Top 13 Common Yet Most Different Types of Interviews

Common Yet Most Different Types of Interviews

Let us inform you that interviews are used by the interviewer to find the best employees for the company. Using interviews makes it easier for the hiring manager or interviewer to know about the candidates. And in interviews, the interviewer asks many questions from the candidate to test the aptitude and to know about the role.

In the present article, we have given information about Top 13 Common Yet Most Different Types of Interviews Which can be very useful for you. In the given interviews, we have given information as well as some tips for preparation. So you can get information about many interviews by reading this article.

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Video Interview

These types of interviews are conducted by companies when it is not possible for the candidate to attend the interview personally. That is, these interviews are conducted by companies located at distant places. You can use any device like Smartphone, Laptop etc. to appear in this type of interview. These interviews are specially conducted for very senior posts.

Let us inform you that you have to prepare very well for the video interview. Because there can be one or more interviewers for the video interview. Another thing to know is that you will not be able to even know how many people were watching the video interview.

Tips: You will appear in front of top executives of a company through video interviews. Because of this, you have to show yourself as a professional in the interview by wearing clean clothes. And find a quiet place. And don’t move your nose around. Keep your self-confidence.

Telephonic Interview

Let us inform you that telephonic interviews are also conducted by the companies. Taking this telephonic interview helps the company in shortlisting the candidates for the face-to-face interview. Some questions you may be asked in this telephonic interview. Like for what purpose you have applied for this post?

Also be aware that some types of jobs like voice based call center positions and positions like telemarketing require the company to assess telephone skills. And in such cases the company may also show interest in using telephonic interviews to finalize the candidates.

Tips: You can prepare for this interview in the same way as for face-to-face interview. Let us inform you that your body language is seen in face-to-face interviews. But in these telephonic interviews, the interviewer will try to know about your knowledge skills through your voice. And you do not have to forget your etiquette during the interview.

Case Interview

In this interview you will be given a problem by the interviewers or an explanation of a situation will be provided to you by the interviewers. And you will be asked to find its solution. Let you know that the situation or problem provided by the interviewers to find the solution may be imaginary or may be real. Providing only such a problem or situation the interviewer will want to see how you solve it.

Tips: The tips about this is that you have to listen patiently to the details being told by the interviewer. And after analyzing the given situation, you have to present a practical solution to the interviewers.

Stress Interview

As you must have understood from the name, in this interview companies see whether the candidate can work in a stressful situation or not. So if you have applied for a job in which stressful situations are common. So be careful, you may face this type of interview. Let us inform you that in this interview, the interviewers see if you can solve the problems in a stressful situation.

For example, the interviewer might try to see if you have the ability to deal with clients that are very rare to handle. You also have to keep in mind that the interviewer may try to interrupt you again and again while listening to your answer. Apart from this, the interviewer can increase the speed of the interview.

Tips: You may be intimidated when asked unusual questions, but you have to focus on answering the question without being intimidated. Keep your pace and take time to breathe. And don’t forget to smile during the interview. If you want, you can prepare for some stress interview questions. For example, what would you do if you were caught stealing? How would you sell this item to the customers? etc. 

Face-to-face Interview

In this interview you will meet the interviewer personally. In a face-to-face interview (F2F interview), the interviewer will pay special attention to your body language. This interview can be done exclusively on the company premises. Let us tell you that the interviewer interrogating you could be the human resources department or the manager or the employer. Also, let us tell you that this interview is considered to be the last stage of the job interview process.

Tips: In this interview, you have to pay special attention to the fact that the interviewer will pay special attention to your body language i.e. the way you walk, speak, stand and sit. In addition, you will also need to research the company’s work culture to prepare for a face-to-face interview.

Structured Interview

Similar questions are asked to each candidate in this type of interview. That is, in Structured Interview, only one set of questions are asked from each candidate. By asking the same type of questions, the objective of the interviewers is to know the response of each candidate and to compare the responses. And after comparing the responses, the best candidate has to be selected. Let us inform you that this interview of yours can be about 30-60 minutes.

Another feature of the structured interview is that the interviewers use a score system to record the responses of the candidates. With the help of this score system, it is easy for the recruiter or interviewer to select the right candidate. It is also necessary for you to know that in this interview you can be asked two types of questions open ended or close ended.

Open-ended refers to such questions whose answers are detailed and may vary. While you are provided with options to answer the close ended questions.

Tips: To prepare for this type of interview, you have to find the questions asked in such interviews in advance and you have to think about their answers in advance. Apart from this, you do not have to forget to smile in the interview. In the interview, you have to try to keep your responses accurate, relevant and concise.

