TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-11

Follow-up Interview:

Many people feel that once they make it through an interview they are done with the interview process. This is completely false; you need to follow-up after the interview. By following-up you show the employer that you are well-mannered, focused, enthusiastic, detail-oriented, have the ability to follow through, and that you have good work ethics. Follow-ups will give you a competitive edge and show the employer how interested you are in the position.


It is important to remember that you are not the only qualified applicant. Your actions are being evaluated from the second you contact a company for an appointment/interview. Employers also evaluate a variety of factors during the interview process. You may have done everything perfect, but if your follow-up strategy is not up-to-par you could lose the position. Your follow-up techniques will be scrutinized, therefore you should plan well. The best way to follow-up is with a letter or thank you note.

Thank You Notes & Follow-Up Letters

Any written correspondence needs to be perfect! Your writing skills will be examined to determine your grammar skills, spelling skills, the level of your writing ability and your ability to write convincing copy. The content of the letter will also be analyzed. The employer will look to see if you touch on the subjects that were discussed in the interview. In addition, you need to convince the employer that you have the skills and the qualifications needed for the position you applied for.

Follow-Up Tips for Letters and Thank You Notes

1. Remember and/or write down your interviewer’s name because you will need to use it when writing your follow-up letter or thank you note. Some large companies have a team of interviewers; if this is the case you will need all of their names. They best way to impress is to write a separate letter for each interviewer.
2. Send your letter or Thank You note ASAP! It should be sent the same day if possible. Remember, everything is looked at and the employer will notice the date of your letter (meaning the date stamped on the envelope).
3. You can email a follow-up letter if you have the email address of the interviewer(s)-do not email to a random company email address.
4. Always express your appreciation for the interview and the employer’s time.
5. Clearly explain the level of your interest for the open position.
6. Summarize your skills, qualifications, your educational background, and any other job training that relates to the position.
7. Offer any information you forgot to mention in the interview.
8. Thank them again.
9. Provide complete contact information-Email Address(es), Cell Phone, Home Phone, Fax etc.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-10

Mealtime Interview:

The mealtime interview is used to determine what a candidate is like in a social setting. But, interviewing over a meal can be a candidate's worst nightmare or challenge. The interviewers want to not only know how you handle a fork but how you treat your host, any guests and the serving staff. A candidate must take cues from the interviewer and always remember she is the guest. These tips will help yo with mealtime interviews.

• Do not sit down until the host does.
• Always order something less extravagant than the interviewer.
• Choose manageable food items, if possible.
• If the interviewer wants to talk business, please do so. But if the interviewer and/or guests want to discuss upcoming travel plans or their families, do not, under any circumstance, launch a business discussion.
• Remember ordinary manners: thank the host for the meal and their time.

have been on a number of these types of interviews. I no longer find these difficult. You have to take your time while eating and talking. Never order messy food and limit alcoholic beverages. Real Estate companies and firms hiring salespeople will conduct these kinds of interviews. They want to make sure that the candidate can represent the company in a social setting without embarrassing the company.

Follow-up Interviews

Companies bring candidates back for second and sometimes third or fourth follow-up interviews. There are a number of reasons for this. Sometimes they just want to confirm that you are their ideal candidate. Sometimes they are having a difficult time deciding between a short-list of candidates. Other times, other decision-makers in the company want to gain a sense of who the candidate is before a hiring decision is made.

Additional interviews may go in a variety of directions. When meeting with the same interviewer, a candidate can focus on cementing rapport, understanding where the company is going and how his/her skills mesh with the company vision and their culture. Candidates may find themselves negotiating a compensation package. Or they may find themselves starting from the beginning with a new interviewer.

From my personal experiences, if a candidate is asked back for more than two or three interviews, the company is not sure what they want or need in a candidate. This can be a waste of time and resources for both the candidate and the company.

Conclusion

Interviews are time consuming and training is needed to do them well. They are a flexible method for assessing and selecting candidates for all levels and types of positions. They generate data, which enables the interviewer to analyze the data to generate information about whether a candidate is a good fit for the company. However, information from different interviews is potentially difficult to manage. It has these characteristics.

