Job Interviews: New Formats and a Preparation Checklist

There are hundreds of books and videos with advice on how to interview for a job, and with good reason. Interviews are important! They are the means for an employer to determine the fit of candidates for a job, and there is a lot riding on making a good decision. According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) the cost-per-hire for a company with over 1,000 employees is $4,285. When a candidate is hired for a job and doesn’t work out, the cost is steep.

The Purpose of Interviews
Most job seekers view the primary purpose of interviews as the employer finding out about the candidate. However, interviewing is actually a two-way street, not unlike dating. Certainly interviews are the means for an employer to vet a pool of applicants and fill an open position with the best choice. However, the interview process is also the way a candidate can evaluate the fit of the job, manager, organization and overall work environment.

How Technology is Changing Interview Formats
There are several types of interview formats a job seeker may participate in. Some are more traditional, and several new methods are emerging with the increasing leveraging of technology. If you are a candidate, it’s best to be prepared for any of these situations.

The most traditional interview formats are the following:

One-on-one interviews can be scheduled with a recruiter, a human resources (HR) or staffing professional, a hiring manager, and even employees who will be co-workers or direct reports.
Panel interviews are set up with one interviewee and multiple interviewers.
Group interviews include multiple interviewees, with one or more interviewers asking the questions.

Historically these interviews were held on site at the employer and conducted face-to-face – in person. With increasing pressure to make the selection process more efficient, effective and less expensive, phone screening interviews were introduced. These phone screens were usually brief, factual, and conducted by an HR representative. Candidates who were deemed qualified moved on to a series of in-person interviews. Videoconferencing was also used, but employers had to schedule and rent special facilities with expensive equipment and technical staff, so it was limited in its use. Now Skype, FaceTime, and other video calling applications make videoconferencing seem very cumbersome.

With ever-changing technology, new interview formats are fast becoming the choice of more progressive companies. Examples of these newer formats are:

Written: When applying for a job online, candidates may not only complete an application, but may also be required to respond to a questionnaire.
Voice: In this format, candidates may view a sequence of questions on their computer screen. After each one, they press a key to record their response. When finished, the next question displays.
Video: This format can be conducted live with an interviewer or recorded in a way similar to the voice interview format above. Candidates use the webcam built into their laptop or tablet.

All of the interviews using these newer formats can be archived for viewing later at the convenience of recruiters and hiring managers. The digitally recorded interviews can also be easily shared with others involved in the selection process.

What Hasn’t Changed: Preparation for Interviews
Though the technology keeps changing, the need for thorough preparation for interviews has not. Here is a checklist of preparation activities:

Know yourself. Be able to discuss examples of your accomplishments. Write down the activities, results, and challenges that support your achievements, and describe them in some detail.
Know what you are looking for. Managers want to hire individuals who have goals and a sense of direction, and who can articulate them.
Be clear regarding how you want to make your best contribution. Managers want to hear what you can do for them and for the company.
Update your LinkedIn profile; it will be one of the first places online a recruiter will look to learn more about you. Make sure the information on it is consistent with your resume.
Research the company and competitors: Remember writing all those papers in college? Hopefully you learned research skills then; now use them to learn as much as you can about the company at which you are interviewing. Review the website, news stories about the company, its competitors and the industry trends and issues. Follow the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Research your interviewers: See if you can find them on LinkedIn or other places on the internet to learn about their background and professional involvements. How long have they been at the company? What is their prior work experience? Are they active in organizations?

Now Practice, Practice, Practice!
Now that you’ve done the prep work, it’s time for practice. You may think you know how you would answer a question, but having to say the actual words is a whole different ball game. Find someone who can play the interviewer role for you, and record your practice interview for review and critiquing later. You may be able to find this assistance at a community career center, a local job search group, a community college career center, or the career center at your college alma mater.

Practice responses to typical interview questions until you sound fluent and confident without sounding like you memorized the answer word-for-word. Plan on being asked, “Tell me about yourself.” Your response should be concise and focus on the highlights of your educational and working background most relevant to the job you are interviewing for.

Additional Interviewing Resources
There is a great deal more to learn about using interviews to sell yourself and secure a job offer for a position that you would love to have. How should I dress? How early should I arrive? What questions should I anticipate? How should I end the interview? When do I follow up?

Two fine resources for learning about and preparing for job interviews in more detail are Sweaty Palms: The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed by H. Anthony Medley, and The Career Coward’s Guide to Interviewing by Katy Piotrowski.