Off-site Interview

In this type of interview the hiring manager may be interested in inviting you over for lunch or dinner. You will have to attend this interview in person. Through this type of interview, the interviewers try to see your personality and manners. Also, in this type of interview, your table manners and interpersonal skills are also seen by the interviewers.

Tips: In this type of interview, the interviewer can make every effort to create an informal atmosphere to make you feel comfortable but you have to be careful and act professionally. If it is necessary to order food, then you have to order such food that it is possible to talk while eating. Apart from this, you have to eat food in such a way that food does not fall on the table or dress.

Unstructured Interview

In this type of interview the questions are not arranged in advance rather the interviewer changes the questions based on the response of the candidate. But some questions are prepared in advance by the interviewers which are related to the topic, a topic that the interviewers focus on covering. This interview is considered the opposite of a structured interview.

Some of the questions asked in this interview are similar to everyday conversation. But you also have to keep in mind that this interview is considered a part of the research process.

Tips: You have to prepare for this interview considering it as a practical interview. Apart from this, you have to be honest in the interview and try to leave the impression of your true personality on the interviewer.

Group Interview

Group interviews are used by companies to recruit more candidates in less time. Let us inform you that in group interviews, companies show interest in interviewing many candidates simultaneously. You may also be asked by the interviewers to interact with other candidates. Or they may even assign you the task of performing in a team to know your interpersonal, teamwork skills and communication. They may ask questions to the entire group at once or each candidate may have to answer them individually.

You can understand this group interview as follows: The interviewer may ask all the candidates present to be divided into several small teams. And each team will have permission to talk with their members so that they can understand each other. After some time the interviewer will ask each candidate who can be a good leader for their team. If so, for what reasons?

Tips: In this type of interview, you have to clearly give your opinion when needed and remain confident. You have to respect the opinion of the other candidate and listen carefully when the other candidate is speaking. In this group interview, you have to make an effort to make yourself stand out from others and present yourself as a positive person.

Panel Interview

The interview conducted by a group of two or more interviewees is called a panel interview. In this interview you will be present in front of many people working in the company who will interview you. The interviewers will form a panel. It may also happen in this panel that it will ask questions to many candidates at the same time. But if we talk about more chances, then every interviewer in the panel can show interest in asking you at least one question. If the number of candidates is more, one question may be asked by the interviewers to each applicant at a time.

Tips: The high number of interviewers may scare you but you need not fear from the panel interview. Keep your confidence. You have to answer the question asked by looking at the same interviewer who asked you the question. You have to increase your chances of selection by impressing all the interviewers.

Puzzle or Problem Solving Interview

Recruiters use this type of interview to find employees for the company who are adept at solving puzzles or problems. In this type of interview, the interviewer asks you many puzzle or problem questions. By doing this the interviewer will also want to know about you, how you react to the situation and how good you are at solving puzzles. If taken as an example, the question may be “2 eggs and 100 floors”.

If another example is taken like- a birthday cake has to be divided equally into 8 equal pieces in exactly 3 cuts. So how would you make this division possible? Usually this type of interview is conducted for the candidates applying for coders, computer programmers and designers.

Tips: You have to take some time to answer the riddle. You have to think with an open mind to find the answer to the puzzle. You have to answer the question with an explanation.

Informational Interview

This interview is included in the list of top 13 common interviews of all different types so far. With the help of this interview, you can get information about the company or industry. This interview can help you gather information on an industry and specific company, expand your professional network and explore your career. But let you know that this interview is not a job interview. The conversation that takes place during the interview is informal.

But this conversation can also be formal, especially if the knowledge seeker is a job seeker and the knowledge provider is a potential employer. Let us inform you that 1 out of 12 informational interviews based on the report leads to the job offer.

Tips: You have to contact your acquaintances or friends for an informational interview. And you’ll need to ask your friends or acquaintances if they know anyone in the industry you can build a relationship with or talk to.

Mock Interview

This interview is also included in the list of different types of interviews. This interview is known as a practice job interview. With the help of this interview, you can prepare well for the actual job interview. In this interview a career counsellor or career coach is the interviewer and you will be a candidate. This interview is a semi structured interview rather than a formal one. By practicing this interview again and again, you will be able to solve the tough questions that come in the actual interview thoroughly.

Tips: It may happen that it is not possible for you to attend the mock interview with a counsellor, then you can take the help of a family member in such a situation. Or you can take help of your friend. You can provide a list of questions related to job interview to your friend, that too a list of questions on which you are sure that these questions can be asked in the actual interview.

FAQ about Interviews