to trust you and feel more
comfortable. And you will naturally be at your
best no matter what kind of interview they throw
your way.