Types of interview

Australian Human Resources Institute fact sheet

There are many different styles of interview. Your interview experiences will
depend not only on the style chosen by your interviewer, but will vary according
to the industry, the position for which you are applying, and the personal style
of both you and your interviewer(s).

By studying the most common interview structures and techniques you can prepare
answers to common questions, and general techniques for dealing with the
different approaches. With these tips and tactics you will perform well
regardless of the type of interview you encounter.

The most commonly encountered kinds of interviews include:

1. Behavioural interviewing
Behavioural interviewing is based on the idea that past behaviour is the best
indicator of future performance in a similar situation. Employers develop a
position description or person specification that defines the competencies and
attributes required for the position. A list of questions is then designed to
elicit details of your behaviour in past circumstances (probably similar to
circumstances you would encounter in the new position), which indicates the
level to which you possess these key attributes. All candidates will probably be
asked the same questions, but you may feel that you are not given the
opportunity to fully express your interest in the position under discussion.

To do well in a behavioural interview, prepare examples of particular situations
that you can discuss without having to pause too long for thought. By
considering possible questions and answers in advance you will also be able to
maximise the positive impression you make, reinforce your interest in the
position, and develop strategies for dealing with any more 'difficult' questions
that you may encounter.

Typical questions used in a behavioural interview are:

"Tell me about a situation where you had two important deadlines to meet, and
could only achieve one within the timeframe. How did you decide what to do? What
was the result?"

and
"Have you ever had to deal with a very angry customer when you were unable to
refer the problem to a supervisor? What did you do? How did you make that
decision?"

To anticipate questions you may be asked, look at the job advertisement or
position description and analyse the key competencies. Think about experiences
in your past positions that have demonstrated your skills in these areas.

2. Competency-based or 'focused' interviews
This kind of interview focuses on the key competencies and attributes required
for the position. As with behavioural interviewing, candidates will be asked
questions designed to elicit examples of past experience that will exhibit
behaviour indicative of these competencies.

3. Panel interviews
Many organisations will conduct panel interviews, particularly for large-scale
recruitment exercises such as an annual graduate intake. Panel interviews are
used by employers because they can speed up the selection process by enabling
all involved parties to meet you, and because they promote balanced and
objective assessments by using feedback from all panel members rather than
relying on the decision of an individual interviewer.

A panel interview may consist of anything from two to six interviewers, and can
be an intimidating experience for candidates, as they can appear rather formal.
Interviewers may take turns to ask you questions, or ask you a set of questions
on different areas in turn, or one may do most of the talking while the others
takes notes.

Be confident, don't panic and try to maintain eye contact or speak directly to
everybody all the time. Try to look at everybody present at some point during
your interview, but focus on the questions you are asked and on your replies to
these questions.

4. Biographical interviews
In biographical interviews, the interviewer reads your resume and talks to you
about your history from your education though to your various jobs, discussing
them in turn. A biographical interview can be a good opportunity to show the
range of your talents and experience and to reveal your personality, but can
mean that you are unable to focus on your skills and experience that are most
relevant to the position for which you are applying. It is important to manage
the situation so that you communicate this important information.

5. Critical incidents
In this type of interview the interviewer focuses on what he or she perceives as
being the critical experiences of your life or career. They may talk about the
transition from university to your first job, your promotion or part in a
company merger, your retrenchment or the aspect of your current job that is most
challenging or difficult.

In this style of interview, keep your replies positive and relevant to the
position for which you are applying. If, for example, the interviewer asks you
about your retrenchment, briefly describe the circumstances and then talk about
what you have learnt from the experience - that it helped you reassess your
career goals, and decide to become more pro-active in your skills development.

6. General structured interviews
Some interviewers may discuss your career history first, then move on to discuss
other areas such as your personality, motivation and character. This kind of
interview is steered by the interviewer but an awareness of the qualities that
the employer is seeking can help you maintain a focus on the relevance of your
skills and experience to the position.