• Hard to bring together coherently;
• Open to potential interviewer bias;
• May miss certain areas of knowledge, skills, and ability;
• An interview may stress one area and neglect others;
• All kinds of potential problems in the interpretation and analysis of the information obtained; and
• There is always the possibility of distorted impressions.

It is imperative that companies find interviewing styles and formats that are beneficial to the needs of both the company and its potential employees. You'll build bench strength and get the right people in the right seats, moving forward on the bus.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-9

Tag-Team Interview:

Companies often want to gain the insights of various employees when interviewing candidates. Thus, the tag-team interview conducted by two or more interviewers who typically work different jobs.
This interview type is often attractive for companies that rely heavily on team cooperation. Not only does the company want to know whether or not you're a good fit for the company, but also whether or not you get along with other workers as a team player.
In some companies, a tag-team interview means that two or more interviewers will take turns and play off each other to simultaneously interview you in the same room.
In other companies, a tag-team interview means that you will proceed through a series of one-on-one interviews with various interviewers, typically all on the same day.

In either case, your interviewers might consist of department managers, supervisors, project leads, HR personnel, future coworkers or a blend.

Helpful tips for capitalizing on either type of tag-team interview are listed below

• Treat each person as an important individual. Ask for each interviewer's business card at the beginning of the meeting, if possible, and refer to each by name. If there are several interviewers in the room at once, you might wish to scribble down their names on a sheet of paper according to where each is sitting.
• Briefly make eye contact with each interviewer, while speaking directly to the interviewer who asked the question.
• Use the opportunity to gain as much information about the company as you can. Just as each interviewer has a different function in the company, each has a unique perspective. When asking questions, be sensitive not to place anyone in a position that invites him or her to compromise confidentiality or loyalty.
• Be ready to illustrate your main message in a variety of ways to a variety of people.
• Prepare psychologically to expend more energy and be more alert than you would in a one-on-one interview.
• Stay focused, but flexible.
• Send a thank you note to each of your tag-team interviewers.
  

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-8

Group Interview:

Group interviews involve getting together with other job candidates to meet with one or more interviewers. Usually it involves a number of interviewers - potential managers or supervisors, human resources, even future co-workers and a group of candidates all together in one room.

In its most basic form the group interview consists of a presentation to the candidates about the company and position. Generally there will be a question and answer session after the presentation.

These simple interviews serve two purposes. Information is given to all the candidates in an economical and time-saving manner. It also gives the interviewers an opportunity to conduct an initial screening of the candidates as they observe the candidates' behavior and interaction with each other, their communication skills and the impression they make.

Group interviews can be more involved than this. Candidates may be required to participate in wok- stimulation exercises. These can take the form of group problem-solving sessions where each candidate's contributions and participation is noted. Discussion groups take a similar form.

Other exercises include splitting the candidates into teams and each team is given a work-related task to complete. Each team then presents their results to the whole group.

During these team exercises the interviewers closely watch and listen to the candidates. They may also ask questions of individual candidates and take notes.

The skills been observed communication and interpersonal ability, persuasiveness and the ability to influence others, leadership and delegation, organizational and planning skills and the ability to work and contribute as a team-member. Other observable behaviors include the ability to handle stress, to deal with feedback and give feedback and to analyze and problem-solve. Levels of individual knowledge are also noted.

Sometimes the situational exercise is not work related. Candidates are given a controversial hypothetical situation, such as deciding how to choose which people to save from a sinking boat. These type of exercises cause a lot of discussion and argument and interviewers will observe how people interact, influence and reach decisions.

Tips for Group Interviews:

• Before you begin the interview introduce yourself politely to the other candidates.You will be observed from the word go

• It is important to be seen as an active participant rather than merely an observer. Contribute your views and ideas while also listening to the other candidates

• Appear confident but avoid coming across as aggressive

• Avoid dominating the conversation and don't interrupt the othercandidates
• Make sure that you take criticism and give feedback constructively
• Give praise when possible and acknowledge valuable contributions from other candidates
• Avoid obvious power conflicts as these will make you appear uncooperative and unprofessional
• Stay cool under stress

• Be aware of your body language. This is something that will be carefully observed.

