Each interview needs its own share and a
little customized and specialized preparation, though confidence pervades
all. So, before preparing for any type of interview, it is important to be
aware and know about the types of interviews. Well, read on and discover –
Types of interviews –
Traditional, one-on-one interview –
The traditional one-on-one interview is, by far, one of the most common
types of interview followed across the globe. In a traditional interview,
you are interviewed by one representative of the company, most likely the
manager of the position you are applying for. As you will be working with
the person taking your interview directly if you get the job, the person may
want to get a feel of who you are and if your skills match those of the job
requirements.
Such interviews are largely informational, wherein the primary objective it
to get the information about you, from you. You may be asked questions about
the experience on your resume, what you can offer to the company or
position. Many times the interviewer will ask you questions such as "Why
would you be good for this job?" or "Tell me about yourself."
A traditional interview gives both, the interview and the interviewee, a
chance to know each other and get along with each other before a decision to
formally associate is taken. These interviews are a great opportunity for
you to show your worth and display what you are and what you can do!
Panel Interview
In a panel interview, you will be interviewed by a panel of, usually 2 –3,
interviewers. The panel may consist of different representatives of the
company such as human resources, management, and employees. The reason why
some companies conduct panel interviews is to save time as compared to
conducting various interviews to assess a candidate in different spectrum,
like behaviorally, technically and others; or to get the collective opinion
of panel regarding the candidate. Each member of the panel may be
responsible for asking you questions that represent relevancy from their
position.
In panel interviews, you should be prepared to face questions related to
various aspects at random and should be poised enough to handle and answer
them accordingly, to the best of your capability. Such kind of interviews is
another most common types of interview held to assess the overall
suitability and compatibility for a given responsibility and with the
prospective organization.
Behavioral Interview
In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on
common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the
behavioral interview is that your future performance will be based on a past
performance in a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire
about what you did when you were in a given situation and how did you dealt
with it. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to see how you
deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them. The idea is that
past behavior is the best predictor of future performance in similar
situations. By asking questions about how job applicants have handled
situations in the past that are similar to those they will face on the job,
employers can gauge how they might perform in future situations.
Behavioral Interview Question Examples:
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to
successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or
achieve it.
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to
influence someone's opinion.
Give me an example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which
you did not agree.
Group Interview
Many times companies will conduct a group interview to quickly prescreen
candidates for the job opening as well as give the candidates the chance to
quickly learn about the company to see if they want to work there. Many
times, a group interview will begin with a short presentation about the
company. After that, they may speak to each candidate individually and ask
them a few questions.
One of the most important things the employer is observing during a group
interview is how you interact with the other candidates. Are you emerging as
a leader or are you more likely to complete tasks that are asked of you?
Neither is necessarily better than the other, it just depends on what type
of personality works best for the position that needs to be filled.
It involves a group of candidates working together to solve a problem or
agree a decision, simulating a working environment; or involves candidates
to discuss or express ideas/opinions on a specific topic.
It is a valuable source of information on how group members behave in
meeting/discussion and when working in a team.
Phone Interview
Telephone interviews take place if a recruiter wishes to reduce the number
of prospective candidates before deciding on a shortlist for face-to-face
interviews. They also take place if a job applicant is a significant
distance away from the premises of the hiring company, such as abroad or in
another state or province. Telephonic interviews are becoming common and are
being increasingly used by the companies for their cost, effectiveness and
utility to an organization purpose. You may be asked typical questions or
behavioral questions.
Most of the time you will be scheduled an appointment for a phone interview.
If the interviewer calls unexpectedly, it's ok to ask them politely to
schedule an appointment. On a phone interview, make sure your call waiting
is turned off, you are in a quiet room, and you are not eating or drinking
anything. Make sure to keep a pen and a notepad handy during the process to
avoid losing out on taking down any information.
You can use telephone interviews to a greater advantage to yourself. Since
during a telephonic interview, you are not facing an interviewer, what you
have to say is the only thing that gets noticed and hence you can pay extra
attention to what answers you are giving to the interviewer. Also,
telephonic conversation helps break the ice between you and the prospective
employer and it also acts as a medium to establish your first, positive and
favourable impression, upon the prospective employer.
Lunch Interview
Many a times lunch interviews are conducted as a second interview. The
company will invite you to lunch with additional members of the team to
further get to know you, how you act in an informal environment setting and
to see how you fit in. This is a great time to ask any questions you may
have about the company or position as well, so make sure you prepare your
questions in advance.
Although you are being treated to a meal, the interview is not about the
food. Don't order anything that is too expensive or messy to eat. You need
to display your best table manners and be as neat as possible at any such
incidences of interaction. You don't need to offer to pay; it is never
expected for a candidate to pay at a lunch interview.
Chew quietly and in small bites so you don't get caught with a mouthful of
food when the recruiter asks you a question.
Stress Interview
Stress interviews are still in common use. Stress interviews involve testing
an applicant's behavior in a busy environment. The seeming purpose of a
stress interview is to find out how the candidate handles stress. One type
of stress interview is where the employer uses a succession of interviewers
(one at a time or all together) whose mission is to intimidate the candidate
and keep him/her off-balance. Questions about handling work overload,
dealing with multiple projects, and handling conflict are typical.
