Interviews and YOU!!!

An interview is a conversation between two or more people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee – wikipedia.org

The Screening Interview

Telephone screening interview
You won’t always be forewarned about these interviews. These often happen without an appointment to ask basic questions and are used to eliminate candidates from a large pool. Often including questions about your employment objective, education, skills, or schedule availability, telephonic interviews are used to judge whether you meet the job’s basic requirements before they schedule an in-person interview.

In-person screening interview
Quite often used instead of a telephone screening interview, the in person screening interview has the same basic purpose; to eliminate unqualified candidates and shortlist the ones with potential. The screener’s basic objective is to access if you are a candidate fit enough to meet the hiring manager.

Formal/informal interviews

Some interviews could be extremely formal, while others will feel more like an informal chat about you and your interests. Don’t be caught unawares, you are still being assessed, however casual the discussion may seem.

Technical interviews

You will come across these types of interviews, if you have applied for a job or course that requires technical knowledge. Questions may focus on your final year project or on real or hypothetical technical problems. You should be prepared to prove yourself, but also to admit to what you do not know and stress that you are keen to learn. The exact answer might not be what is required- interviewers are interested in your thought process and logic.

For some positions, such as computer programmers or trainers, companies want to see you in action before they make their decision. For this reason, they might take you through a simulation or brief exercise in order to evaluate your skills. These interviews cold be very useful to you as well, since it allows you to demonstrate your abilities in interactive ways that are likely familiar to you. The simulations and exercises should also give you a simplified sense of what the job would be like. If you sense that other candidates have an edge on you in terms of experience or other qualifications, requesting a technical demonstration can help level the playing field.

Case study interviews

These range from straightforward scenario questions (e.g. ‘How would you handle a situation where…?’) to the detailed analysis of a hypothetical business problem. You will be evaluated on your analysis of the problem, how you identify the key issues, how your thought flows and how you present that flow.

Group interviews

Group interviews comprise a number of candidates who are asked questions in turn. A group discussion may be encouraged, with the intention of studying how you interact with others, are you attentive or do you seek attention, do others turn to you instinctively, or do you compete for authority? The interviewer also wants to view what your tools of persuasion are: do you use argumentation and careful reasoning to gain support or do you divide and conquer?

It is best to maintain a standard of professionalism in the process of organizing and attending interviews. Make sure you return all company calls or emails, even if it is to say that you are no longer available for an interview. Let the organization know if you cannot attend an interview. Apart from the fact that this is a basic courtesy, you never know when you might encounter the same individuals or company again.