The term “interview” has haunted many since the very dawn of its time. Everyone claims to be familiar with the term but struggles with its experience. However, this claim too is based on vague and incomplete knowledge of the whole process.
As mentioned in our previous blogs, an interview is a formal conversation that pivots around having a vis-a-vis conversation with the applicants to analyze their personality and knowledge to assess whether they are fit for the required job role. This conversation can be face-to-face or through a medium like a Skype call or a telephonic conversation.
Many people today have generalized the idea of an interview. They are unmindful of the different dimensions of interviews. An interview is not of only one kind. It has several categories to it. The simplest categorization of an interview can be of a formal interview and an informal interview. Formal interviews require a formal decorum like formal dressing, formal setting and most importantly a formal conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee. Informal interviews are more friendly in nature. They take place in an informal setting so that the employer gets to analyze the applicant's personality more thoroughly.
Apart from these, there are other types of interviews as well. They can be classified into different categories on the basis of their medium or nature. Following is the list of some different types of interviews:-
1. CONVERSATIONAL INTERVIEW:
The usual way of conducting an interview is by asking direct and straightforward questions and getting straightforward replies. However, in a conversational interview, the interviews are conducted in a way that enables the interviewer and interviewee to build a productive conversation. It is flexible in nature. The tone of this interview is purely conversational which helps the interviewer and interviewee to build a common understanding between them so that they both feel comfortable with each other.
For example, if an interviewee is quite unable to understand the question asked or feels that the question is inappropriate then the candidate may cross question without offending the interviewer. This way they both can communicate with each other better. This even helps the interviewer to understand more about the candidate's behaviour, body language and the way of speaking.
2. PUBLIC INTERVIEW:
As the name suggests, interviews which require the involvement public in one way or another are called public interviews. Public interviews are mostly taken up by the media which is why they are also called media interviews. You must have watched press conferences or face to face interviews of celebrities on television or in real life. Those come under this type.
Public interviews help the audience or public to get quick updates on issues. For such an interview, the questions are usually predetermined. It can also have a conversational tone. Since public interviews mostly involve famous personalities, the interviewer must know about the interviewee in great detail i.e. the interviewer must do some homework on the person and frame questions accordingly to make the content more relatable and interesting to not only the interviewee but also the public.
3. TELEPHONIC INTERVIEW:
It is a type of interview that comes under the category of the medium. This constitutes of those interviews which involve a telephonic conversation. The interviewer tries to analyze the personality of the applicants through their words, eloquence, and promptness of answers.
Telephonic interviews help in shortlisting candidates when there is a large number of applicants. These are usually the first step to a whole and vast recruitment process. The interviewer in advance confirms the date and time with the candidate to proceed with the interview. Generally, it is shorter than a face to face interview and may not be the final step for the selection of the candidate for the job. Such type of interview has the advantage of saving time and expenditure of both the interviewer and the interviewee because they are only expected to dial a number and carry forward the processes involved in this interview.
4. FACE TO FACE INTERVIEWS:
These are the interviews which require the physical presence of both the applicant and the interviewer. Not only the answers but the body language of the applicant also plays a vital role here. The applicant must be aptly dressed and well groomed. These interviews can be formal as well as informal for the applicant may be asked to visit the office or a coffeehouse for the interviewer.
5. BEHAVIOURAL INTERVIEW:
This is another type of interview which is conducted to study the behaviour of the applicant. This interview is based on the principle that the behaviour of people in the present or the future can be ascertained from their past behaviour. The interviewer asks specific questions to the interviewee related to their personalities such as their strengths and weakness, worst and best phases of their life or some important lesson that they’ve learned from their life. Since behavioural interviews are aimed to understand the mentality, behaviour and the personality of the applicant, they may be conducted by psychologists or counselors to help their clients.
6. STRESS INTERVIEW:
Stress is something which everyone has to deal with. Some deal with it in a calm and composed manner while others suffer panic attacks. Stress interviews, as the name suggests, are all about checking the abilities of the candidates to deal with stressful situations.
In a stress interview, the interviewer gives or creates a stressful situation and observes the candidate’s reaction to it. The stress interview is conducted when a candidate is to be selected for a job which involves dealing with frequent stressful scenarios. The questions in this interview are all about dealing with work overload, conflicts or handling multiple projects at a time. The interviewee must be mentally and physically alert to answer the questions in the right manner. The ultimate aim of the interviewer is to assess how the candidate would work under pressure.
These are the most common types of interviews one encounters in their daily lives. It is always advisable to give mock interviews before stepping into the real scenario for it will boost your confidence and prepare you for the actual interview.
Written by - Nitya Kapoor
Edited by - Vasudha Sabharwal
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