Interview Types-

Competency Based Interviews:

These are structured to reflect the competencies the employer is seeking for the particular job. These will usually be detailed in the job spec so make sure you read it through, and have your answers ready for questions such as Give me an example of a time you worked as a team to achieve a common goal. For more examples of competency based questions click here.

Structured Interviews:

Fixed format interview in which all questions are prepared beforehand and are put in the same order to each interviewee. Although this style lacks the free flow of a friendly conversation (as in an unstructured Interview) it provides the precision and reliability required in certain situations. Also called directive interview.

Open Ended Interviews:

An open-ended interview is a way of gathering information from people. An interviewer asks questions of a participant, who then answers those questions. The interview is considered open-ended because even though the questions can be scripted, the interviewer usually doesn't know what the contents of the response will be. These interviews may have some questions to gather basic factual data on participants such as age and gender, but usually they focus more on the participant's thoughts, feelings, experiences, knowledge, skills, ideas and preferences.

TypesOpen-ended interviews are separated into three groups based on how structured they are. The first type, informal, is the least restrictive. The interviewer doesn't prepare any questions in advance, instead asking questions spontaneously. Subsequently, no two informal interviews are alike. The second type, interview guide, is semi-restrictive. The interviewer uses a general outline of issues or questions, but can use other questions generated spontaneously or go to other topics based on the responses of the participant. The third type, structured, is the most restrictive. The interviewer can only use the exact same questions on specific topics for each interview, and those questions are carefully worded to avoid ambiguity or specific undesired connotations.

ExecutionInterviewers have several choices about how to execute an open-ended interview. If it isn't practical for the interviewer to travel to the participant, or if scheduling is troublesome, interviewers usually ask their questions via mail, email or phone, as well as text and video chat. However, many open-ended interviews are one-on-one events in which the interviewer and participant meet in the same room.

AdvantagesOne advantage of an open-ended interview is that, in addition to fulfilling the original interview objective, the provided complete explanations can lead interviewers, researchers and other businesspeople in new directions, letting them see perspectives and opportunities they didn't consider before. Participants also can clarify what they mean, with motivations often revealed.

DisadvantagesOpen-ended interviews generally don't provide data that are quantifiable. This doesn't mean the data are useless; it just means that the interviews aren't particularly helpful in instances where concrete statistics are required. Also, because participants can answer however they like for most questions, it is difficult to constrain the time of the interview. Interviewers cannot guarantee that they will finish in the time allotted for execution. Depending on how the interviewer executes the interview, the interviewer may not be able to gather valuable information from the body language of the participant. Lastly, open-ended interviews are not practical when the interviewer needs data from a large number of participants.

ApplicationsStructured open-ended interviews are best applied to research where the interviewer wants the most control over result. Most interviews fall into the interview guide classification and can be applied in contexts such as marketing, journalism and employee selection. Informal interviews may be useful for getting a general sense of what a person is like or allowing the participant to be expressive, such as with psychology.

Behavioral interview:

In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the behavioral interview is that your future performance will be based on a past performance of a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire about what you did when you were in XXX situation and how did you dealt with it. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to see how you deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them.

Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new, but widely used mode of job interviewing. The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidates experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. This approach is based on the belief that past performance is the best predictor of future behavior. In fact, behavioral interviewing is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive. The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, and then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview. Even if you dont have a great deal of work experience, companies expect you to be able to relate past experiences from undergraduate or graduate school, campus activities, volunteer work, membership in an organization, etc. to the job for which you are interviewing.

BEHAVIORAL V. TRADITIONAL INTERVIEWINGBehavioral-based interviewing provides a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions than other interviewing methods. Traditional interview questions ask you general questions such as Tell me about yourself. The process of behavioral interviewing is much more probing and works very differently.In a traditional job-interview, you can usually get away with telling the interviewer what he or she wants to hear. Even if you are asked situational questions that start out How would you handle XYZ situation? you have minimal accountability because the interviewer cant really predict if you would react the way you said you would if that particular situation ever arose. In a behavioral interview, however, its much more difficult to give responses that are untrue to your character. When you start to tell a behavioral story, the behavioral interviewer typically will pick it apart to try to get at the specific behavior(s). The interviewer will probe further for more depth or detail such as What were you thinking at that point? or Tell me more about your meeting with that person, or Lead me through your decision process. If youve told a story thats anything but totally honest, your response will not hold up through the barrage of probing questions.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN A BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW Behavioral-based interview questions generally start with any one of the following phrases: Tell me about a time when you Describe a circumstance when you were faced with a problem related to Think about an instance in which you Tell me how you approached a situation whereWhen your interview is behavioral-based, you should expect a structured interview with set questions, as opposed to a conversational style of interviewing. The interviewer is probably evaluating you against a profile of desired behaviors considered necessary for success. You will oftentimes receive follow-up questions that probe for more details and attempt to evaluate the consistency of your answers. Many of the questions will have multiple parts, and the interviewer will generally take notes during your answers.

