DIFFERENT TYPES OF INTERVIEWS DEMYSTIFIED

Taking the mystery out of the different types of interviews 

Different types of interview are designed to assess different elements of your professional competence, behavior and personality. There are several different types of interview, so make sure you put your best foot forward by finding out the type that will be conducted and come properly prepared.

Below we have identified some of the most common forms of interview and outlined what the employer is looking for and how you should prepare yourself.

Tipul de interviu	Ce caută intervievatorul?
Interviul bazat pe competențe	Exemple despre modul în care ați demonstrat abilitățile, atributele și atitudinile necesare pentru job
Interviul de tip studiu de caz	Abilități analitice și de rezolvare a problemelor - răspunsul nu este la fel de important ca modul în care rezolvi problema
Interviul comportamental	Cum te comporți în anumite situații de afaceri
Interviul informal / prânz / cină	Cum te comporți în medii sociale, cât de dezvoltate sunt abilitățile tale sociale și dacă te descurci cu grație sub presiune
Interviuri telefonice	În timp ce căutați activ un loc de muncă, este important să fiți pregătiți pentru un interviu telefonic la un moment dat. Iată cum să te pregătești pentru un interviu telefonic.

 

Advice on how to prepare for different interview types 

Competency-Based Interviews

Competency-based interview questions require interviewees to give specific examples of times in which they demonstrated particular skills or attitudes. Generally, these questions require interviewees to describe a problem or situation, the actions they took to handle the problem, and the results of the situation.

What is the employer looking for? Competency-based interviews are used to allow the employer to quickly evaluate an interviewee’s mindset, and to gauge how the interviewee handles certain situations.

Interviewers may ask questions about a variety of competencies (skills and attitudes - see below) depending on the skills required for the specific job. For example, while an interviewer for a retail job may ask competency based questions about communication and teamwork, an interviewer for an upper management job may ask questions about leadership, independence, and creativity.

How to Prepare for Competency-Based Interview Questions 

• To prepare for competency-based interview questions, make a list of competencies that you think are important for the job for which you are being interviewed.
• Look back at the job description for examples of required skills and attitudes.
• Next, list situations in which you have demonstrated each of these competencies.
• For each situation, write down the situation or problem, the actions you took to handle the problem, and the ultimate results.
• Review this list before your interview. By thinking of examples before the interview, you will be better able to answer questions during the interview quickly and concisely.

How to Answer a Competency-Based Interview Question

Be Concise: It is easy to wander when answering a competency based interview question, particularly if you do not have a specific situation or problem in mind. Before answering the question, think of a specific example of a past situation that answers the question given. Provide a clear but concise description of the situation, explain how you handled the situation, and describe the results. By focusing on one specific example, your answer will be succinct and on topic.

Do Not Place Blame: If you are describing a particular problem or difficult situation (for example, a time when you had to work with a difficult boss), it may feel natural to attack or place blame on another person. However, these questions are about you, not about anyone else. Focus on what you did to manage the situation; do not dwell on other peoples’ issues or failures.

Examples of Competency-Base Questions: Below are a few examples of questions regarding different competencies.

 

Adaptabilitate	Care a fost cea mai mare schimbare prin care a trebuit să treceți, în experiența anterioară? Cum ați făcut față?
Comunicare	Povestiți o situație în care nu ați reușit să comunicați efficient. Privind în urmă, ce ați face diferit? Povestiți o situașie în care a trebuit să explicați ceva complicat unui coleg. Ce dificultați ați întâmpinat?
Creativitate	Povestiți o situație în care ați găsit o soluție neconvențională pentru o situație dificilă. Ce dificultăți ați întâmpinat în implementarea soluției și cum le-ați depășit?
Hotărâre	Povestiți despre o situație în care ați implementat o soluție despre care știați că nu va fi primită bine. Cum ași gestionat reacțiile negative?
Flexibilitate	Povestiți o situație în care ați schimbat abordarea în mijlocul desfășurării unui process. Ce v-a detrminat să schimbați obordarea?  Cum ați reușit să implementați schimbarea fără să afecteze procesul. Descrieți o situație în care vi s-a cerut să faceți ceva pentru prima oară.
Integritate	Povestiți o situație in care a trebuit să faceți ceva cu care nu ați fost de acord. Cum ați gestionat situația?
Leadership	Descrieți o situație în care a trebui să îmbunătățiți randamentul unei echipe. Cum ați gestionat situația?
Reziliență	Cum gestionați stresul? Descrieți un moment în care ați primit feedback negativ de la un angajator, coleg sau client. Cum ați gestionat acest feedback? Care a fost rezultatul?
Lucru în echipă	Descrieți perioada în care membrii echipei dvs. nu s-au înțeles. Cum ați rezolvat situația? Descrieți perioada în care ați fost membru al unei echipe. Cum ați contribuit pozitiv la echipă?

 

Other Competencies 

Interviewers may ask questions about a variety of other competencies, including accountability, ambition, approachability, compliance, conflict management, critical thinking, delegation, flexibility, inclusiveness, influence, initiative, resourcefulness, risk taking.

Case Study Interviews

What is a Case Study Interview? Analytical and problem-solving ability.

During a case study interview, the interviewee is given a business scenario and asked to manage the situation. The business scenario is usually one that the interviewee would likely encounter while working for the company. However, the interviewer may also ask IQ questions or give brain teasers that do not relate directly to the company

When are they used? 

Case study interviews are used most often in management consulting and investment banking interviews

What is the employer looking for? 

The interviewer wants you to demonstrate your analytical ability and problem solving skills. Most case study interview questions do not have one "right" answer. The interviewer is more interested in how you arrive at your solution. Interviewees are expected to interact with the interviewer, asking him clarifying questions in a logical, sequential order to resolve the given problem.

Case Study Interview Practice 

It is very important to practice for a case study interview, especially if it is your first one. A number of books and online guides provide tips and practice interviews to help you prepare. Many companies also offer sample case study questions on their website.
Practice answering case study interview questions in front of friends, family, or a career counsellor. Most case study interviews last 15-30 minutes, so time yourself.

What is a Behavioral Interview? 

Candidates for employment often ask what the difference is between a regular job interview and a behavioral interview. There is no difference in the actual format of the job interview. You will still meet with an interviewer and respond to interview questions. The difference is in the type of interview questions that will be asked.

Behavioral interviews are based on the premise that a person's past performance on the job is the best predictor of future performance. When a company uses behavioral interviewing they want to know how you will act and react in certain circumstances. They also want you to give specific "real life" examples of how you behaved in situations relating to the questions.

What is the Employer Looking For? 

In a behavioral interview, the employer has decided what skills they need for the job and the questions you will be asked will be geared towards finding out if you have those skills. The interviewer wants to know how you handled a situation, rather than just gathering information about you. In a traditional job interview, you will be asked a series of questions like "What did you like about your job?" or "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" or "What were your responsibilities?", which typically have straightforward answers, whereas behavioral interviews will be much more specific.

Examples of Behavioral interview questions
1.    "Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it?"
2.    "Have you had to handle a difficult situation with a supervisor? How did you handle it?"
3.    Tell us about a decision you made that you knew would be unpopular with certain people. How did you handle the decision-making process? How did you handle other people’s negative reactions?