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Types of Interviews
Group Interview A group interview occurs when s everal candidates for a pos ition are interviewed s imultaneous ly. Group interviews offer employers a s ens e of yo ur leadersh ip poten tial and sty le, and provide a glimps e of what yo u may actually be like as an employee and how you would fit into t he team. Candidates may also be as ked to s olve a problem toget her which allows interviewers to ass ess candidate’s skills in action (e.g. teamwork).
Tips: Be aware of the dyn amics es tablish ed by the interviewer, try to discov er the “rules of the game”. Regardless of how you may feel about any member of the g roup, treat everyon e with res pect, and avoid po wer strugg les which make you app ear uncoop erative. Give everyone a chance to sp eak and not monopolize the con versation. Be aware that all interactions are being o bs erved; do n’t let down your guard o r lose you r perspective.
General Group Interview/Information Session This approach is intended to save time and ensure applicants understand the basics of the job and organization by providing large amounts of information. This process is usually followed by an individual interview.
Tip: To s tand out in a group set ting, a well-timed an d intelligent qu est ion may h elp the e mployer remember you pos itively.
Sequential/Serial Interview A s equen tial interview is co nduct ed by two or more interviewers, separately or in sequen ce. The candidate either moves from one location to anot her or stay s in one roo m and while different interviewers join them. Sequential interviews involve a number of ‘first impress ion’ opportunities s o be aware of how you presen t yo urself each time. At the en d of the p rocess , the interviewers meet to evaluate each applicant and make their decision.
Tip: If you have d ifficulties remembering what y ou have already s aid to o ne p erson – don’t b e afraid to as k!
Interview Formats Behavioural Interview The Interviewer will ask for specific examples from your past experiences to determine if you can provide evidence of your skills in a certain area – the best predictor of future behaviour is pas t behav iour. Althoug h the interviewer is h aving you recount sto ries from your pas t, they are really trying to imagine how yo u would h andle s imilar situations in the future. When deciding what examples from your p ast to us e, cons ider the following: The more recent the behav iour, the better its p redictive power. The more long-last ing the b ehaviour, the b etter its predictive power. Prepare yourself for the probable skill areas the employer will be interested in and will, therefore, likely be asked about in the interview. Determine this by reviewing the job des cription.
Situational Interview This format is highly st ructured in that h ypo thetical situations are des cribed an d app licants are asked to explain what they would do in thes e situations . Interviewers may us e a scoring guide consist ing of sample answers to evaluate and s core each applicant’s answers.
Structured Interview This format combines the s ituational interview with a variety of oth er types of interview quest ions. Typically, each candidate is asked the s ame set of ques tions and t heir ans wers are compared to a scoring guide and rated. The goal of this approach is to redu ce interviewer bias an d to h elp make an objective decision abou t the b est can didate. www.success.uwo.ca/careers/prepare_for_interviews/types_of_interviews.html
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Types of Interviews
Unstructured Interview Questions here are bas ed on t he individual’s application docu ments su ch as t heir résumé and s o different variants of a ques tion will be as ked to each applicant. Without s tructured gu idelines, the co nversat ion can b e free-flowing, thus making this method of interviewing the mos t p rone to bias, but allowing the interviewer to get a more natu ral and perhaps more realistic sens e of who you a re. Although this ty pe of interview may s eem more casual, and may even occur over lunch or dinner, you must still be well-prepared and maintain a professional demeanor. Be careful not to provide information you would not have communicated if the interview was more structured.
Semi-Structured Interview This format is a blend of structured and unstructured, where the interviewer will ask a small list of similar questions to all candidates along with s ome ques tions p ertaining to yo ur resu me.
Case Interview The cas e interview format is p opu lar among cons ulting firms. It gives th e interviewer a good idea of you ability to s olve problems ‘on t he s pot’ – an important s kill for any con su ltant. This interview format is also des igned t o as sess logical thou ght process es, q uantitative s kills, b us iness knowledge, g eneral knowledge, creativity, and communication s kills.
Testing/Assessment It is co mmon for employers to use sta ndardized tes ts or work simulation exercises t o as ses s a candidates fit to the po sition or to tes t work-related competencies. Testing is us ually do ne after an initial screening proces s and can be a very cos tly proces s for the employer.
www.success.uwo.ca/careers/prepare_for_interviews/types_of_interviews.html
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