Getting interviews is the goal of all that work of customizing resumes based on each job description and following up on LinkedIn with a decision maker (you’re doing these things, right?), so getting called for an interview is awesome—and cause for celebration! But what kind of interview is it? From initial phone screens to one-on-one and panels, the choices are many. Never fear: You’ll find the job-interview preparation you need in this handy-dandy guide. Here, I’m breaking down each of the interviews you’re likely to face, common questions to ask and be prepared to answer, and how to position yourself for success.
Get ready to rock that interview, job seekers!
Phone Screen
For most candidates, this is where the interview journey starts. A recruiter or someone in HR schedules a call with you to qualify you for the role. Essentially, this is a check of the basics: Are you human? Can you put a few words together in a cohesive sentence? Do you meet the requirements of the job? This is where job-interview preparation starts.
What to Expect
Plan for 20–30 minutes, typically on the phone (although it could be a brief virtual meeting as well). Expect to get an overview of the role and questions about your resume, experience, and fit with the position and company.
How to Prepare
Review the job description and have that and your resume at the ready. Complete some initial research on the company to ensure you are, indeed, a good fit with the culture. Make sure you have a quiet place for the call that’s free from distractions. If you’re using a headphone, check that the connection is good.
Questions You May Be Asked
Since this is a down-and-dirty meeting, you’ll get asked topical things, including:
- “Tell me about yourself.”
- “What attracted you to apply for this role?”
You may also be asked for your salary requirements, so be ready for that.
Questions You Should Ask
To put yourself in the right position to keep moving forward as a candidate, as soon as you can, ask this pivotal question that will provide you a direction on how to present yourself for success:
- “What are the key qualities you’re looking for in a candidate?”
Another great question is, “Why is this position vacant?” That helps you know what you’re facing as you move forward.
How to Close This Interview
At every stage in the game, you’ll want to focus on closing to ensure you stay in the “yes” pile. You can ask two key questions during the phone screen:
- “What does the interview process look like for this role?”
- “Is there anything we’ve discussed today that would make you hesitant to move me forward to the hiring committee?”
This lets you know what to expect moving forward and enables you to address any objections the recruiter may have immediately.
Pro Tip: Follow up with a thank-you email right after the call. Thank the recruiter for his/her time and let him/her know you’re excited about the next steps in the process.
Panel Interviews
In most companies, this will be the next step in the process. You may meet with just one group of 4–6 people, or the company may break it up into several panel interviews of various groups, such as management, colleagues, departments with which the position interacts, and even board members.
What to Expect
It’s likely everyone will have set questions they plan to ask. You’ll either meet the group virtually or in person, depending on the role, so be sure to make eye contact and know everyone’s name. It can get a little cumbersome when this position is virtual since sometimes, people will talk over each other. Look for cues that it’s your turn. Expect this scenario to last 30–45 minutes.
How to Prepare
Look up everyone on LinkedIn beforehand and have thoughtful comments or questions about/for them to bring up. If you’re meeting in person, have extra copies of your resume for everyone on the panel.
Questions You May Be Asked
These questions can run the gamut depending on how the company is structuring these panel interviews. However, you can expect to hear things such as:
- “Tell us about yourself.” Expect this any time you meet someone new.
- “Tell me about a time when. . . .” This is usually followed by a challenge you faced.
- “What are a few adjectives your previous coworkers would use to describe your work style?”
Questions You Should Ask
Again, these questions will vary depending on the specific people you’re meeting, but good choices include:
- “How does this position interact with you/your department?”
- “What traits would a successful candidate need to fit in with the existing team members?”
- “How would you describe the culture of the team and/or company?”
How to Close This Interview
- “Do you have any concerns I can address about my candidacy for this role?”
- “If you were to hire me, how will you know that you’ve made the right choice?”
Pro Tip: Send individual thank-you emails to each person on the panel. If you meet in person, also send a handwritten thank-you card (or multiples to everyone). Additionally, be sure to email the recruiter you met previously to keep that person up to date and extend your thanks for forwarding your application.
