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Interview Preparation: Types of Interviews Question Answers 2024

Get here Interview, types of interviews as there are various definitions of Interview.  You may say it is a formal face-to-face meeting, especially for the purpose of obtaining a statement for assessing the qualities of a candidate.   

What is an interview?

For the employer the purpose is to determine the most suitable person for the job.   An interview is a formal meeting between a job seeker and a employer. Following are the complete information related to Interview regarding types, preparation of Interview, question/ answers etc is mentioned below.....................

How to Prepare for an Interview?

Reply: A job interview is a formal, structured and systematic interaction between the candidate and a group of persons who want to hire him/her for a particular job position.  A planned preparation for the job interview will help the candidate.
  • 1) Develop the needed confidence
  • 2) Enter the job interview with information and understanding.
  • 3) Practice makes perfect, and that is especially true for interviewing skills. For a successful interview, you need to practice your answers to typical questions, review your body language, and determine what works well and what does not.
  • 4) Practice in front of a mirror or with your friend or family member.
  • 5) Know his/her strength and weakness.
  • 6) Know his/her job and the organization that he/she wants to join.
  • 7) Know the history of the company
Thus, preparing for the job interview involves:-

SELF-ANALYSIS

We cannot project ourselves successfully unless we know our strengths and weakness properly.  It may sound foolish but it is true that most of us really do not know ourselves.  That is why a simple question like "Tell us something about yourself" unnerves many candidates during job interviews.  Self-analysis is the first step towards effective planning for a job.  It includes analyzing our career goals in terms of the contribution we can make to the job we aspire for.

ANALYZE YOUR CAREER GOALS & SKILLS

You should analyze your career goals-what you want to do in life, your career objectives, your long-term goals in life, where you see yourself in five/ten years, your short-term objectives.  So, it is important that you analyze your career goals in terms of the job position you have applied for.
Every job has a set of funcitions and requires certain skills to perform it.  The main purpose of a job interview is to find out whether the candidate possesses the skills and knowledge required to carry out the functions associated with the job.  Most employers would like to see the match between the candidate's skills and the requirements for the job.  There are two types of skills that might be assessed during an interview, that is, learned skills and intuitive skills.  Learned skills are the ones that might have been taught or have been learned while intuitive skills are a part of one's personality.

ANALYZE YOUR BACKGROUND

We should begin self-analysis with a critical examination of our educational & professional background.  Do we have the right background for the job?  This is the first question that we should ask ourselves.  Some of the questions that ask you to talk about your background include "Tell us something about yourself", "How would you describe yourself" ? "If you had to live your life again, what would you change?", "Describe yourself in a few sentences", Tell us something about your education & background and so on.  The purpose of these questions is to identify the match between the candidate's background and the requirements of the job.
The candidate may have impressive qualifications and experiences but the interviewers would be more interested in knowing whether he/she has the right background for the job in question. 

IDENTIFY YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

An accomplishment can be defined as the completion of a particular task with the help of one's skills.  It may be a successfully organized college trip or cultural programme, the completion of an academic project, or solving a difficult problem or situation.  Each of these can be an accomplishment that the candidate may be proud of.  Some questions that might ask you to reflect on your accomplishments include
a) What are your accomplishments?
b) Describe a situation in which you were successful.
c) Have ever solved a problem?
d) What makes you stand out from the rest of the applicants?
e) Tell us about a problem you have face & solved.

IDENTIFY YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS

An achievement is different from an accomplishment.  While accomplishments reflect special skills, achievements show our academic & professional success and distinguish a successful person from the non-achievers.  They convince the employer that the candidate is an achiever and therefore worth hiring.  You should make a list of scholarships, fellowships, awards, prizes, distinctions, commendations, certificates, or anything that shows achievement or recognition.

IDENTIFY YOUR SPECIAL INTERESTS & HOBBIES

Another aspect of self-analysis is identifying special interests and hobbies.  A list of such activities should be made.  As your curriculum vitae may also include your hobbies, interests & activities, you should be ready to justify them during an interview.  You should identify and list your extra curricular, co-curricular and professional activities as well as your hobbies and interests.  As most organizations prefer dynamic and active employees, special interests and activities must show the candidate as a dynamic and energetic person who can accept all challenges.