• With many candidates all trying to contribute, someone may make your point first. If this happens, think of a statement that adds to this point. This demonstrates that you listen actively and think on your feet

• Prepare meaningful questions to ask. You will be asked at some point if you have any questions and you will stand out from the other candidates if you have a planned list of insightful questions to ask

• Be aware of the interviewers throughout so you can catch any important cues
• Send a thank you letter to each interviewer as soon as possible afterward
  

Use these tips for group interviews and your job interview experience will be a positive one. You will stand out as a mature, confident and competent candidate.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-7

Audition:

For some positions, interviewers want to see job candidates in action before they make a hiring decision.

Subsequently, interviewers might take you through a simulation or exercise in order to evaluate your skills. That's what the audition interview is all about.

For example, if you're applying for a job as a technical instructor, your interviewer might ask you to prepare for instructing a brief lesson about a given topic or one of your choice.

Your "student" audience might consist of interviewers, other interviewees, seasoned technical instructors, employee volunteers or a mix of all. An audition interview can be enormously useful to you as well. That's because it allows you to demonstrate your abilities in interactive ways that are familiar to you. The simulation or exercise will also give you a simplified sense of what the job and working conditions would be like.

If you're not offered a chance to audition, but you sense that other candidates have an edge on you in terms of experience or other qualifications, requesting an audition interview can help you to level the playing field.

To maximize your success in an audition interview, remember to:

• Brush up on your skills before an interview if you think they might be tested in an audition interview.
• Clearly understand the instructions and expectations for your audition interview. Ask for clarification if you don't, as it will show that you make an effort to do things right the first time.
• Treat the simulation or exercise as if you have responsibility for the task laid before you. Take ownership of your work.
• Send a thank you note to each of your audition interviewers as soon as you can.
  

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-6

Behavioral Interview:

In a behavioral interview you will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from your past experiences. The interviewer wants to know, not that you can do something, but that you have done it. He or she, prior to the interview, determines what competencies are required for the position. Then the interviewer develops a series of questions that will allow him or her to find out if you, the job candidate, possess the necessary competencies to perform the job. The basic premise of the behavioral interview is that past performance is a good predictor of future performance.

While many candidates are intimidated by this method, a behavioral interview gives you the opportunity to demonstrate to a prospective employer why you are well suited for the job. Rather then merely telling the interviewer what you would do in a situation, as in a regular interview, in a behavioral interview you must describe, in detail, how you handled a situation in the past. What better way to "strut your stuff?"

On a behavioral interview, you can expect questions like "Tell me about a time when..." or "Give me an example of when..." Fill in the blanks with one of any number of skills, knowledge, or abilities the interviewer is trying to ascertain you have. For example, if conflict resolution is a required competency, the question may be "Tell me about a time two people you had to work with weren't getting along." If you have work experience you can talk about two of your co-workers. If you're interviewing for your first job you can select an experience that occurred during a time you worked on a group project, or participated in a team sport. As long as you clearly state the problem, demonstrate the steps you took to resolve it, and discuss the results, it doesn't matter what experience you draw upon.

Why Would an Employer Use This Technique

When asked simple yes or no questions, a job candidate can easily tell an interviewer what he or she wants to hear. For example, if you're asked what you would do if a client suddenly moved up the deadline on a project, you could reply that you would put in overtime as necessary. However, if the interviewer asks what you have done in the past to complete a project on a tight deadline, you would have to give a real-life example, detailing how you handled the situation. Then the interviewer could ask some probing questions to verify that what you are saying actually happened. For example, she might ask how many hours you spent on the project and whether the client was happy with the results, or what grade you got if you're talking about a school project.


