Discover 6 Common Types Of Interviews You Will Encounter As A Candidate

Interviews have over the years evolved and taken many forms.
In the beginning, employers would mostly hire based on academic qualifications and technical skills.
But now the trend is changing where more and more employers are now hiring candidates who possess the right soft skills.
Now, did you know that there are 6 types of interview styles you will probably go through?
And did you know that there are specific and successful ways of preparing for each one of these interviews?
You Must See This >>> You only Pass An Interview When You Answer This One Question Correctly
Today I want us to go through all six and see how you can be prepared for each.
1. The one on interviews
This is the oldest form of interview you will encounter.
It basically involves you and more often the Human Resource Manager or Officer. Sometimes you will be interviewed by someone from your field because the two of you will be working closely together.
Some of the common questions here tell me about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses and why are you the best fit for this job.
2. Panel interviews
A panel interview may comprise of representatives from different departments such as Human Resource, top management (director, MD etc), and someone in your field.
The panel can be made up of 2 to as many as ten people.
The purpose of this interview is get as many varied opinions from the panelists in order to make a conclusive and right decision.
This is where most people panic and become nervous in the interview. That’s why you need to thoroughly prepare and practice on your public speaking skills.
3. Group Interviews
In a group interview, you are interviewed together with other candidates.
Here, the interviewer will conduct a brief presentation of the company, their goal and ranking.
Please remember that one of the things you will be interviewed for here is how you relate with your fellow candidates. Your ability to show team leadership and interpersonal skills.
4. Behavioral Interviews
Behavioral interviews are very practical. They test your ability to handle future responsibilities based on past experiences.
This type of interview style is very common especially in Kenya.
For instance, an interviewer can ask you, “tell how you resolved a conflict among members of your team” Here the employer is looking at your ability to solve problems.
OR: “Give us an example of how you were able to work with a team to meet a target”
When answering these questions, the secret is to be very specific, clear and show your abilities.
5. Phone Interview
Phone interviews are not unheard of especially when an employer wants to select only a few candidates to attend a physical interview.
They are also used for candidates not within the locality.
You may be asked behavioral kind of questions as well as the other common interview questions.
Always make sure you are able to pick the call in a place that is quiet with good network and ensure that you speak audibly.
There is also no harm is expressing interest for a face to face interview in order to further discuss your skills.
6. The Case Study Interview
A case study interview is normally written and typically occurs after you have passed the first interview stage.
You will be given a scenario and asked to come up with a strategy that will work.
For example, “Company X has been experiencing a loss of revenue in Sales due to poor product visibility and marketing. This is attributed to customers perceiving the product as unusable anymore. You are the Sales and Marketing Officer, develop a marketing strategy to increase sales of the product”
You MUST show your expertise by transferring previous knowledge to this scenario.
Now You Know…
If you don’t remember anything from this article remember this…if you really want something you never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done!
The job market is changing so are the styles of interviewing. The key to passing any interview is to prepare and do your research.
But just in case you need more help preparing for each of this interview styles, you can always reach me on esther@corporatestaffing.co.ke and we shall prepare together!
Ms. Esther works for Corporate Staffing Services as a Training Specialist in matters passing job interviews Effective Communications Skills and Personal Branding. To get in touch with her please email her at esther@corporatestaffing.co.ke.