RESEARCH THE ORGANIZATION

A candidate must thoroughly research the organization you want to join before the interview. Interviewers may ask a few questions to test your knowledge about the Base organization and your interest in them.  Unless candidate research the company he will not be able to answer any of these questions.  A candidate should have some basic information about the organization like :-
a) Major areas of operation
b) Product/Services of the organization
c) Growth rate
d) Work culture
e) Corporate culture
f) Turnover of the organization
g) Recent developments in the organization
The first and the most simple way to research the organization through the website of the company.  A candidate may read the company's brouchers and recent annual reports.  You may talk to  concerned people to get first hand information about the organization.

INTERVIEW QUESTION/ANSWER

Examples of Interviewing Questions :-
Q1. Tell us something about yourself.
This may be the first question of an interview.
Without focusing on any specific area, a brief description highlighting the education, skills and experience may be given.

Q2.What are your strengths?
The question should be answered in the light of the candidate's self-analysis highlighting his/her strong points as well as his/her suitability for the job.

Q3. Tell something about your interests and activities.
This is a direct question.  The interviewers want to know if the candidate's interests and activities match with the job.

Q4. What are your career objectives? / What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
All these questions are similar as the interviewers would like to know whether working in their company falls within the candidate’s objectives.

Q5. Why are you interested in this job?
Interviewers would like to assess the candidate’s interest and motivation to join the position and see if his/her interest areas match the job.

Q6. Why do you want to join our company?
This question should be answered in the light of the company analysis projecting the strengths of the company.

Q7.Tell us something about your work experience?
The question should be answered by conveying his/her interest and motivation to work with the organization.

Q8. Why should we hire you?
The interviewers want to know the candidate’s interpretation of the job and his/her assessment of his/her suitability for the position.  The candidate should be able to establish his/her qualification, knowledge and skills match the needs of their organization and job requirements.

Q9. What is your greatest weakness?
The interviewers want ti know how the candidate would handle a question like this.  It is best to mention a mild weakness or a weakness that is actually strength and also tell them how one attemp to improve the weakness. 
Details of Interview:
All the job interviews have the same objective, but employers reach that objective in a variety of ways.  One strategy for performing your best during an interview is to know the rules when you walk through the door.  The following are the different types of interviews :-

TELEPHONE INTERVIEW


Many companies/organizations will conduct interviews by telephone to narrow a field of candidates.  Telephone interviews may also be used as a preliminary interview for candidates who live far away from the job site.  Following points to be kept in mind :-
1) Focus on the conversation.  Listen to the questions carefully before you answer.  Since your voice is key, convey energy with inflection in your voice.
2) Have copy of your resume nearby as a reference.
3) Avoid using a phone with call waiting.  You do not want to be interrupted during in interview.
4) It is important to treat this interview as you would a face to face connection.  Arrange for a quite space and time to schedule the conversation.  Clear a work surface to minimize distractions.

SCREENING INTERVIEW

The companies use screening tools to ensure that candidates meet minimum qualification requirements  Following are the tips for maintaining confidence during screening interviews :-
1) Highlight your accomplishments and qualifications.
2) Get into the straightforward groove.  Personality is not as important to the screener as verifying your qualifications.  Answer questions directly and succinctly.  Save your winning personality for the person making hiring decisions!
3) You should be tactful about addressing income requirements.  Give a range, and try to avoid giving specifics by replying, " I would be willing to consider your best offer."

THE GROUP INTERVIEW

Interviewing simultaneously with other candidates can be disconcerting but it provides the company with a sense of your leadership potential and style.  The group interview helps the company get a glimpse of how you interact with peers-are you timid or bossy, are you attentive or do you seek attention, do others turn to you instinctively, or do you compete for authority?
This environment might seem overwhelming or hard to control, but there are few tips that will help you navigate the group interview successfully :-
1) Observe to determine the dynamics the interviewer establishes and try to discern the rules of the game.  If you are unsure of what is expected from you, ask for clarification from the interviewer.
2) Keep an eye on the interviewer throughout the process so that you do not miss important cues.
3) Treat others with respect while exerting influence over others.
4) Avoid overt power conflicts, which will make you look uncoorperative and immature.