Behavioral interviewing is a style of interviewing that was developed in the 1970's by industrial psychologists. Behavioral interviewing asserts that "the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation." Currently, most organizations are using behavioral interviewing to some degree.
Unlike traditional interviews, which include such questions as:

1. Tell me about yourself.
2. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for us?

Behavioral interviewing emphasizes past performance and behaviors. As a consequence, candidates unprepared for the rigor of behavioral interviewing have not fared well. Simply practicing the list of common interview questions no longer works.

Why should you prepare for behavioral interview?

· Candidates who prepare for behavioral interviews are better prepared - even for traditional interviews.

· Using behavioral answers works well with inexperienced interviewers.

· Companies that invest the time and energy in developing behavioral interviews often attract top candidates. Top candidates make the company a more desirable place to work.

How do I prepare for a behavioral interview?

Companies that employ behavioral interviewing have predetermined the skill sets they require for a particular position. These skill sets could include: decision making and problem solving, leadership, motivation, communication, interpersonal skills, planning and organization, critical thinking skills, team building and the ability to influence others. The company determines the skill sets by doing a detailed analysis of the position they are seeking to fill. Job seekers also must go through this same process. To conduct a job analysis the job seeker should ask questions such as:

1. What are the necessary skills to do this job?

2. What makes a successful candidate?

3. What would make an unsuccessful candidate?

4. Why have people left this position previously?

5. What is the most difficult part of this job?

Once you have landed the interview, keep in mind the following points.
· Be detailed and specific. You should have developed three stories that illustrate your past performance. Remember that the interviewer will be operating under the premise that "past performance in a similar setting is the best predictor of future performance."

The best way to accomplish this is to use the three-step STAR process or
1. Situation or Task
2. Action
3. Result or outcome

For example, you might recount a time when communication within your work group had broken down (situation). To resolve the problem, you organized informal lunch meetings for people to discuss relevant issues (action). Morale then improved, as did the lines of communication (result). Using this three step STAR process is a powerful way for you to frame your experiences and accomplishments for the interviewer.

· Limit rambling and tangents. While you can't control what is asked, you can control what you say.
· Listen carefully to each question. If you are unsure, rephrase the question and ask for clarification. When you respond, be sure to recall your past accomplishments in detail.
· Practice your behavioral stories using real-life examples. It is very difficult to make up behavioral stories, which is why behavioral interviewing is becoming more popular. By practicing, you will be able to recall with confidence your past accomplishments.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions

Decision Making and Problem Solving

Give me an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.

Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision.

Leadership

What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from?

Have you ever had difficulty getting others to accept your ideas? What was your approach? Did it work?

Motivation

Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.

Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the action of others.

Communication

Tell me about a situation when you had to speak up (be assertive) in order to get a point across that was important to you.

Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to your co-workers or group? How did you do it? Did they "buy" it?

Interpersonal Skills

What have you done in the past to contribute toward a teamwork environment?

Describe a recent unpopular decision you made and what the result was.

Planning and Organization

How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?

What do you do when your schedule is suddenly interrupted? Give an example.

Other Behavioral Questions

Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree.

Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.

Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-5

Stress Interview:

In stress interview questions, stressful situation is created by the interviewers deliberately to appraise the candidates whether they can perform well under such a situation. Stress is a term used in physical science which is related to impact of one object on another. Higher is the impact, higher is stress level. This phenomenon is used in human life too.

When stress is used in the context of human life, it represents the pressure that people have in their life, and from the organization’s point of view, in work life.In fact, some of the jobs which have to be performed under constant time pressure are stressing.

In order to create stressful situation during the interview process, the interviewers adopt one or more of the following methods:

1. Keeping a candidate to wait for longer time than anticipated to begin interview process.

2. Calling him in the interview room but not advising him to sit down on the seat meant for him.

3. Long silence even after the entry of the candidate in the interview room.

4. Asking another question before the candidate completes the answer of the previous question.

5. Pretension through body language by the interviewers that they do not listen to what the candidate is saying but actually they might be listening attentively.

6. Criticizing the candidate’s views vehemently even though they may agree with these views.

7. Harassing the candidate with some activities which might not be conducive for congenial environment for the interview.

