Today we are going to tell you about basics of Interview and all types of Interviews for key to winning you dream job.
What are Interviews?
Simply put it is a session where the prospective employer gets to know more about the potential employee or rather the opportunity for the potential employee to prove that the employing entity has to have him/her more than ever to achieve its goals and objectives.
You may be one among the multitude of job aspirants or those Interviewees. Before you ever think about an Interview, think again! There’s more to just attending an Interview.
First and foremost you’ve to understand the ‘ types of Interviews ‘ that are universally formatted, conducted, and the results accepted which in turn could land you that dream job.
There exists different types of Interviews, The objective of this article is to bring you to speed and to help you understand and be prepared for whichever type of Interview you’re about to face next.
Types of Interviews
There are mainly 5 types of Interviews, let’s learn one by one about all types of Interview and its structure.
Type 1: Structured Interviews
In his model of interviewing, you’re asked a set of pre-programmed or pre-set questions. No deviations at all. The manner in which the questions are framed will predispose you to keep your answers brief and up to the point.
Mostly, in such Interviews, time is a key factor and the efficiency with which you’re able to corroborate facts from your own CV (about accomplishments, education, work history, challenges, leadership skills, communication skills, team player factor and many other aspects deemed appropriate for the Job, are asked) is instrumental.
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The catch in this type of interview is, you’ve to be far superior in mettle, vision and the “can do, will do” faculty to make a winning impression as fast as possible. Once you do this, you stand a chance to be called for subsequent Interviews and being offered that Job you so really want and deserve by now.
Type 2: Unstructured Interviews
this type of interview format adopts the following features:
- No set format is followed
- Lack of structure, this allows the Interviewer to ask follow-up questions
- Allows Interviewer to pursue points of interests when and as and when they develop
- Interviewer may or may not necessarily ask the same set of questions for the same job again to all Interviewees
- The Interviewer might specify a few key questions in advance, BUT these few questions are usually not, and there’s seldom a formal guide for scoring answers
In short, this type of Interview could best be described as a “little more than just a general question”.
Type 3: Situational Interviews
This is really a tough one! Beware. You’ll be put in a ‘situation’. How you approach the situation, handle it and deliver results, emerging as a clear winner will make or break your day.
You should remember at the job, everything is not hunky-dory! There may be such situations that will demand you to deploy your Armageddon of tact, skill, expertise, diplomacy and the art of negotiation as a leader in command. One, you’re put into such a situation, try to:
- Understand the Question and the Situation contained therein.
- Bring all your analytical, judgment and logic skills in trying to carefully understand the situation.
- Look at every pros and cons.
- Do not drag your feet in coming to a quick, calculated and balanced, yet winning decision.
ONLY, when you’re convinced that you have developed a sure-shot strategy for providing just the most appropriate solution to the given situation, should you respond.
This type of interviews greatly brings to the forefront your ability to effectively and efficiently handle situations bound to arise at the work place.
Type 4: Behavioral Interviews
It’s all about how you would ’behave’ under some of the most embarrassing, intriguing, difficult, emotional, challenging and even highly provoking atmosphere, cleverly engineered and manipulated by your innocent-looking Interviewer who assumes the role of a “tormentor”.
Don’t worry! Just follow these GOLDEN TIPS:
Don’t get pissed off when you are irked with this ridiculous Question: “Tell me about a time you were speaking with an angry person and HOW you turned the situation around?
Be honest as most of us in our working life DO speak to an angry person. Just answer the Question as truthfully as you can, BUT keeping in mind that you have to be a Diplomat par excellence!
Other EXAMPLES of such Questions could be: “HOW would you prepare yourself to meet an important Client with some powerful ideas within the NEXT two hours”? (You’ve just three quarters of an hour!), or “You’re quite busy at your Job and SUDDENLY you receive a call from your Senior asking you to drop everything (including the SPECIAL PROJECT that you NEED to COMPLETE within the NEXT 30 MINUTES for your CEO; How would you face this complicated situation?”
REMEMBER, each one of these Questions slowly and adamantly promises you only one thing – that you explode in anger! NEVER fall for this trap. You can, if you really want to miss that TOP Job in Customer Services that your heart has been pining for since ages!
Type 5: Job Related Interviews
You’ll be judged purely on the basis of your job. Not just your current Job only but all previous Jobs that you have performed and your capacity or ability to perform the Job that you’re being interviewed Just REMEMBER these useful Tips:
Be very careful with your answers to questions. Your Interviewer will DEDUCE results based on what you say.
Your Interviewer will also RELATE these answers to your past work experience – so there has to be a well-defined ‘balance’ between what you say and what is being corroborated
One “QUANTUM OF SOLACE” however, is that your Interviewer won’t be asking you Questions based on hypothetical, actual or scenarios. EVEN then, keep your guard!
Be prepared to answer convincingly such Questions as: “Which Courses did you like best in business school”, “Which parts of your Job do you like doing with a lot of PASSION and ENERGY?’.
The aim of asking such specific questions is to draw conclusions about say, YOUR ability to HANDLE certain SPECIFIC AREAS of the JOB to be filled (and which you so much covet!).
Thank you for reading about “Interview Structures”.