THE DIRECTIVE STYLE

In this style of interview, the interviewer has clear agenda that he/she follows unflinchingly.  Sometimes companies use this rigid format to ensure parity between interviews; when interviewers ask each candidate the same series of questions, they can more readily compare the results.  You might feel like you are being steam-rolled or the conversation develops naturally.  Their style does not mean that they have dominance issues.  You should keep an eye open for these and have these tips: -
1) Flex with the interviewer, following his or her lead.
2) Do not relinquish complete control of the interview.  If the interviewer does not ask you for information that you think is important to proving your superiority as a candidate, politely interject it.

LUNCH/DINNER INTERVIEW

Following points to be kept in mind in this interview :-
1) The same rules apply at a meal as those in an office.  The setting may be more casual, but remember it is a business meal and you are being watched carefully.
2) Do not drink alcohol at any pont in the interview process.
3) Use the interview to develop common ground with your interviewer.  Follow his/her lead in both selection of food and etiquette.

THE MEANDERING STYLE

This type of interview used by inexperienced interviewers, relies on you to lead the discussion.  It may begin with a statement like "tell me about yourself" which you can use to your advantage.  The interviewer might ask you another broad, open-ended question before falling into silence.  This type of interview style allows you to tactfully guide the discussion in a way that serves you the best of best.  The following strategies are helpful :-
1) Come on to the interview prepared with highlights and anecdotes of your skills, qualities & experiences.  Do not rely on the interviewer to spark your memory-jot down some notes that you can reference throughout the interview.
2) Remain alert to the interviewer.  If he/she becomes more directive durin the interview, adjust.

VIDEO INTERVIEWS

These are rare but not unheard of , particularly if you have applied for an overseas position.  As far as possible, you should treat them as traditional interviews: dress as you would for a conventional interview; address your answers to the interviewer (ie to the camera rather than the display screen); and listen carefully to the questions and instructions, asking the interviewer to repeat anything that you don't understand.

THE STRESS INTERVIEW

Either employers view the stress interview as a legtimate way of determining candidates' aptness for a position or someone has latent maniacal tendencies.  Insults and micommunication are common.  All this is designed to see whether you have the mettle to withstand the company culture, the clients or other potential stress.  Kept some points in mind :-
1) Remember this is a game.  It is not personal. 
2) Prepare and memorize your main message before walking before the door.  If you are flustered, you will better maintain clarity of mind if you do not have to wing your responses.
3) Even if the interviewer is rude, remain calm and tactful.
4) Treat it as the surreal interaction that it is.

THE BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW

Many companies increasingly rely on behaviour interviews since they use your previous behaviour to indicate your future performance.  In these interviews, employers use standardized methods to mine information relevant to your competency in a particular area or position.  Your responses require not only reflection, but also organization.  Following point should be kept in mind ;-
1) Anticipate the transferable skills and personal qualities that are required for the job.
2) Review your resume.  Any of the qualities and skills you have included in your resume are fair game for an interviewer to get impressed.
3) Reflect on your own professional, volunteer, educational and personal experience to develop brief stories that highlight these skills and qualities in you.  You should have a story for each of the competencies on your resume as well as those you anticipate the job required.

DRESSING FOR AN INTERVIEW

Dress properly for the interview. Color plays a key role in projecting a professional image.
• Neutral colors can be relied on to convey a competent and capable image. Neutral colors include navy blue, gray, camel, cream, white, beige and black. These colors look both professional and keep the focus of the interview on you and what you are saying.

• Use a simple hairstyle. Your hair should be clean, trimmed, and in place.

• Fingernails should be clean and trimmed.

• Men should have dark shoes with dark socks. They should not have beards.

• Women should have only one set of ear rings and should not have more than one ring on each hand.

• Makeup should be minimized and perfume should be as light and unnoticeable as possible DEVELOP INTERVIEW FILE

You should develop an interview file that may contain the following papers and documents :-
1) Interview letter
2) Original degrees, certificates and transcripts
3) Experience certificates
4) References and testimonials
5) Certificates of merit
6) Copies of your resume
7) Your visiting cards
8) Other relevant papers that might be needed during the interview
Check- Resume Writing
Final Words
According to us we have explain our best to your regarding Interview Preparation.
Thank You Very Much. Best of Luck.
Regards, 

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