12 types of interview questions and how to face them

12 COMMON INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND HOW TO CONFRONT THEM

1. Screening Interview

This is the first stage in an interview where candidates are screened to ensure they meet the requirements for the available position in the company. Screening interviews can be carried out either in person, through a call over the phone or video call using a computer. The aim of the interview does not change, which is to confirm the candidate has the necessary qualifications for the job.

2. Phone Interview

The number of applications for a particular position may be too much, to reduce stress and screen out unqualified applicants, a company may decide to use this type of interview. Opting for phone interview can help reduce the number of candidates that do not meet requirements, and it can help save the cost of transportation if the organization is hiring internationally.

3. Stress interview

This type of Interview is carried out to show the employer how the candidate reacts to or performs when faced with challenging situations. A stress interview aims to learn how a candidate behaves under stress and pressure. Here the interviewers put the candidates under pressure deliberately; this form of interview organizes a group of interviewers and allows them to intimidate the applicant or put them under pressure when answering a question. Questions asked are specific to how one handles bulk work or multiple projects, function on a busy day or react to conflict in the work environment.

4. Group Interview

A group interview comprises of several interviewers or a group of interviewers, not just one, meeting with several applicants at the same time. Many companies are opting for this form of interview to do away with applicants that are not qualified. The group of interviewers may consist of supervisors, human resource persons, and other employees all in the same room. In group interviews, a presentation about the company is carried out, followed by a question-answer section.
The benefits of group interview include:

a. It saves the employer time when providing information to the applicants
b. It allows the employer check the applicant's behavior, communication skills and how they treat each other.

5. Panel Interview

The panel interview consists of members of the organization such as the hiring manager, HR personnel, and a client of the company, all interviewing the candidate at the same time. Each member asks the candidate questions, usually from a pre-made list of questions, and all members listen to the candidate's response.

6. Lunch Interview

A lunch interview is carried out to assess a candidate's social skills or evaluate them in a social setting. Here, the employers take the candidate for lunch, observe how they communicate with others, check for table manners, assess interpersonal skills and how the candidate behaves in a social setting. To scale through with this type of interview, having good table manners and knowledge of dining etiquette is essential.

7. Behavioral Interview

Questions concerning behavior gives room to present examples of previous performance, and how it will be of importance to future work performance. The interviewer may be interested in knowing your actions in certain situations instead of what you would do. You may be asked questions like: "Describe a scenario where you exhibited the skill of a leader."

You can use the STAR model to respond to this type of question.

+ Situation: You present the case to the interviewer
+ Task: You explain your goal or objective
+ Action: You describe the steps taken to achieve your goal
+ Results: You reveal the outcome, what you accomplished and if you met your target.

8. Situational Interview

This form of interview requires the candidate answer questions that deal with work-related situations and how they carry out specific functions. This interview focuses on everyday work situations, and the aim is to assess the candidate’s skill and their qualification for the vacant position. The scenario may have to do with the company's history.

For example, "As a team leader in a laboratory, how do you deal with a situation where two members of your team are arguing over who gets rewarded for a finished task."

9. Technical Interview

The primary aim of an interview is to know more about the applicant and evaluate their experience or skills for the available position. For instance, a company willing to employ a programmer will assess the candidate's ability to write codes and knowledge of different programming languages. Such a company may require coding samples and detailed explanation of the code lines.

Examples of questions in a technical interview may include:

a. Explain what your job description is?
b. How do you approach your daily task?
c. What are the output results?
d. What tools do you work with to complete a task?

10. One-on-one Interview

As the name implies, one-on-one, this interview involves a direct interaction between the interviewer and the candidate. In most scenarios, the interviewer decides if the candidate is qualified for the position or not. A one-on-one interview usually comes after a group or panel interview, where you have already proven that your skills and experience make you the best candidate for the job. This stage requires you to answer specific questions about yourself and the position you are applying for. To get through this stage, creating a friendly environment between you and the interviewer, and highlighting your capabilities is essential.

11. Follow-up Interviews

The recruiting process may be challenging depending on the position and the large number of candidates that applied. A follow-up interview may involve several screening methods to reduce the number of applicants. Passing this stage is required to qualify for future interviews. This exercise may require several interviewers, and may take a longer time, therefore, being patient is important.

12. Final selection Interview

This stage is vital for every hiring process, and only a few people make it to this stage. Here, the power to hire rests on the final decision maker, whom you may encounter during the third stage of an interview. Making it through this stage can guarantee you the job. You may lose the job if you don’t make it through the final interview. However, you could remain on the list of possible candidates, just remember to be patient, friendly, polite and professional. Before the employer decides on hiring you, they may seek information from people you came in contact with at the company, such as the parking attendant, the receptionist, or other members of the interview panel. Your being hired is dependent on your relationship with others, therefore be calm while going up against this VIP.