Finding a job opening and getting hired are two different stages of the job hunt separated by the interview process.
An interview is a major part of the recruitment process in every industry as it is how recruiters decide whether they want to hire someone or not.
An interview is the best way to assess your interests, goals, and abilities. This is why clearing the interview rounds is a deal-breaker in the hiring process.
While everyone prepares to land their dream job, what people often don’t do is prepare for different types of interview questions individually.
Yes! There are several types of interview rounds that the recruiters use to find the ideal fit for their organization.
General preparation advice is extremely crucial but when combined with tactics and skills needed for various types of interviews, it can make you unstoppable.
So, we bring to you a few types of interview questions, and tips and tricks to help you ace them like a pro.
1. Telephone interview questions
Telephone interview questions are a very common type of interview questions asked often in the first step of the recruitment process.
It is used to gather preliminary information from candidates about their applications.
Here, candidates are usually quizzed about basics like educational qualifications, relevant work experience, what motivated them to apply for a program/job, and salary expectations.
Telephone interviews are a big hit as they save time and costs for both the applicants and recruiters, and let companies filter potential candidates from a large pool of applicants at an early stage.
This is why performing well in a telephone interview can be crucial.
Here are some basic telephonic interview questions to help you prepare:
- How did you hear about this position?
- Why do you want this job?
- Can you tell us a little about yourself?
- What are your salary expectations?
- When can you join us?
To find answers to these questions and a lot more, read our blog on Telephonic interview questions
Tips to ace a telephonic interview
1. