After months and months of searching for and applying to countless jobs, you receive an email notifying you of a potential employer’s interest in your availability.
In fact, you’ve already been scheduled for a job interview.
And it’s in-person.
And it’s within a couple of days' time.
Your excitement is unmatched. You start to reflect on how the effort and hours you’ve spent have paid off, and you’re finally just a few steps away from landing the job of your dreams. Just one more obstacle: the interview! We believe that job seekers should be well-prepared for every step in their job-search journey, and that includes knowing what to expect.
So, here are the 3 major types of face-to-face interviews based on the people you’d typically meet during them and tips on how to prepare for each one:
Job interviews conducted by a company’s HR manager are often not your typical “so tell me about yourself” interview. But there’s nothing to worry about – they only serve the purpose of knowing whether or not you’re a right fit.
Be prepared to relay a brief synopsis of your professional history, and if you feel like it’s appropriate, don’t be afraid to get creative. Find ways to bring seemingly irrelevant achievements into the picture and “frame” them so that they qualify you as a strong candidate. You’ll be asked a couple of questions to validate your qualifications. A common example would be “So why would you like to work here at X?” which, at this point, has practically become a staple of interview questions.
More often than not, the HR manager will be impressed with not only your achievements, but also with your readiness to stand out, as well as your ability to “make lemonade out of lemons,” so to speak.
The size of the company will often dictate the position and number of people you’ll meet before you’re officially hired. In larger companies, for example, meeting the hiring manager will be your #1 opportunity to securely land the job. After all, they will be your supervisor once you’re officially their employee. For smaller-sized companies, the hiring manager’s opinion of you might not be so final, but do keep in mind that it’s still important, as they may be the only person you meet in the entire interview process.
Hiring managers will often want to assess things like your core skills, your understanding of the role, and if you’re excited about working for the company, so be prepared to highlight these areas during your interview.
Some small to mid-sized companies often prefer to have their strong candidates go through a final round of interviews with their executives. That being said, there’s no need to fret at meeting one of the higher-ups at this stage. You’ve already passed most of the “tests,” so you may consider this as the company’s proverbial stamp of approval over your new position as an employee.
Executives will often ask questions that you may have already come across from earlier stages in your interview, so take this opportunity to calibrate your responses, or to answer a previous question that you might have initially struggled with. Additionally, be prepared to ask the executive thoughtful questions about their role, vision and future plan to fulfill that vision. This will show genuine interest on your behalf, and will increase your chances of standing out from other candidates.
Numerous factors dictate the nature of any job interview. And while a small portion of them are covered here in this article, we’d recommend you spend more time learning about them through our database of existing blog posts.
Needless to say, there are more than just three types of employees (or employers) whom you’ll meet in a job interview. Each will require a different approach, and a different set of preparation guidelines. So, make sure that you do rigorous research on the individual you’ll be meeting in advance. Find common ground and make sure to mention it when you meet them; it’s the fastest way to break the ice, and to build rapport. Ask the right questions and, not least of all, never be afraid to stand out in clever (socially acceptable) ways.
