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Interviewing Overview: Interview Types

Interviewing: Interview Types Overview

competencies they believe to be right for the position. These attributes will vary from company to

company. You may find that larger companies have well-defined, articulated attributes with a clearly

targeted interview process. Although other companies may not have roles clearly defined, there may

be a more casual approach that relies on the individual interviewer to determine the right candidate.

There are a variety of types that can be used for conducting interviews. The selected types may be

determined by the nature of the position, defined by a structured company interview process or simply

the preference of the interviewer. Click here for a brief description of the various types:

Screening                            Psychological

Qualifying                            Job Fair

Technical                             Contracting and Consulting 

Approval                              Boards of Directors

Fit                                           Government

Screening
The screening interview is the first step in the interview process and is frequently conducted by phone.

A recruiter or human resources professional will be attempting to determine if you meet the minimum

requirements for the position, that your resume is accurate, and that you are truly interested in the

position. Don’t underestimate the importance of this initial contact. This is your opportunity to position

yourself as a serious, credible candidate worthy of inclusion in a formal interview process.

Qualifying
The qualifying interview is the second step in the interview process and is typically conducted by your

potential new manager. Although it will be an in-depth review of your skills and experience, the hiring

manager may also ask ‘will’ and ‘fit’ questions. Qualifying interviews are conducted either in-person or

over the telephone. (Don’t be surprised if you have more than one or two telephone ‘interviews’ prior

to a face to face meeting. Companies are using telephone interviews more frequently as they are a

tremendous time and cost saver).

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Technical
The technical interview is usually reserved for technical, mechanical, and engineering roles. It is

usually conducted by a technical or subject matter expert who will focus on gauging your specific

knowledge, experience and skills. In addition to a discussion, it may also include computer-based

assessments, written questionnaires, practical hands-on demonstrations, presentations, etc. Your

focus during this type of interview is primarily ‘can’ however don’t neglect to show your enthusiasm

and flexibility. It won’t really matter what you know if they don’t get a sense that you would be ‘good’

teammate.

Approval
Often a formality, these interviews are sometimes referred to as ‘blessings’ are usually conducted by

the hiring manager’s manager. This is typically done to vet the hiring manager’s choice for key areas

of responsibility or for more senior roles. The focus during these meetings is typically on ‘will’ and ‘fit’

concerns so your focus will be to present yourself as motivated, interested, able to manage the

demands of the role, and can be counted on to be a reliable, pleasant colleague.

Fit
Typically interviews of this type will include any or all of the following in the interview process;

individual peers, entire teams, members from other teams, and stakeholder groups. The usual reason

for this focus is that the position requires significant team interaction and strong collaboration skills.

Your goal here will be to emphasize your success in interacting effectively with others.

Psychological
When key characteristics are needed in employees holding specific positions, employers may use a

battery (collection) of psychological instruments (tests) to determine if applicants do indeed possess

those characteristics. Once you have completed the ‘tests’, usually the company will have a

psychologist provide you with an individual interpretation of the results. Optimum outcomes are

typically 'normed' against the profiles of the top performers in those specific roles in the organization

and sometimes the industry. Examples of these positions might be any that involve significant

relationships with key customers and stakeholders, high stress positions, and positions deemed

‘mission critical.’

Job Fair
At Job or Career Fairs, as they are also sometimes known, company recruiters typically spend a few

minutes with each applicant. This ‘quick chat’ is a mini-interview and is an opportunity for you to give

the recruiter a sense of your excitement and your unique selling features. Your objective here is to be

invited to the organization for a more formal interview. Prepare carefully for these events as you will

only have a few minutes to present yourself with your 30-second commercial and to find out more

about the organization.

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If you are considering serving on a board of directors, be it a corporate or a not-for-profit board, or if

you are interested in applying for government positions, read on for more information and tips.

Contract and Consulting Interviews

difference in contract work is that you are not an employee of the organization, but may be hired

through an agency, or as an Independent Contractor (non W-2). This is a particularly popular option for

Project Managers and for IT professionals.

Usually, but not always, they are hired through a third party agency, and the interview process has

proven to be shorter in these cases than a direct employee hire. Can do and Will do are the most

prominent concerns, with Fit, being of lesser concern, but still important.

Independent consulting (where you are directly ‘selling’ your skills to an organization) has proven to be

an emerging opportunity for professionals who have wide and deep experience in a particular area of

expertise. The interview process can be as long and as complicated as an employee interview. You may

meet numerous times with the manager with whom you will be working most closely. From an

interviewee perspective, it’s critical that you ask questions concerning the scope of the work, timelines,

deadlines, work output, recognition of significant milestones, remedies for non-payment, contract

length and so on. Always consult an attorney before entering into any contract situation with anyone.

Boards of Directors
Becoming a member of a board of directors can be both a career development strategy and a valuable

contribution to your community, profession, or industry. Positioning yourself as a desired member is

very similar to finding employment in that this unique ‘market’ needs to become aware of you and

what it is you have to offer their organization.

1. Not-for-Profit Boards

Shared values around the mission, vision and execution of the mission are extremely important. It's

always a good idea to volunteer with the organization before deciding whether or not you'd like to

make the greater commitment of sitting on the board. Large not-for-profit organizations will

sometimes have a main board of directors focusing on strategic direction and another ‘foundation’

board focusing on raising funds to support the organizations mandate.

In many cases, in order to ascend to the Board a potential member will be asked to provide a tangible

commitment to the organization. In the past, 'sweat equity' was an acceptable replacement for

monetary contribution.

2. Corporate Boards

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Larger, well known organizations will typically use search firms to surface appropriate candidates. Most

Corporate boards need Directors who are familiar with corporate governance, Sarbanes-Oxley, risk

management and so on. Usually, but not always, former CFO's, CEO's or Corporate Treasurers are in

demand. Networking is a good way to get on the recruiters' short list, and if you've served on a board

in the past, your success in that role may be a predictor for success in this new opportunity. The

interview process will include a meeting with the CEO of the corporation for which you are being

considered, and the search committee of the board (which is a microcosm of the larger board of

directors). Fit and business acumen will be key factors in these interviews.

Government Positions (local, state,

to your community, state, and country.

Be sure to apply to all positions you are interested, do not assume that since you have applied the

entire department knows about you so be sure to regularly check the government websites for

additional and/or changed postings. The main difference you will notice between government and

private sector selections is that the entire selection process is more involved and may take longer; this

is because organizations using public funds (taxes) must be diligent with their processes and

documentation to ensure all citizen applicants are treated fairly.

Government interviews tend to follow the same type (screening, technical, decision and blessing) and

format (one on one, panel, round robin), as company interviews and so your preparation will be very

similar. With large government departments additional patience and polite persistent follow-up is

required.

For more information on where to find and how to apply to government job postings, please refer to

the Federal Government Overview.

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