There are various formats for job interviews and employers will choose a format that meets their needs.
Learning about the different types of interviews will help you prepare when you get the call.
This will allow the interviewer and the interviewee to get to know each other in a formal meeting. The person conducting the interview could be a: recruiter, hiring manager, direct supervisor, or company owner (usually for a small organization). Although this interview may feel more comfortable, keep in mind that you only get one shot at successfully impressing one person.
A type of screening interview conducted via video. The interview questions will be presented to you in either text or video form from the recruiter, and you record your answers via video. Once you have recorded and submitted your responses, the recruiter or hiring manager will review your interview on their own time. This type of interview can be beneficial as every interviewee receives the same format, questions, and time limit – it levels the playing field. More than one person could review the video and it gives you an opportunity to connect with more than one person.
The interview is conducted in an informal setting, somewhere other than the office. It could be an invitation to have coffee with a potential future employer or co-worker; it may be done over the phone; or it may even be done through email. The purpose is to talk with the candidate in a more comfortable setting, and to get a better sense of the candidate in settings other than a work environment. Even though it is called ‘informal’ it needs to be treated equal to a regular job interview.
This is two or more interviewers conducting an interview while taking turns asking the candidate questions. It is used to get more than one person’s opinion of the candidate, and to determine how the candidate will communicate with more than one person from the team or from another department. Keep in mind that all people in the room are an important part of the interview so remember to make eye contact with everyone.
Many candidates are invited to an interview at the same time (“cattle call”), and face either a panel of interviewers or an individual interviewer. The purpose is to screen candidates by observing how they act among their peers. Employers use this type of interview to save time if there are many candidates. Sometimes candidates will answer the same questions, and other times each candidate is asked a different question. Employers may set up a scenario in which the group works together, so that prospective employees can be observed and compared to other candidates.
Some candidates live in another geographical location and cannot easily attend an interview. These may be conducted as a live interview through a video chat site such as FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, or Teams and may occur as a preliminary or final interview stage. Practice your video skills by participating in live chats with family or friends.
