A big part of preparing yourself for the interviewing process is being aware of the types of interviews to expect. Below are the main types of interviews that you may encounter:

• Initial / Screening;
• Technical;
• Behavioural;
• Case;
• Panel;
• Group;

Screening/Initial Interview

Screening or initial interview is often conducted by a member of the personnel or HR department or by a recruitment consultant. The purpose of this interview is to determine whether you should be considered more seriously as a candidate and be invited for a second interview with the person you would actually work for. A screening interview can take place in person or over the phone.

From the employer’s point, the telephone interview is effective for eliminating unqualified candidates with a minimum commitment of time and resources. For you, a telephone interview has its advantages and disadvantages. One big advantage is that you can work from notes and other written material. However, it may be disadvantage for you if you receive an unexpected phone call and are not totally prepared or it is not convenient for you. If this happens you can explain that this is not the best time to call you and ask to reschedule the call.

Behavioural interviews

These interviews are aimed at revealing the evidence of your job-related skills in order to match them to the job requirements and employer’s current situation. Job applicants are usually asked to give specific examples of when they have demonstrated particular behaviour or skills, normally within previous job roles.

You want to select examples that promote your skills and have a positive outcome. Even if the interviewer asks about a time when something negative happened, try to select an example where you were able to turn the situation around and something positive came out of it.

Case interviews

During a case interview the applicant is given a hypothetical business question/situation/problem and asked to resolve the situation. The applicant is expected to ask the interviewer logical and sequential questions that will enable the applicant to understand the situation, probe deeper into relevant areas, gather pertinent information and arrive at a solution or recommendation for the question or situation at hand.

These interviews are mostly used in hiring for management consulting and investment banking jobs and other positions where analytical ability, problem solving skills and commercial acumen is essential.

Panel Interviews

Panel interviews are where one applicant is interviewed by multiple decision makers at one time. The panel may be made up of a combination of the hiring manager, their manager, peers to the role, Human Resources.

Group interviews

Group interviews are meetings with more than one applicant at the same time in the same room.

Group interviews are conducted for a variety of reasons:

• To quickly assess a number of people in a short time period
• To see how you fit into a particular group
• To see how you handle talking with several people at the same time