Different kinds of interviews
There are different types of interviews, and while preparation for all
of them is similar, knowing who you are talking to and their role in the
decision-making process can help you tailor your responses accordingly.
Screening interview
In larger organisations, or where there are a significant number of
candidates who meet the basic criteria, you may be invited for a
screening interview. Generally, this will be a brief interview, perhaps
30 minutes or so, often conducted by the Human Resources department. The
purpose of the interview is to narrow the pool of candidates for a
second, more lengthy interview. HR personnel may or may not know much
about the technicalities of the job, but they are interviewing you to
see if your qualifications generally fit the job description. They are
also seeing if, in general, you would fit in the organisation.
First (and maybe only scheduled) interview
Find out who's going to be there and how long you should plan on being there.
This depends on the industry and the
organisation, but the standard interview is going to be 45 - 90 minutes
long.
Panel Interview
A panel of people is sometimes used at the first or primary
interview. If you are told it will be a panel interview, ask for the
names and titles of all members of the panel. It may be the policy of
the company to use panels or perhaps the manager wants to include
other people who have significant interaction with the open position.
When asked a
question, respond primarily to the person who asked the question, but
make eye contact with the other panel members too. Panel interviews can be
stressful for the candidate, but they are considered to reach fairer
conclusions about an individual's suitability for the job. They become
more common as you progress in your career.
Technical interview
If you work in a very technical field, you might have a series of
interviews: a department manager may want to see your team skills. You
might also have a technical interview to see if you have the technical
expertise for the job.
Being interviewed by a Senior Executive
This type of interview doesn't happen very often, but sometimes the
owner or managing director of a company will want to meet with any final
candidate before they are actually offered the position. This person may
have absolutely nothing to do with the job in question on a day-to-day
basis, but they still want to have a hand in recruitment. This is likely
to be a more social interview, but do not underestimate its importance
or the knowledge base of the interviewer. As you are interviewed for
increasingly advanced positions in a company, this is more likely to be
part of the selection process.
Video conference
On rare occasions companies have been known to arrange a video
conference interview, especially if a candidate lives a great distance
from the company, or a panel interview needs to be conducted and the
panel members are in different locations. If you were asked to do this, you
would be instructed to go to a branch office of the organisation or some
conference centre that has the technology to arrange a video conference.
Dress as for a conventional interview. The preparation for the interview
is the same, but the interview itself will have additional challenges of
understanding and getting comfortable with the set-up, dealing with
visual or auditory delays etc. Address answers to the camera, not to the
display screen or any technician who may be in the room. Try to see it
as a challenge if you are invited for this kind of interview!