AREAS OF EVALUATION:Some of the most common behavioral questions evaluate such attributes as:IntegrityLeadershipInitiativeCommunication SkillsProblem Solving SkillsInterpersonal SkillsAdaptability

Here is one list of sample behavioral-based interview questions: Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion. Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree. Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done. Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks. Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision. What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example. Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.

Normal interviews (also called unstructured interviews)are essentially a conversation where the interviewers ask a few questions that are relevant to what they are looking for but without any specific aim in mind other than getting an overall impression of you as an individual. Questions are fairly random and can sometimes be quite open. For example, a question such as "What can you offer our company?" is meant to gather general information about you but does not test any specific skill or competency.In an unstructured interview, the candidate is judged on the general impression that he/she leaves; the process is therefore likely to be more subjective.

Competency-based interviews (also called structured or behavioural interviews)are more systematic, with each question targetting a specific skill or competency. Candidates are asked questions relating to their behaviour in specific circumstances, which they then need to back up with concrete examples. The interviewers will then dig further into the examples by asking for specific explanations about the candidate's behaviour or skills.

Which skills and competencies do competency-based interviews test?The list of skills and competencies that can be tested varies depending on the post that you are applying for. For example, for a Personal Assistant post, skills and competencies would include communication skills; ability to organise and prioritise; and ability toworkunder pressure.For a senior manager, skills and competencies may include an ability to influence and negotiate; an ability to cope with stress and pressure; an ability to lead; and the capacity to take calculated risks.Here is a non-exhaustive list of the more common skills and competencies that you may be asked to demonstrate:Skills and competencies for competency-based interviews

Adaptability Compliance Communication Conflict management Creativity and Innovation Decisiveness Delegation External awareness Flexibility Independence Influencing Integrity Leadership Leveraging diversity Organisational awareness Resilience and tenacity Risk taking Sensitivity to others Team work

What kind of competency-based interview questions can yoube asked?Although most questions tend to ask for examples of situations where you have demonstrated specific skills, they can appear in different formats. Examples include: How do you ensure that you maintain good working relationships with your senior colleagues? Give us an example of a situation where you had to deal with a conflict with an internal or external client. How do you influence people in situations where there are conflicting agendas? Tell us about a situation where you made a decision and then changed your mind.In many cases, the interviewers will start with a general questions, which they will then follow up with a more specific example-based questions. So, for example: How do you manage upwards? Give us an example of a situation where you had a fundamental disagreement with one of your superiors.The key in answering all questions is that you are required to "demonstrate" that you have the right skills by using examples based on your prior experience, and not just talk about the topic in a theoretical and impersonal manner.Click here for a comprehensive list of competency-based interview questions.

How competency-based interview questions are markedBefore the interview, the interviewers will have determined which type of answers would score positive points and which types of answers would count against the candidates. For example, for questions such as "Describe a time when you had to deal with pressure", the positive and negative indicators may be as follows:Positive indicatorsNegative indicators

Demonstrates a positive approach towards the problem. Considers the wider need of the situation Recognises his own limitations Is able to compromise Is willing to seek help when necessary Uses effective strategies to deal with pressure/stress Perceives challenges as problems Attempts unsuccessfully to deal with the situation alone Used inappropriate strategies to deal with pressure/stress

In some cases, negative indicators are divided into two further sections:minor negative indicators, i.e. those which are negative but which dont matter so much; anddecisive negative indicatorsi.e. those for which they wont forgive you e.g. not asking for help when needed.Marks are then allocated depending on the extent to which the candidate's answer matches those negative and positive indicators. Here is an example of a marking schedule for the table above:0 No evidenceNo evidence reported

1 PoorLittle evidence of positive indicators.Mostly negative indicators, many decisive

2 Areas for concernLimited number of positive indicators.Many negative indicators, one or more decisive.

3 SatisfactorySatisfactory display of positive indicators.Some negative indicators but none decisive.

4 Good to excellentStrong display of positive indicators

If the interviewers feel that there are areas that you have failed to address, they may help you along by probing appropriately. For example, in answering the question aboveDescribe an example of a time when you had to deal with pressure, if you focussed on how you dealt with the practical angle of the problem but you forgot to discuss how you managed your stress during and after the event, the interviewers may prompt you with a further question such asHow did you handle the stress at the time?.This would give you an opportunity to present a full picture of your behaviour. This is where the marking can become subjective. Indeed, if an interviewer likes you, he may be more tempted to prompt you and push you along than if he has bad vibes about you.