Another type of stress interview may involve only a single interviewer who
behaves in an uninterested or hostile manner. For example, the interviewer
may not make eye contact, may roll his eyes or sigh at the candidate's
answers, interrupt, turn his back, take phone calls during the interview, or
ask questions in a demeaning or challenging style. The goal is to assess how
the interviewee handles pressure or to purposely evoke emotional responses.
The key to success for the candidate is to de-personalize the process. The
interviewer is acting a role, deliberately and calculatedly trying to
"rattle the cage" and making you feel seated on a ‘hot seat’. Once the
candidate realizes that there is nothing personal behind the interviewer's
approach, it is easier to handle the questions with ease. They key in any
stress interview is to being sensitive about the interview environment and
keeping your cool to answer, and to answer smartly to the off-track
questions and situations posed by the interviewer.
Points to remember during interview.
Always remember that communication is two-way
* Avoid sounding as though you assume the job is yours.
* It is fine to ask about the package on offer and accommodation
* It is important to listen to the question asked and answer that question.
Interview Tips for Freshers
Everybody feel, fresher’s stage is the difficult stage t sustain in the
present markets.
because where ever we go to take up an opportunity generally we come across
a renowned question-
Do you have any experience? But according to me a fresher is a bright and
clever, not dull or faded
having the reinvigorated approach to work. Interview tips for freshers are
suggestions to the Job seekers
who are going to attend for an interview for the first time or as freshers.
You need to be more confidence when you attend any interview.
DRESS CODE
Higher your rank, the more important it is to adhere to an appropriate dress
code. First of all your dress code should be attractive, sober as per the
climate.
Good dress helps you to get more confidence. If you have any doubt regarding
the colors, then wear the black & white.
Everything about you must be neat and crisp. From head to toe, people will
be looking at you.
All shirts must be ironed. No wrinkles allowed. Avoid stains on them as
well.
Keep your face clean. However, make sure facial hair suits you first and
keep it under control. Dress up smartly and your body language should
reflect confidence and not a nervous persona.
Avoid strong fragrance & hunky funky accessories. The kind of watch you
wear, or the kind of bag you bring to work everyday, speaks volumes about
you.
Follow these simple “dress for success” and you’ll be ahead in the
Interviews you attend .
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
A leader is a person who has strong principles, courage and dedication to a
clear vision. In business, possessing high-quality leadership skills are a
must for any interested individual to succeed on an executive level.
An individual with good leadership skills will recognize and reward the team
for the greater cause.
Important Steps for a Good Leader :
1. Getting and Giving Information
2. Understanding Group Needs and Characteristics
3. Knowing and Understanding Group Resources
4. Ability to control the group
5. Counseling of the group
6. He should be a good Example
7. Representing the Group
8. Planning & Evaluation
10. Sharing Leadership
11. Manager of Learning
* The role of a leader is to inspire and create followers who are also
self-leaders.
* The responsibility of a corporate leader is to bring about the change in a
way that is responsive to the true and long-term needs of all stakeholders.
* The task of a leader is to bring about constructive and necessary change.
* The greatest source of power available to a leader is the trust that
derives from faithfully serving followers
.
Leadership style is the pattern of behavior used by a leader in attempting
to influence group members and make decisions regarding the mission,
strategy, and operations of group activities.
To be a leader you have to be first to get into the mind of the prospect –
and then follow the strategies to stay there.
Public Speaking Confidence
Public speaking is one of the important skills and you must get over the
Fear of public speaking. Get well prepared for your speech with full
confidence. Practice it in front or your family or friends before the real
presentation. Before Public Speech take deep breath, this relaxes your mind
and body and also makes your blood pressure lower.
Note down your points on a paper. Voice should be clear while speech to get
the proper response from the audience.
Some helpful hints:
Introduce yourself clearly and directly. Engage in some "small talk" at the
start of the interview,
just as you would in a one-on-one interview.
Have your resume and the job advertisement with you for reference, and a
pencil and some paper to make notes.
Some students find that it helps to dress for a telephone interview as you
would for a face-to-face interview –
it often helps to psychologically prepare you for this form of business
“meeting”.
TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Stress interviews
Stress interviews are used to see how the jobseeker handle himself.
You may be sarcastic or argumentative, or may keep him waiting.
You may also lapse into silence at some point during the questioning,
this is used as an attempt to unnerve the jobseeker.
Phone interviews
It seem to be growing more common as search committees try to make the
difficult decision
of who to invite for a campus interview. When you pass this level you will
pass to the interview,
and to campus for in-person interviews, and ultimately offered the position!
If you are not interviewed
by phone, these same questions are likely to be asked on site.
Group interview
A group interview is usually designed to uncover the leadership potential of
prospective managers and employees who will be dealing with the public. The
front-runner candidates are gathered together in an]
informal, discussion-type interview. A subject is introduced and the
interviewer will start off the discussion.
The goal of the group interview is to see how the jobseeker interact with
others and how use him/her
knowledge and reasoning powers to win others over.
Informational Interview
Typically this is an interview set up at the jobseeker's request with a
Human Resources Manager or a departmental supervisor in the career field
he/she is interested in.
The purpose of this interview is to help the jobseeker find out more about a
particular career, position
or company. He/she is seeking information from these people in hopes that
they might refer him/her to
someone else in their company or to somebody they may know outside their
company who could use your skills.
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