6 Types of Interview Styles

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Interview types are designed to either challenge you, or make things more convenient for the interviewing team.

Preparing for a job interview when you know the interview format boosts your self-confidence and increases your chances of standing out from other job seekers.

Always try to find out what types of interview you may be faced with.

This is easier than you think.

Who is the person setting up your interview?

It might be the HR manager, a staff associate, or your executive recruiter. Simply ask if they would be so kind as to email you a copy of your interview itinerary.

Most of the time they will oblige; however, sometimes they will commit to send it to you, but don't. This is too important to risk falling through the cracks. So just ask them if you will be interviewing with just one person or others...as a group or in a one-on-one setting.

TIP: A good way to get information from people who don't know and trust you yet, is to tell them up-front why you need it. Example: So I know how to prepare for my interview, would you please email to me a copy of the itinerary?

This extra minute of effort could be a life-saver for you as you now have a good idea how their interview process works and what type of interview to expect. You're just asking for information at this point.

Why would anyone be offended about being asked how long the interview will last and who you will be meeting with?

In the unlikely event they won't give you this information, or worse yet, they get snooty about it...relax. Try not to read too much into this.

Remember, you're only talking to one person. He/she is not the company. This is also true if you are working through a recruiter.

You're probably not going to be reporting to this person anyway. So, there's no need to panic or take it personally.

Read the introductory chapter, the table of contents, and watch a short video on why this book is different:

Why Don't They Call Me?-Job Search Wisdom to Get you Unstuck

Here is a brief overview of the 6 most popular types of interview, why companies prefer them, and some of the do's and don'ts of each style:

1. Phone interview: A telephone interview is nothing more than a sniff test to determine whether or not a company wants to spend their time and money to bring you in for a face-to-face interview.

2. One-on-One interview: You will meet with one person at a time, usually in their private office. These 7 job interview techniques will confidently lead you through a one-on-one interview, sometimes called a first level informational interview.

3. Group interview: Sometimes referred to as a Panel Interview. You will meet with a panel of 3 to 7 people in either a conference room or a room specifically set aside for these types of interviews.

4. Dinner interview: You will meet with 1 or 2 people over lunch or dinner.

5. Assessment Group interview: You will be interviewed together with 6-10 other candidates. Various exercises and tasks will be assigned to the group and evaluated by 3-4 company evaluators.

6. Second interview: After you've successfully made it through your first interview, many companies will invite you back for another interview--or two.

Regardless of the types of interview you experience, knowing what to expect and how to best respond, can make all the difference whether you stand out or not.

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