If you look at all the above methods which are adopted by the interviewers, you will find that all these are quite frustrating to the candidate just like unexpected unfortunate happenings in his life. If the candidate becomes frustrated, he is unlikely to fair well in the interview just like a frustrated employee does not do well on his job. In order to be successful in stress interview, candidate should keep calm and treat this as a challenge.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-4

Meandering Interview:

The meandering interview is often hosted by an inexperienced interviewer, for instance a manager at a small or start-up company who does not often conduct interviews, and hasn’t had any training.

While informality may feel comfortable, the onus is on you to make sure that your skills and abilities are discussed and highlighted. The tone of the interview may change from informal and conversational to formal, with intense questioning. In this situation be attentive to the shift and adapt your performance accordingly.

Sometimes the meandering interview style may be deliberate, as the employer may prefer a more casual approach. The interviewer knows the questions they want to ask, and the qualities they want in a candidate. However instead of following a prescribed format, they allow your responses to direct the order and content of the questions. Some interviewers prefer this style since they can learn much more about you from how you respond to these informal questions than from your responses to more predictable questions.

You might encounter a ‘chatterbox’, an interviewer who dominates the conversation, even when asking questions of you. They end up telling you about their organization, the position, and what they are looking for, but don't give you a chance to tell them anything about yourself. This is frustrating, because at the end of the interview they will not know much about you. In this situation, you will need to politely interject (perhaps when they are taking a breath) with your comments, and quickly mention your top skills and attributes before they jump in again.

Helpful Hints

Employer perspective ~ Why are they conducting this type of interview? Are they unprepared? Relaxed in their style? Or are they being strategic? Your response to the lack of structure could be assessed to determine how you might respond in an unstructured working environment.

Preparation: Determine your interview strategy in advance. Find the opportunity to share your skills and experience. Your preparation can put you ahead of other candidates who might become frustrated by the lack of structure. You can actually prepare for this type of interview by carefully thinking through what kind of person you are, how you react in different circumstances, what qualities you are looking for in a job, and what you think they are looking for in an employee. You could conduct a practice interview to build an interview strategy.

Power of suggestion ~ As this interviewer may not be asking the right questions to prompt you, come prepared with notes to spark conversation, highlight your strengths, or consider creating a summary indicating your skills and career highlights to leave behind.

Balanced Dialogue ~ Open the floor by asking questions of your interviewer. This may allow you to seek out vital information you might otherwise miss out on, and avoid creating the impression that you are taking over the interview, which might be offensive.

Stay on target ~ Be sure to keep both you and the interviewer on track. Consider using your portfolio as a means of guiding the interviewer through your skills. This will also add extra emphasis and dimension to a potentially lackluster interview.

Stand guard ~ Many mistake this interview as a lesser interview, but be forewarned: your actions, comments, dress and personality are being scrutinized, even if the questions are more lighthearted.

Follow up ~ If you haven’t had the opportunity to fully cover all of your skills and attributes in the interview, follow up with your summary and an expression of interest.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-3

Directive Interview:

In the rigid, directive interview type, the interviewer has a clear agenda that he or she follows unflinchingly. Sometimes companies use this interview type to ensure parity between interviews.

In other words, directive interviewers in the same company might ask the same questions of job candidates, so they may compare the results to pick the candidate who consistently gave the same best answers.

Directive interviewers rely upon their direct questions and methods to get from you what they wish to know. You might feel like you are being steam-rolled! On the other hand, if you like a no-frills style, you might find that the conversation develops naturally.

Although their directive style might seem a bit dry or calculating, it does not necessarily mean that your interviewers have dominance or superiority issues. They are likely just trying to lead you straight to the point, to make the most of the interview in the time allotted.

Alternately or additionally, they might be testing how you react to a no-frills leadership style.

However, it's a good idea to keep an eye open for dominance or superiority issues, if the interviewer will be your coworker, lead, supervisor or manager should you land the job. Keeping an eye open for such might provide clues as to how he or she will treat you on the job.

Listed below are tips to help you successfully navigate a directive interview.