7. Unpatterned interviews
Some employers will take a more reserved approach and rely on you to do most of
the talking. They may start off the interview with the request, "So tell me
about yourself" and then follow up on areas of your reply which interest them.
They may be doing this to test your ability to 'perform' and think on your feet,
or because they are disinclined or unable to take a more structured approach.

This type of interview can be difficult if you are shy or caught off guard but
can also be a good opportunity to focus on all your most relevant experience and
outstanding attributes.

8. Stress interviews
A stress interview is when an employer tries to induce stress in candidates,
through challenging or awkward behaviour or inappropriate or difficult
questions. The purpose behind this is to assess how you react to stress, and is
therefore used chiefly for high-pressure positions. It can mean an unpleasant
interview experience and is generally seen as being inappropriate for most
positions, particularly as thorough training is required in order to ensure the
interview is well conducted.

Most people will not encounter stress techniques when job-hunting, but it is
important to consider how you would react if you were exposed to stress
techniques or to inappropriate questions. Sometimes a cool but pleasant and
professional refusal to answer the question, or a request for clarification of
why the question is relevant, may be exactly the response the employer is
seeking.

9. Group interviews
Group interviews bring together a number of candidates and ask them to work
together on a task, or to discuss a particular topic as a group. These can be
expensive for employers to organise, and so are usually held by larger
organisations when recruiting on an extensive scale. The goal of employers in
this situation is usually twofold - to see a large number of applicants in a
short period of time, and to assess applicants for various qualities (frequently
communication, management and problem solving) and for compatibility as a team
and with organisational goals.

In a group interview situation you should concentrate on finding the best ways
to achieve the set tasks or on contributing to the discussion, all the time
bearing in mind the qualities that employer is seeking. Make sure you contribute
- even if you agree with an idea or comment that has already been suggested,
explain why you support it rather than quietly agreeing. This way you will
ensure that your voice is heard.

10. Telephone interviews
Telephone interviews can take a variety of forms and it is important to be ready
for them, as frequently they are not pre-arranged and in order to perform well
you need to be prepared.

Many employers use telephone interviews as part of their initial screening
process before arranging appointments with the most promising candidates.
Alternatively, employers may arrange more in-depth telephone interviews as an
integral part of their selection process, particularly when the employer is
pressed for time or interviewer and applicant are in different regions of the
country.

Pre-arranged telephone interviews
Pre-arranged telephone interviews may be conducted using any of the interview
techniques previously discussed, and should be taken just as seriously by
candidates. Although telephone interviews eliminate the need to dress the part,
it is vital that you are as prepared and organised as you would be for a
face-to-face interview. Ensure that you will not be distracted or disturbed and
be ready in advance so you are composed when you receive the call. Remember that
the interviewer cannot see your face, so it is even more important to
communicate clearly and professionally, and don't allow yourself to rush into
unconsidered responses to fill in silences.

Ad hoc telephone interviews
Many employers and recruitment agencies will respond to a faxed or mailed resume
with a phone call asking a few basic questions to confirm details of your CV.
You may not even think of this as an interview but it is vital that you are
aware that it is a test. The questions you are asked may not seem significant,
but the employer is often using the opportunity to make an initial assessment of
your manner and professionalism and to confirm whether your resume is an
accurate reflection of your experience and abilities.

It is vital, therefore, that you take care to organise your job search well -
have detailed and accessible records of your job applications at hand so you can
respond quickly and knowledgeably to their call. Make sure you have prepared a
professional-sounding reason and request to return their call if they really
have caught you at a bad time. Although it is important to respond well to
telephone contact from potential employers, it is important that you don't allow
the impromptu nature of the conversation to reduce your ability to control your
response. If you need a few seconds to collect your thoughts and information on
your application, ask them politely and professionally to hold for a second and
do so, as this will enable you to perform far better than rushing.



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