Major Types of Job Interviews and How to Prepare for Them

With the increased competition, it has become difficult to get jobs and clear interviews. Without the right information and knowledge, it is difficult to ace a job interview. This blog will give you insights on the interview types and also how to prepare for them.

What are Interviews

Interviews are a method of communication, where one person asks questions and the other answers those questions. It is a tool that helps in defining whether the person is suitable for a position or the role for which they have applied. It helps in making important decisions about hiring people for various posts having different requirements.

Interviews can vary from each other, there are various methods of taking interviews. You can plan or not plan an interview, make it structured or unstructured, and determine if it involves a case or task. The aim is to assess the capability of the person and make the right decision.

Interview Types

The are many interview types that can help assess the capability of an interviewee, some of them are listed below.

One-to-one Interview:

It is also considered the classic interview type. It is where one interviewer interviews one candidate at a time. This helps in understanding the candidate better. The interview can be well structured or not depending on the type of interviewer. A series of questions are asked and the candidate is evaluated whether they are fit for the position that they have applied for.

Group Discussion:

Group discussion is a type of interview where multiple candidates are interviewed at the same time for one or more positions. The interview type may revolve around a certain topic. The main aim is to assess whether the candidate can communicate with the other candidates, put up their points, and defend in case of counter and problem-solving.

Business settings, job interviews, and academic settings often utilize discussions where candidates explore various perspectives on a topic and voice their opinions. This is to assess whether the members can facilitate open and civil communication amongst each other.

Panel Discussion:

Panel discussions are the interview type in which a candidate is interviewed by a group of people also termed as a panel. The panel mainly consists of three or more people. These types of interviews are taken when the position offered is of high importance.

They are usually taken while hiring managers, in academic settings, promotions, or any other position that involves decision-making and will have authority.

Phone Interview

Phone interviews are a method to screen the candidates before interviewing them. These discussions serve to assess candidates’ communication skills, thought processes, and overall suitability for the position before formal interviews occur. It is considered the initial stage of interviews.

This assesses the candidate’s qualifications, communication skills, and suitability for the position.

Stress Interview:

Companies or recruiters conduct stress interviews to assess candidates’ ability to handle pressure. They throw challenging situations at candidates, posing unexpected, difficult, and pressure-inducing questions.

Interviewers for high-pressure jobs use challenging scenarios to assess candidates’ composure under stress.

Case Interview:

Case interviews are interview types that involve assessing a candidate’s ability to solve problems, analyze situations, and skills. These are done by giving the candidate a hypothetical situation and are asked to analyze it.

The aim is to check whether the candidates can critically analyze, assess, and evaluate situations.

The interviews here are taken for consulting firms as well as business-related jobs.

Behavioral Interviews.

These interviews are taken to assess the behavior of the candidates. They predict the future performance. These interviews help interviews gain insight into the interviewee’s behavior and how they react in certain situations.

The interviewer might also give situations to assess whether the candidate is calm through their situation.

Informational Interview:

This interview type is when individuals gather to gain insights on careers, jobs, businesses, etc. This interview aims to gain information. It is not done to secure a job position.

These are great networking tools and help in gathering information about the market. This helps people gain valuable information and make important career decisions.

Task/ Testing Interview:

These are very new and recently popularised methods of taking interviews. This helps interviews help the candidates showcase their talent and exhibit their skills like problem-solving, understanding, etc.

Puzzle Interview:

These interviews are taken to assess the creative thinking and problem-solving of the candidates. The candidates are presented with puzzles, riddles, or problems that are challenging to solve.

This helps to check whether the candidate can handle unconventional questions and succeed in the interview type.

How to Prepare for Different Interview Types:

1. One-to-one:

It is necessary to do your research about the company and the interviewer before the interview.
It’s better to prepare for common interview questions and know your answers to them beforehand.
You can Run mock interviews with family and friends and formulate your answers better. This will also help you gain confidence.
For a professional look, one should always be dressed properly to present well
One should smile while giving answers and maintain a good posture during this interview type.
One should ask insightful questions during an interview.

2. Group discussion interview type

It is important to do your research beforehand.
You should enhance your communication skills and learn how to gather your thoughts and formulate them better.
It is essential to have active listening during this interview type.
One should be assertive while putting their points forward, however, it’s important to be polite and not be aggressive.

3. Stress interviews

It is important to keep calm during these interviews
Doing research and preparing difficult questions beforehand can also help.
The main focus should be on the facts and the solutions
The candidate must ask clear questions during the interviews

Case interviews

For this interview, one should help sharpen their mind. Developing cognitive thinking and problem-solving skills is essential
It is important to give mock interviews to increase chances of getting better and also cracking the interview.
One should also learn how to manage their time during the interview and finish the case on time.

4. Informational interviews

Before an informational interview, one should do a thorough research of their topics
A proper question list should be prepared.
It is essential to actively listen to what the other person has to offer.

Conclusion

In this blog, we learned the various interview types and how to prepare for them. Each interview is different from the other, but some points remain constant throughout them, which as having confidence in oneself and doing your research before the interview.

These are some of the points that you can keep in mind and can also help you prepare for your next interview.

FAQs

Q1. What are traditional interviews?

Ans. Traditional interviews are interview types that involve one one-on-one conversation between an interviewer and a candidate. The interviewer asks questions and the candidate answers them. This helps in understanding whether the candidate is suitable for the position in not.

Q2. How to prepare for a job interview

Ans. One should do their research thoroughly before an interview, practice basic questions, and talk politely but assertively in an interview.

Q3. Are interviews difficult to ace?

Ans. Some interviews are more difficult than others, but not impossible to ace. With the right preparation and mindset, one can Crack an interview.

Q4. What should I do beforehand to clear my job interview?

Ans. It is important to keep calm before the interview and build a positive mindset. Doing research is crucial before an interview.

Q5. What are the things I can avoid during a job interview?

Ans. One should avoid being arrogant during an interview. Another important thing to avoid in an interview is being late.

Major Types of Job Interviews and How to Prepare for Them

What are Interviews