We are continuing our “Land Your Dream Job Series” with today’s post. As we work our way through the career search success series, we are now focused on interview types.
You’ve been diligently submitting your resume to career opportunities that you know you would be great for. After hearing crickets for the past month, seemingly out of nowhere, you get that long-awaited phone call from an employer who thinks that you are “all that and a bag of chips” on paper, so they conduct a phone interview with you and you slay. Congratulations! Now they invite you for an in-person interview. What type of interview will it be? The only way to find out is to ask questions, so what should you ask the recruiter or hiring manager about your upcoming meeting to ensure that you have the information to prepare effectively? Well, you are in for a treat because I have the answers and I am going to share them with you.
Do not head off to your next job interview without considering the type of interview that you will be participating in. Before your call with the person inviting you to the interview ends, you need to ask them for their contact information; how many people, along with their respective job titles, will you be meeting; will you be interviewed at the same time with a group of other candidates or will the interviewer(s) meet with each candidate individually; how long do they expect the interview to last; will you be expected to make any type of presentation during the interview, etc.?
- Telephone Interview – If you are invited to participate in an initial interview via telephone then your interview will likely be the classic phone screening interview. This type of interview is usually the first interview of the selection process which employers use to narrow their candidate pool. They do this by reviewing the applicants to their vacancy and selecting those, who on paper, appear to possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that the hiring manager feels are needed for on the job success. The lack of certain basic requirements such as required education and training; the candidates’ inability to travel as required; work with career-field-related systems and software; working or in-depth knowledge of laws, policies, regulations, etc.; potential risks associated with the career field, etc., can be used as disqualifiers. This reduces the pool of candidates to a more workable number, thus requiring fewer in-person interview invites.
- Group Interview – This type of interview invites more than one candidate for an in-person interview process. The very unique characteristic of this type of interview is that all candidates go through at least part of the interview at the same time. Candidates are often required to participate in group-based activities, such as resolving a business case together or participating in other team-based exercises. This allows the hiring manager(s) to observe each candidate’s interactions with other candidates, such as communication and their display of interpersonal skills. In addition to the group-based activities/exercises, candidates may also get to meet with the hiring manager so that he/she can respond to specific questions about their background.
- The in-person interview – This is the traditional type of interview. It involves the candidate meeting with the hiring manager one-on-one, for a discussion about how his/her educational and professional experience have prepared them to be the candidate of choice. This is your time to showcase your qualifications, exude healthy confidence, and shine. So, this means that you, as the candidate, will need to be well-prepared with thoughtful, informative, concise answers to questions about how you gained your professional experience and have used it to contribute to your current and former employers’ success, as well as be able to explain how that experience relates directly to the position that you want to be selected for.
- Meal Interview – Obviously this interview will involve eating and if you are a sales professional or executive candidate, this type of interview will likely not come as a surprise to you. Ln the other hand, this type of interview can through some of us off a little because we are used to navigating a meal and responding to interview questions all at once. Just remember a few pointers for meal interview success. First, do not eat a big meal before your interview. You will likely offend the employer if you arrive at the restaurant and don’t order anything to eat. Just be mindful to not order meals prepared with heavy or red sauces. Next, carry wipes or a stain-removal pen with you. Who knows, you may not need it, but someone at the table with you may. This will impress upon the hiring manager that you are a well-prepared person. Visit the hiring manager’s and other dinner associates’ LinkedIn® and Facebook® profiles and think of conversation starters related to their education, experience, and interests.
- Panel/Firing Squad Interview – This type of interview is very popular because many hiring managers like to get a balanced perspective of candidates during the interview process. The panel usually consists of three to four individuals who have an intimate understanding of the position that is being filled, as well as the organization’s culture and the temperament of the ideal candidate. This type of interview is also sometimes called the firing squad interview because the panel members typically have a list of questions that they ask each candidate by taking successive turns around the table or across the panel. They sometimes “fire” the next question at you before you speak the last word of your response to the previous question, so it increases the pressure that you feel as the candidate. I have great news for you, though. You can slow the process down a bit by not rushing to respond to each question as soon as the panel member speaks the last word of the question. Let the question sink in and take a few seconds to gather your thoughts, then respond calmly. Another way to slow down the pace is to ask the panel member to repeat their question. Don’t do this for every question because you will surely annoy the interviewers, but doing so a couple or a few times should be fine.
- The Video Interview – This type of interview is still not as popular as in-person interview types. I have found that technology-related career fields and executive selection processes tend to use video interviewing most often. One concern that some hiring managers, including myself, have about making a final selection decision using video interviews is that it can be difficult to truly assess candidates’ interpersonal skills. From the candidates’ perspective, some of the keys to video interview success are to 1) Not be intimidated by appearing in front of a camera; 2) Familiarize yourself with the video-based platform that you have to use during the interview. You will likely have to use only the most-basic features during the interview, so try to not stress; 3) Make certain that you have a strong internet connection; 4) Choose a quiet location for your interview where you will not be disturbed; and 5) Make certain that family responsibilities such as child or eldercare are attended to by a reliable person while you are interviewing.
As with any important, potentially life-changing event, such as a career search, you must be willing to do the work to get you where you want to be. So, I encourage you to be proactive and remember that each bit of preparation is another step towards your successful career search. You get only one opportunity to make a lasting positive first impression on your employer of choice. Why not do everything that you can to confidently meet the career search challenge and emerge victoriously. You Got This!
Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!
