Chapter 1: Simple Truths About Job Interviews
The Many Types Of Job Interviews
Let's look at the hiring process from the employer's point of view for a moment. The costs associated with recruiting and retaining good people continue to escalate in this increasingly competitive marketplace. As a result, just as job seekers invest in resumes, cover letters, and search strategies, many employers invest in a variety of interview approaches, which they believe will most effectively identify candidates who will both fulfill the responsibilities of the position in question and be a good fit for their organization.
Hiring companies use a wide array of interview techniques to accomplish varying objectives. Here's a quick summary of some of the most common:
| Types of Job Interviews | |
|---|---|
| The Traditional | You're interviewed by the hiring decision-maker who also happens to be the person who would be your direct supervisor. |
| The Intermediary | You are interviewed by a representative of the HR department who may or may not be familiar with the position for which you are applying—and may be screening for follow-up interviews with the hiring authority. |
| Tasks and Challenges | You're presented with a specific task, such as prioritizing numerous items in an in-basket or solving a series of puzzles, and are evaluated on your judgment, creativity, and efficiency in completing the task. |
| Meet and Greet | You spend an entire day meeting individually or in small groups with various key stakeholders; this often includes meals and facility tours. |
| Firing Line | You're interviewed and evaluated by the members of a panel. |
| Sink or Swim | You're one of a group of candidates interviewed in the same space at the same time. |
| Groupthink | You're one of a small group of candidates who are asked to discuss an issue or solve a problem together—and are evaluated throughout the process. |
| Showtime | You're asked to prepare and deliver a presentation on a particular topic to key stakeholders—for example, how you would overcome a challenge the organization currently faces. |
| Remote Control | You're asked to go to a video conference site and are interviewed remotely by one or more people (the session will most likely be recorded). |
| Classic Good Cop/Bad Cop | Two interviewers question you, with one behaving in a very engaging and friendly manner while the other is cold and aggressive. |
| Minute Waltz | Similar to speed dating, you get 15 minutes with the interviewer to make an impression. Currently popular for screening a large number of candidates for entry-level opportunities. |
| Problem Solved | You're given a word problem to solve. Typically, it's not about math skills, but about logic and the ability to work through the process to a solution. |
| Let's Do Lunch | You're interviewed by one or more stakeholders over breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and suddenly, it's all about the food and beverage and which fork to use. |
| Can You Hear Me Now? | You're interviewed by one or more people over the telephone. |
In addition, some organizations include other surveys or so-called assessment tools, many of which are written or computer-based tests that probe and measure everything and anything imaginable that's legal to probe and measure (and some things that are not!). For example, these tests are designed to evaluate your aptitude in various disciplines (such as math, reading comprehension, and so on); identify your personality characteristics (for example, whether you are a team player or an individual contributor); and determine your level of expertise in a particular profession. In Chapter 6, many types of interviews will be explored in more depth to give you a better understanding of the interviewers’ motives, the unique challenges presented, and how you can best prepare for these scenarios.
Additional topics
Job Descriptions and Careers, Career and Job Opportunities, Career Search, and Career Choices and ProfilesJob Search, Job Interview Questions, & Job Interview TipsSimple Truths About Job Interviews - The Many Types Of Job Interviews, The Three Ps Of Job Interviewing, Summary