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Interviews are a crucial part of the recruitment process for most organisations. Usually applicants are interviewed after sending in an application form or CV for a particular position. The purpose of an interview is to give the selector a chance to assess you and for you to demonstrate your abilities and personality. It is also an opportunity for you to assess them and to make sure their organisation and the position are what you want. Don't forget that to have reached the interview stage you have already impressed the recruiters and they believe you have the ability to do the job. All you need to do is show them they are right!

The recruitment process for most organisations is designed along the same path; applications are received, either via an online application form, a postal form or a CV. Candidates are shortlisted and invited for interview. The interview format can vary considerably, as we discuss later, and can include assessment centres. The number of interviews also varies. Some companies are satisfied after just one interview whereas others will want to bring back a further shortlist of candidates for one or more interviews. If you are successful at the interview stage you will receive an official letter offering you the job. This booklet describes what you can expect at interviews and assessment centres, and takes you through to making a decision about any offers that may result.

Interview format
The nature of any interview is determined by the nature of the organisation to which you have applied, but there are various standard formats.

Chronological interviews
As the name suggests, these interviews take you chronologically through your life to date, and are likely to be based on your CV or completed application form.

 

Competency-based interviews
The questions asked at these interviews are structured to reflect the competencies sought by an employer for a particular job, often detailed in the recruitment information. You are likely to have focused on these in your application form. An excellent example of competency-based questions can be found in First interviews - Sorted! These are the most common type of interview for graduate positions today.

If you have applied for a job or a course which requires specific technical knowledge (eg engineering or IT), it is likely that at some stage in the selection process you will be asked technical questions or have a separate technical interview to test what you know. Questions may focus, for example, on what you are doing in your final year project and why you are approaching it as you are, or on real or hypothetical technical problems. Be prepared to prove yourself but, equally, be prepared to admit to what you don't know, while stressing that you are keen to learn.

Case study interviews
Used largely by consulting firms, these can take a number of forms, from a straightforward brainteaser (eg 'How many telephone boxes are there in New York?') to the analysis of a hypothetical business problem. In either case, you are evaluated on how you analyse the problem, how you identify the key issues, how you pursue a particular line of thinking, and whether you can develop and present an appropriate framework (eg 3C - Customer, Company, Competition) for organising your thoughts. There is no one absolutely right way to solve each problem, and how you reach your solution is probably more important than the solution itself. More than for any other form of interview, it is vital that you practise ... and practise again. Look at the resources listed at the back of this booklet and check the web; many consulting firms put example case studies on their recruitment pages for you to try.

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Telephone interviews
Telephone interviews are increasingly used by companies as an integral part of the recruitment process. Most commonly they are used as a method of initial screening, but some use them as far down the line as third or fourth interviews. The majority of companies inform you in advance and usually pre-arrange a time with you, but be prepared for those who just ring!

The important things to remember about telephone interviews are:
• It is just as important to make a good impression on the telephone. As with face-to-face interviews, first impressions count!
• Be aware of how you sound; there are no visual clues. Practise on the telephone with a friend, or record practice answers on a tape recorder.
• Make sure you allow enough time. Interviews can take up to an hour.

Be prepared. You could be called at any time so make sure:
• The message on your answering machine is suitable;
• Flat-mates are briefed to take a detailed message;
• The telephone is answered in a sensible manner - no silly comments by flat-mates, or loud music in the background;
• Keep a list of job applications by the phone, plus a copy of your CV, pen and paper, a diary in case you are invited to a meeting, questions to ask a potential employer.

Types of telephone interview
• Unannounced. Someone from the organisation, or a recruitment agency acting on their behalf, calls you after receiving your CV or application form. Questions are often similar to those asked at a first face-to-face interview.
• Prearranged. Here you are contacted beforehand to arrange a time to carry out a telephone interview. You are likely to be fully briefed as to the style of questions at this stage. It is possible that you could have an automated interview, where you are sent a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and asked to call the company within a specified time period. You are then required to respond to various statements via a touchtone telephone. The time you take to respond may be taken into account.
• Sales interview. This is only likely if it is appropriate to the job you have applied for. You are asked to try and sell something to the interviewer.
• Research interviews. Some companies ask you to carry out a piece of research prior to the telephone interview and ask you questions on it. For example if you have applied to the graduate recruitment scheme of a supermarket, they may ask you to carry out some customer research on a certain product or aspect, such as store layout, and then ask for your findings.

Video interviews
Although rare, these are not unknown, particularly if you have applied for a position overseas. As far as possible, you should treat them as traditional interviews; dress as you would for a conventional interview, address your answers to the interviewer (ie to the camera rather than the display screen) and listen carefully to the questions and instructions, asking the interviewer to repeat anything that you don't understand.

One-to-one interviews - As the name suggests, this is a meeting between the candidate and one interviewer. Try to develop a rapport between yourself and the interviewer.

Sequential interviews - In this case you have several interviews in turn with different interviewers. Usually each interviewer asks questions to test different sets of competencies. However, this is not always the case. You may find yourself answering the same questions over and over. If this does happen make sure you answer each one as fully as the time before.

Panel interviews - In this type of interview you are questioned by several people sitting on a panel. The actual number of interviewers can vary, but there is usually a chairperson to co-ordinate the questions, a specialist who knows about the job in detail and a personnel manager. Such interviews are popular in the public sector.