Types of interviews

The Screening Interview

Your first interview with a particular employer will often be the screening interview. This is usually an interview with someone in human resources. It may take place in person or on the telephone. He or she will have a copy of your resume in hand and will try to verify the information on it. The human resources representative will want to find out if you meet the minimum qualifications for the job and, if you do, you will be passed on to the next step.



The Selection Interview

The selection interview is the step in the process which makes people the most anxious. The employer knows you are qualified to do the job. While you may have the skills to perform the tasks that are required by the job in question, the employer needs to know if you have the personality necessary to "fit in." Someone who can't interact well with management and co-workers may disrupt the functioning of an entire department. This ultimately can effect the company's bottom line. Many experts feel that this can be determined within the first several minutes of the interview. However, more than one person being interviewed for a single opening may appear to fit in. Often, job candidates are invited back for several interviews with different people before a final decision is made.



The Group Interview

In the group interview, several job candidates are interviewed at once. The interviewer or interviewers are trying to separate the leaders from the followers. In any group there is a natural process that takes place where the group stratifies into leaders and followers. The interviewer may also be trying to find out if you are a "team player." The type of personality the employer is looking for determines the outcome of this interview. There is nothing more to do than act naturally. Acting like a leader if you are not one may put you into a job for which you are not appropriate.



The Panel Interview

In a panel interview, the candidate is interviewed by several people at once. It can be quite intimidating as questions are fired at you. You should try to remain calm and establish rapport with each member of the panel. Make eye contact with each member of the panel as you answer his or her question.



The Stress Interview

The stress interview is not a very nice way to be introduced to the company that may end up being your future employer. It is, however, a technique sometimes used to weed out those that cannot handle adversity. The interviewer may try to artificially introduce stress into the interview by asking questions so quickly that the candidate doesn't have time to answer each one. Another interviewer trying to introduce stress may respond to a candidate’s answers with silence. The interviewer may also ask weird questions, not to determine what the job candidate answers, but how he or she answers. According to Interviewingby, The National Business Employment Weekly (John Wiley and Sons, 1994), the job candidate should first "recognize that you're in the situation. Once you realize what's happening, it's much easier to stay calm because you can mentally reframe the situation. Then you have two choices: Play along or refuse to be treated so poorly." If you do play along, the book recommends later finding out if the reason for conducting a stress interview is legitimate. That will determine if this is a company for which you want to work.