Telephonic, S.T.A.R, Face-to-face, or Individual Interview, there are plenty of types of interviews and techniques as well. Whether it’s formal or informal, the more you’ll read, the more you will know & prepare. Various types of interviews serve different scenarios. Of course, you can measure every candidate on the same scale, therefore, knowing these types & techniques of the interview will help you formulate a winning interview strategy that paves a path of your success.
We’ve crafted a list of 6 top interview types, techniques & skills to help employees achieve their organizational goals. Get ready to shine at your first interview.
Top 6 Types & Techniques of Interview and tips for recruiters
1) Informational Interview
An informational interview refers to a casual conversation, which takes place between job seekers and someone (mostly HR executive) at a company that they want to work with. It is a kind of informational conversation, in which a potential job seeker seeks advice on their career, insights into the industry, and the corporate culture of a potential future workplace; while an employer observes the job seeker and judges their professional potential to build a pool of future hires.
- Informational Interview Tips: Here are a few tips for recruiters to lead successful Information interviews. Keep these Information interview tips in mind and go ahead:
- Prepare Questions in Advance
- Pick the Right Candidate
- Listen More than You Talk
- Avoid the Tried and True
- Elicit Practical Information
- Mention Your Company Brand and Culture
- Keep the Time Limit in Mind
These tips are just perfect for an informational interview and choose the future creators for your organization.
2) Telephonic Interview
One of the most economical ways to screen and interview candidates is by arranging a telephonic interview. Its slots range from 10 to 30 minutes. If you’re a job seeker reading this blog, you’re suggested to prepare it as if it is an open book exam. Though you failed to observe the body language of the candidate, it’s important to have a set of polished and critically important questions on the list.
- Telephone Interview Tips: These are some secret tips for recruiters to land successful telephonic interviews. Also, if you’re seeking a job, you can ace the season by focusing on these tips.
- Start With a Warmth Greeting
- Maintain the Overall Conversation Tone
- Be Sure to Listen and Allow Candidate to Finish First
- Count the Clock Tik-Tik
- Reduce Distractions
- Don’t Overdo Anything
- Prepare Notes
During our conversation with SylanTech’s HR Manager, she frankly suggested: “Take Advantage of Being Unseen”.
3) Individual Interview
This is the most common type of interview, which is also known as “personal interview” and held face-to-face at the company’s office only. It takes just 30 minutes to an hour, in which the interviewer talks to the job seeker. The main objective of individual interviews is to probe their attitudes, beliefs, desires, and experiences to get a deeper insight into the candidate who is seeking a role in your organization.
- Individual Interview Tips: other than formatting the set of questions, there are several things that a recruiter should keep in mind when interviewing a candidate individually. Here are some easy tips for recruiters to conduct smooth interviews.
- Do the Homework (Prepare question for the post)
- Ask the Right Question at the Right Time
- Focus on Attitude, Vibe, and Positivity Towards Answering
- Appearance & Body Language
- Follow Up and Provide Feedback
To place the best candidate in the right role, these are some tips that every employer should focus on. These individual interview tips will help you conduct efficient interviews.
4) Behavioral Interview
This is an increasingly popular type of interview. The theory behind critical behavioral interviewing (CBI) is the past performance in a similar situation is the best predictor of future performance. This is a type of interview, in which an employer is asked to provide examples from past employment and how they behaved & handled those situations. It may include teamwork, problem-solving assessment, communication, creativity, flexibility, and organizational skills as well.
- Behavioral Interview Tips: To know the strength of a candidate, you better focus on the job seeker’s skills, attitudes, and values as well. By finding out how the candidate has behaved in a similar situation in the past, you will get a better insight into their future performance. Here are some tips for recruiters to conduct efficient behavioral interviews.
- Choose your Questions Strategically
- Be Consistent
- Divide Your Conquer
- Evaluate & Measure
- Focus on Time and How Much Time They Take to Solve the Issue
Whenever possible, create a checklist and scoring system for each question accordingly areas of focus. It will help you minimize the time and conduct better interviews.
5) Social Work Interview
Social work interviews are purposeful conversations between practitioners and organizations designed to provide cooperative working relationships by focusing on needs, complications, strategy making, resources, and solutions as well. It includes attention to both verbal and nonverbal conversations (listening, expression, body position, response timing, facial expression, and gestures as well). Social work, counseling, psychotherapy, and other helping professions are closely related to this job interview technique & skill set.
- Social Work Interview Tips: Before rushing into interview questions on lengthy agencies, application forms, and showing respect, these are some social work interview tips for employers to keep in mind.
- Provide a Comfortable Setting
- Ask Open-ended Questions
- Practice Active Listening
- Reflect and Interpret
- Exploration
- Topical Shift
- Logical Reasoning
- Explaining & Reassurance
Reassurance only gives if the facts are justifying it. Insecure persons may also seek unconditional reassurance, which must be avoided for obvious reasons.
6) S.T.A.R. Interview
STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) is an interview technique used by recruiters to gather all the relevant information about an individual capability to perform tasks or strengths to fit in the vacant role. The interviewer wants you to present a recent challenging situation in which you found yourself. The STAR interview method is a structured manner similar to behavioral interview and the questions come up discussing the situation during individual or telephone interviews. Here are some interview tips for employers.
- S.T.A.R. Interview Tips: The response method of the S.T.A.R. Interview is to ensure that the candidate is answering the question based on his/her previous experience. You can also use the outcome of behavioral interview questions to create a base as well. Here are some easy tips.
- Prepare in Advance
- Take Your Time
- Be Open-minded
- Follow The S.T.A.R Interview Method
- Prepare Notes for Further Clarification
- Let Your Candidate Take Their Time To Respond
This is how a candidate becomes capable of running your organization from the top position. Success goes through the interview itself, therefore an employer should keep these interview tips in mind when interviewing or screening a candidate.
Communication is perhaps the most essential aspect of an interview. It is a must for an employer to understand the candidate and ask about their needs as well. Better avoid cross-questions that will just waste your time without giving any positive outcome. We hope our blog on types of interviews, Techniques & Tips will give you an insight into how to conduct an efficient interview.
