1. Structured InterviewHere, every single detail of the interview is decided in advance.

The questions to be
asked, the order in which the questions will be asked, the time given to each candidate, the information to be
collected from each candidate, etc. is all decided in advance. Structured interview is also called Standardised,
Patterned, Directed or Guided interview. Structured interviews are preplanned. They are accurate and precise. All
the interviews will be uniform (same). Therefore, there will be consistency and minimum bias in structured
interviews.
2. Unstructured InterviewThis interview is not planned in detail. Hence it is also called as Non-Directed
interview. The question to be asked, the information to be collected from the candidates, etc. are not decided in
advance. These interviews are non-planned and therefore, more flexible. Candidates are more relaxed in such
interviews. They are encouraged to express themselves about different subjects, based on their expectations,
motivations, background, interests, etc. Here the interviewer can make a better judgement of the candidate's
personality, potentials, strengths and weaknesses. However, if the interviewer is not efficient then the discussions
will lose direction and the interview will be a waste of time and effort.
3. Group InterviewHere, all the candidates or small groups of candidates are interviewed together. The time of
the interviewer is saved. A group interview is similar to a group discussion. A topic is given to the group, and
they are asked to discuss it. The interviewer carefully watches the candidates. He tries to find out which candidate
influences others, who clarifies issues, who summarises the discussion, who speaks effectively, etc. He tries to
judge the behaviour of each candidate in a group situation.
4. Exit InterviewWhen an employee leaves the company, he is interviewed either by his immediate superior or
by the HRD manager. This interview is called an exit interview. Exit interview is taken to find out why the
employee is leaving the company. Sometimes, the employee may be asked to withdraw his resignation by
providing some incentives. Exit interviews are taken to create a good image of the company in the minds of the
employees who are leaving the company. They help the company to make proper HRD policies, to create a
favourable work environment, to create employee loyalty and to reduce labour turnover.
5. Depth InterviewThis is a semi-structured interview. The candidate has to give detailed information about his
background, special interest, etc. He also has to give detailed information about his subject. Depth interview tries
to find out if the candidate is an expert in his subject or not. Here, the interviewer must have a good understanding
of human behaviour.
6. Stress InterviewThe purpose of this interview is to find out how the candidate behaves in a stressful situation.
That is, whether the candidate gets angry or gets confused or gets frightened or gets nervous or remains cool in a
stressful situation. The candidate who keeps his cool in a stressful situation is selected for the stressful job. Here,
the interviewer tries to create a stressful situation during the interview. This is done purposely by asking the
candidate rapid questions, criticising his answers, interrupting him repeatedly, etc.
7. Individual InterviewThis is a 'One-To-One' Interview. It is a verbal and visual interaction between two
people, the interviewer and the candidate, for a particular purpose. The purpose of this interview is to match the
candidate with the job. It is a two way communication.
8. Informal InterviewInformal interview is an oral interview which can be arranged at any place. Different
questions are asked to collect the required information from the candidate. Specific rigid procedure is not
followed. It is a friendly interview.
9. Formal InterviewFormal interview is held in a more formal atmosphere. The interviewer asks pre-planned
questions. Formal interview is also called planned interview.
10. Panel InterviewPanel means a selection committee or interview committee that is appointed for interviewing
the candidates. The panel may include three or five members. They ask questions to the candidates about different
aspects. They give marks to each candidate. The final decision will be taken by all members collectively by rating
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the candidates. Panel interview is always better than an interview by one interviewer because in a panel interview,
collective judgement is used for selecting suitable candidates.
1. Informational Interview The objective of this interview is to ask for advice and learn more about a particular
career field, employer or particular job. Interviewing experts in their field is one more way to become more
occupationally literate. The knowledge that you gain here will make you a sharper and more informed. You will
also make a contact and further develop your network.
2. Screening or Telephone InterviewA phone interview is a very cost effective way to screen candidates. These
can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. You should prepare for it like an open book exam. It is recommended
that you have in front of you your resume, the job description, a list of references, some prepared answers to
challenging questions and perhaps something about the company. The vast majority of communication is nonverbal. Because they cant see your body language, it is critically important to have positive and polished
answers with energetic tone and inflection. Be sure to ask what the next step is.
3. Individual InterviewThis is the most common type and often called a personal interview. It is typically a
one-on-one exchange at the organizations offices. In order to best prepare you will want to know the length of the
interview which can usually range from 30 to 90 minutes. If the interview is 30 minutes you have to be concise
and have a high impact with your answers. If it is 60 or 90 minutes you will want to go into much more depth and
use specific examples to support your generalizations.
4. Small Group or Committee InterviewThis is where you will be meeting with several decision-makers at
once. This can be an intimidating experience if you are not prepared. Its an efficient way to interview candidates
and allows for different interpretations or perceptions of the same answer. Be sure to make eye contact with
everyone, no matter who asked the question. Its important to establish rapport with each member of the
interview team. Try to find out the names and job titles of the participants.
5. The Second or On-Site InterviewAfter your first interview, you may be asked back again for a second
date. They like you enough that you made the first round of cuts, but they would like to know more about you
before making their final decision. Second Interviews can last either a half or full-day so it is best to check again
and get an agenda. You may be meeting with three to five individuals. This may include a representative from
Human Resources, the department head, the office staff and the department heads supervisor. Be alert and
enthusiastic at all times! The more you know about the structure of the process, the less anxious you are going to
feel and the better you will perform. This is the last step before an offer is made.
6. Behavioral-Based InterviewThe theory behind Critical Behavioral Interviewing (CBI) is that past performance
in a similar situation is the best predictor of future performance. CBI probes much deeper than traditional
interviewing techniques. You should prepare by thinking of specific examples that demonstrate your competence
in core behaviors such as teamwork, problem-solving, communication, creativity, flexibility and organizational
skills. You will want to tell your story and structure it by stating your answers in terms of the situation, the task,
what action you took, and what was the result or outcome.
7. Task Oriented or Testing InterviewThis is a problem-solving interview where you will be given some
exercises to demonstrate your creative and analytical abilities. A company may ask you to take a short test to
evaluate your technical knowledge and skills. Sometimes a presentation to a group is necessary to determine your
communication skills. Try to relax as much as possible.
8. Stress InterviewDuring this rare type, the interviewer tries to bait you, to see how you will respond. The
objective is to find your weaknesses and test how you hold up to pressure. Such tactics as weird silences,
constant interruptions and challenging interrogation with antagonistic questions are designed to push your
boundaries. The question you have to ask yourself is: Do I want to work for a company that treats me this way
even before the offer is made? Rethink the corporate culture.
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Types of interviews
Informal, conversational interviewNo predetermined questions are asked, in order to remain as open and
adaptable as possible to the interviewees nature and priorities; during the interview the interviewer goes with
the flow.
General interview guide approachIntended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected
from each interviewee; this provides more focus than the conversational approach, but still allows a degree of
freedom and adaptability in getting the information from the interviewee.
Standardized, open-ended interviewThe same open-ended questions are asked to all interviewees; this approach
facilitates faster interviews that can be more easily analyzed and compared.
Closed, fixed-response interviewAll interviewees are asked the same questions and asked to choose answers
from among the same set of alternatives. This format is useful for those not practiced in interviewing.