• Flex with the interviewer, following his or her lead.
• But, do not relinquish complete control of the interview. For example, if the interviewer does not ask you for information that you think is important in proving your superiority as a job candidate, politely interject it.

In other words, directive interviewers in the same company might ask the same questions of job candidates, so they may compare the results to pick the candidate who consistently gave the same best answers.

Directive interviewers rely upon their direct questions and methods to get from you what they wish to know. You might feel like you are being steam-rolled! On the other hand, if you like a no-frills style, you might find that the conversation develops naturally.

Although their directive style might seem a bit dry or calculating, it does not necessarily mean that your interviewers have dominance or superiority issues. They are likely just trying to lead you straight to the point, to make the most of the interview in the time allotted.

Alternately or additionally, they might be testing how you react to a no-frills leadership style.

However, it's a good idea to keep an eye open for dominance or superiority issues, if the interviewer will be your coworker, lead, supervisor or manager should you land the job. Keeping an eye open for such might provide clues as to how he or she will treat you on the job.

Listed below are tips to help you successfully navigate a directive interview.

• Flex with the interviewer, following his or her lead.
• But, do not relinquish complete control of the interview. For example, if the interviewer does not ask you for information that you think is important in proving your superiority as a job candidate, politely interject it.
• Send a thank you note to each of your directive interviewers.
  

TYPES OF INTERVIEW//PART-2

Informational Interview:

The purpose of an informational interview is to get information about a field of work from someone who has some firsthand knowledge. When you are on an informational interview you should not ask for a job. This is not to say that an informational interview cannot lead to a job. In addition to helping you learn about a particular career, the informational interview is a way to start building a network.The person who is the subject of your informational interview today, may be the first person in your network many tomorrows from now. Here's another way an informational interview can benefit you. For those of us who are a little skittish about going on a job interview, the informational interview provides an non-threatening forum in which to get some practice. Think of it as a dress rehearsal. Here's how I see it. You need information. Someone has that information. Anyone is fair game as long as that person is knowledgeable about the field in which you are interested. Ask friends, relatives, fellow students, your teachers, and neighbors if they know someone who works in your targeted field. People love to talk about themselves and what they do. Call someone you read about who has your "dream job." Call your alumni association. When I first thought about becoming a librarian, I contacted an employment agency that specialized in that area. I was able to get an interview with one of the agency's founders, herself a librarian. She was able to tell me about the job itself, and because of her unique position as a placement counselor, she was able to tell me about the outlook for the field.

What You Need to Know Before the Informational Interview

Just as you need to prepare for a job interview, preparation for an informational interview is very important. As my friend did, searching for information on the occupation is step one. She felt she needed to know as much about her targeted career in order to ask intelligent questions.
When you go on a job interview it is wise to learn as much about the potential employer and the interviewer as you can. When you go on an informational interview you should do the same type of research. As mentioned above, people love to talk about themselves. People also love to hear about themselves (the good things of course!). If your interviewee was referred to you by someone, ask that person about him or her. Also, see what you can find out by looking in local business journals and industry publications. For example, was the interviewee recently promoted or did he or she receive some special recognition? Research that person's employer as well. You will be prepared for the interview and therefore make a good impression.

Questions to Ask At an Informational Interview

As previously mentioned, you should research your career of interest in order to ask intelligent questions. Was there something mentioned in the occupational information you didn't fully understand? The informational interview is a good forum to get that clarified. Here is a small sampling of questions you should ask:

• Describe a typical day at work.

• How many hours do you normally work in a week?

• What do you see as the potential for growth in this field?

• What can I do now to help me find employment in this field?

The Big Day: Time for Your Informational Interview

You've done your homework and can walk into the informational interview confident that you will make a good impression and get the information that will help you make a wise decision. Don't forget to dress appropriately. Arrive on time, keep the interview to the scheduled length, and remember proper etiquette.

Speaking of proper etiquette, please remember to send a thank you note to show your appreciation. The interviewee has taken time out of what is probably a very busy schedule to help you.