Interviewing Methods

The Complete Hiring & Interviewing
Guide 2009

Interviewing Methods.

It's common for individuals who are searching for a job to prepare and even practice for an interview. But what most employers disregard is the power behind effectively preparing to conduct interviews.

Before sitting down for interviews, the person conducting the interview should have a list of well thought out questions to ask the applicant. It is also helpful to have a list of specific personality traits and mannerisms they're looking for during the interview.

Telephone Interviews:
The telephone interview is the most common way to perform an initial screening interview. This helps the interviewer and the candidate get a general sense if they are mutually interested in pursuing a discussion beyond the first interview. This type of interviewing also saves time and money. They may be tape recorded for the review of other interviewers.

Computer Interviews:
The computer interview involves answering a series of multiple-choice questions for a potential job interview or simply for the submission of a resume. Some of these interviews are done through the telephone or by accessing a web site. One type is done with pushing the appropriate buttons on the telephone for the answer you are submitting. Wal-Mart uses this method for screening cashiers, stockers, and customer service representatives.

Another type of computer interview is provided by accessing a website while using a computer keyboard and a mouse. Some of the questions on both of these types of interviews are related to ethics. As an example, "If you see a fellow co-worker take a candy bar and eat it, do you a. Confront co-worker, b. Tell the supervisor, c. Do nothing."

Types of Interviews - Selection Interviews:
In contrast to screening interviews, you can use the more traditional hiring or selection interviews. These hiring interviews are two-way streets where the candidate will also interview the employer for job suitability. Most of these interviews take place in an office setting in one of several formats such as: one-on-one interviews

One-on-One Interviews:
This is the traditional interview in which candidates meet with employers in person, one-on-one. Each candidate is given a somewhat unique interview. It can be loosely structured. Both the candidate and employer usually walk away from this interview with a sense of whether or not the fit is right. ( If you want to hire the right person try asking these questions)

Serial interviews:
Serial interviews occur when candidates are passed from one interviewer to another interviewer throughout the course of a day.

No decision is made until the final interview has taken place and all the interviewers have had a chance to discuss each other's interview. As a candidate, you have only one chance to make the right first impression.

Sequential Interviews:
In sequential interviews, the candidate meets with one or more interviewers on a one-on-one basis. This is done over the course of several days, weeks or even months. Each interview is supposed to move a candidate progressively towards learning more details about the position, the company, and hopefully, an offer.

Panel Interviews:
In a panel interview, the candidate appears before a committee or panel of interviewers. This type of interview is usually done for time and scheduling efficiency to accommodate the panel. Candidates are evaluated on interpersonal skills, qualifications, and their ability to think on their feet. This type of interview can be intimidating for a candidate.

Group Interviews:
In a group interview, a company interviews a group of candidates for the same position all at the same time. This type of interview gives the company a sense of a candidate's leadership potential and style. The interviewer wants to view what tools of persuasion the candidate uses. Does the candidate use argumentation and careful reasoning or does the candidate divide and conquer. An interviewer may call on the candidate to discuss an issue with the other candidates, solve a problem collectively, or discuss the candidate's qualifications in front of other candidates.

This type of interview can be overwhelming for a candidate. The candidate needs to understand the dynamics the interviewer establishes and determine the rules of the game. He needs to avoid overt power conflicts, as they make the candidate look uncooperative and immature The interviewee needs to treat other candidates with respect while exerting influence over them. Simultaneously, he needs to keep his eyes on the interviewer so that he does not miss important cues.

Situation or Performance Interview:
In situation or performance interviews, candidates may be asked to role play one of the job functions. This is done to assess specific skills. Candidates can be given a specific, hypothetical situation or problem. They are asked how they would handle it or to describe a potential solution. This can prove to be difficult if the interviewer does not provide enough information in order for the candidate to recommend a solution or a course of action. This type of interview is used to select candidates for a job opening for Customer Service Representative in a department or discount store.

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Audition Interview:
Audition interviews work well for positions in which companies want to see a candidate in action before they make a hiring decision.

Interviewers may take the candidate through a simulation or brief exercise in order to evaluate the candidate's skills. This allows a candidate to demonstrate his/her abilities in interactive ways that are familiar to the candidate. The simulations and exercises should give a candidate a simplified sense of what the applied for position requires. This type of interview works well for job openings for computer programmers, trainers, welders, and mechanics.

Stress Interview:
A stress interview is generally intended to put the candidate under stress and assess their reactions under pressure or in difficult situations.

A candidate may be held in the waiting room for an hour before the interviewer greets her. The candidate may face long silences or cold stares. The interviewer may openly challenge the interviewee's beliefs or judgment. They may ask the candidate to perform an impossible task on the fly, such as, convincing the interviewer to exchange shoes with the candidate. Insults, rudeness and miscommunication are very common. All of this is supposed to be designed to see whether or not the candidate has what it takes to withstand the company culture, the company's clients or any other possible stress.

Behavioral Interview:
The majority of companies are increasingly using the behavioral interview. This uses a candidate's previous behavior to indicate their future performance.

Depending on the responsibilities of the position and the working conditions, a candidate may be asked to describe a situation that required problem solving skills, adaptability, leadership, conflict resolution, multi-tasking, initiative or stress management. The interviewer wants to know how the candidate handled these types of situations.

There are several types of Behavioral interviews.
Structured interview with layered questions: skilled interviewers commonly use this. They ask a series of behavioral questions and non-behavioral questions. The questions often overlap and are designed to gather information about each of the major employer concerns.

· Informal interview: This type is casual and relaxed. It is intended to get the candidate talking and too friendly. The candidate may reveal more information than they might otherwise. As you know, too much information, too soon, can eliminate you from the candidate pool.

Reverse Role interview: In this type of interview, the interviewer is unprepared, short on time, hurried, distracted, or very simply, unskilled at appropriate questions to determine if a candidate can perform successfully in the position.
Assessment Instruments/Testing: Various types of tests are used to determine if a candidate is a good fit for the company. These types of testing may be used. Personality inventories assess personality types. Aptitude inventories assess aptitudes in certain skill areas. Interest inventories assess interests in various occupational categories. Combination instruments can be a combination of any of these.
Combination interview: This type of interview combines two or more types of interviews. This could occur within the same interview, on subsequent interviews or both.

We will look at behavioral interviewing in more detail later on in this guide.

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Other Types Of Interviews

Tag-Team Interview:
The tag-team interview is often attractive to companies that rely heavily on team cooperation. A candidate may be expecting to meet one-on-one with an interviewer, but find themselves in a room with several other people. Employers want to gain the insights of various people when interviewing candidates. They want to know if a candidate's skills balance the needs of the company and whether or not the candidate can get along with other workers.

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