Succeed at Your Next Job Interview

Career Help Center

What many candidates don't realize is that there is more than one interview style in which they may have to participate; it depends on the industry. There are meetings that you will attend in-person and others which will be conducted over the phone or through an audio/visual communication system. Although you would not be physically there during a phone meeting, for example, you can still employ these strategies.

To be successful at interviews, you cannot act the same by coming into the meeting with the same presentation for every style of interview that you are attending. That is why the descriptions of these styles may help you during this tedious process. There are also specific illegal questions which you are not allowed to be asked, for more info on this read this related article. Our intention is for this information to help you throughout this process, you will need to decide for yourself if these strategies will work for you.

Job Interview Types

• Standard Interview
  If you are looking for information about how to tackle a standard interview we have written a full in-depth article covering this topic. Please view our article complete with job interview tips that explains how to master meetings of this type.
• The “Last Resort” Interview
  
  • What it is: So maybe it's not literally a last resort, but this type is for when you are applying for a position that wasn't your first choice. Maybe since you were unable to acquire any work closely related to your field, you had to branch out and explore other options. You may not be completely prepared for this, but your mission is to make it appear as though you have been prepared for this during your entire career.
  • Why it is: This could be your entrance into the workforce, so no matter what the job, make this interview matter!
  • How to Succeed: Maintain your motivation and optimism, and always project a professional demeanor. Perform sufficient research about the company and industry that you are attempting to enter so you come prepared with facts and figures. Additionally, you should ask the recruiter the timeframe that you may expect to hear from them, especially if you've been interviewed and are not receiving call backs.
• Panel Interviews
  
  • What it is: A group of people sit and evaluate you by asking you pertinent questions. This can be incredibly intimidating because oftentimes these people are key decision makers in the company.
  • Why it is: The interview tests your ability to work under pressure. If you can succeed at this type of interview, you are strong in character.
  • How to Succeed: In advance get the information about who you are meeting with and where the meeting will be located. Just knowing all this ahead of time will make you feel better prepared and will help you to relax because you will know what to expect. During the meeting, make plenty of eye contact, address the panel by their names, and pay equal attention to each panel member. Also, feel free to ask questions, this shows confidence and that you care about what you are discussing. Afterward, send a personalized thank-you letter to each of the panelists.
• Job Fair Interviews
  
  • What it is: This is self-explanatory, there will be instances in your life where you may attend job fairs and you must know how to act professionally amongst your colleagues. There will be an extremely short timeframe of perhaps 10 minutes, so you must know how to make a great impression quickly.
  • How to Succeed: Act as though this is a full-blown interview with your appearance and professionalism. Many candidates make the mistake of treating this too casually, but you could stand out if you act as formally as you would during a formal interview.
• Group Interviews
  
  • What it is: This is a strange and sometimes tense situation because you are being interviewed together with other candidates. Everyone must do their very best to succeed at this type of interview by being the one who most impresses the recruiters.
  • Why it is: Demonstrate to the employer that you are the most skilled and professional. Showing that you are best at what you do is an important skill to acquire because this meeting is a competition after all.
  • How to Succeed: Act as though these competitors are team members or coworkers instead to take away some of the pressure. Do not interrupt when people are speaking, and if someone interrupts you, act as if you are above their rudeness. If the employer asks you to work as a group to solve an issue or complete a project, focus your attention on collaborating and working with the others. Think about getting the work done instead of coming up with the best idea and being an attention hog. They may be testing you to see if you work well in groups.
• Phone - Audio/Visual Communication
  The goal of this type is the same as above except it is conducted over the phone not in-person. You can also meet through electronic means over the internet for example. Click the link in the sentence we have an article written specifically for this type.
• Informational
  The informational type is the opposite of the others listed previously. You are the one who asks the questions of employers and mentors to gain their knowledge and experience. Please read the informational type article if this is what you will be conducting.

As you can see, being interviewed can go far beyond the realm of the standard one-on-one scenario. In a competitive job market, employers use many interview techniques in an attempt to select the best candidate. Knowing the tips and tricks of how to succeed at your next interview may be the help you need to get hired for the position.

After participating in these events, it is routine for candidates to send the interviewer a thank-you letter in appreciation for the opportunity. If you would like help to create one, you may use our Free Thank-You Letter Creator by clicking the start button below.