One-on-One Interviews
This is a classic interview format, so you probably have some job-interview preparation ideas already. In many cases, one-on-one interviews are reserved for decision makers, including hiring managers, the C-suite, and HR managers/directors. These could occur in person or virtually, and they allow you and the interviewer the opportunity to dig deeper.
What to Expect
More in-depth conversations can be scheduled for 30–60 minutes, so be ready to ask great questions and answer tough ones. These are the interviews where decisions are often made, so questions will be tailored, and there could be many follow-up queries as well.
How to Prepare
Make sure you’re doing your research on the company, the position, and the interviewer. You’ll want to be prepared to go beyond the ordinary query and dive into specifics you’ve uncovered: “I read your reviews on Glassdoor and found. . . .” Be ready with plenty of accomplishment stories, which will cement your ability to take on this role.
Questions You May Be Asked
- Naturally, they’ll start with, “Tell me about yourself.”
- “Tell me about a time when. . . .” Expect these to get more specific to the tasks at hand, and your accomplishment stories will work wonders here.
- “Why did you leave (or why do you want to leave) your last position?”
- Any employment gaps may be addressed in detail here.
Questions You Should Ask
- “What will success look like in this role at 30, 60, and 90 days?”
- “How would you describe your managerial style?”
- “As a manager or leader at the company, how do you foster a collaborative team environment?”
How to Close This Interview
- “Is there anything we’ve discussed today that would make you feel I wouldn’t be a good candidate for the role?”
- Leave your list of references behind with the statement, “My references are expecting your call, and I look forward to the next steps.”
- “When do you believe you’ll be extending an offer to your ideal candidate?”
Pro Tip: Send a thank-you note (email and handwritten, when possible) as soon as possible. Add a value add, such as something you researched about the company.
Job-Interview Preparation for Specific Situations
Within the one-on-one and panel-type interview scenarios, you can look forward to all kinds of permutations based on the position to which you’re applying. These may include any or all of the following:
Behavioral Interviews
These are designed to learn more about your personality and how you approach situations. Essentially, companies are looking for employees who will solve their problems, so you’ll be asked how you have done that in the past. These are heavily slanted toward “Tell me about a time when. . .” questions, and you need to have your accomplishment stories ready. When possible, don’t just share the challenge you faced, action you took to overcome that challenge, and your result (CAR formula); also highlight what you learned in that situation and how it helped you become a better person/employee/manager.
Situational Interviews
“What would you do if. . .” is where interviewer are going with situational questions. These could be very work related, such as, “What would you do if a major deadline was suddenly moved up?” or “How would you handle a team member not pulling their weight?” They could also be off-the-wall questions; examples include:
- “If you hosted a party and everyone had to play the game you chose, which game would you play?”
- “If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want to have with you?”
Essentially, these questions are aimed at determining how you think, even if there’s no right answer.
Presentations
Depending on your industry or level, you might be asked to give a presentation at some point as part of your job-interview preparation. This could be a sales pitch, a slide deck of your career progression, or a case study. In most cases, the employer is attempting to assess your presentation abilities, so this type of interview is usually limited to positions that are customer or stakeholder facing.
Work Samples
Similar to a presentation, some companies may ask for samples of your work, but not work you’ve done already—a task they assign you during the interview process. This often occurs in the marketing realm, but it could extend to nearly any industry. Be careful about doing too much work for free. Most legitimate companies will pay you for your time to create new work. Follow any “rules” they share, such as only allocating a certain amount of your time to the project.
Personality Tests
A common personality test that companies use during the job-interview process is the Predictive Index (PI). You may be asked to take this before your phone screen or at any point during the process. There are two components to the PI: a timed cognitive assessment and an untimed behavioral assessment. Altogether, you’ll spend about 20 minutes on these tests. Don’t overthink them. The companies that use the PI are looking for employees who have certain traits that typically make people in those roles more successful.
Job-Interview Preparation Is Key to Success
No matter the type of interview in which you find yourself, remember that you are interviewing the company as much as they are interviewing you. This is a conversation, not a grilling. Ask smart questions, take a breath before you answer, be present; these will all help you excel. And keep in mind that getting to the interview means that they’re interested in you! You’re that much closer to an offer, so relax and get ready to win them over!
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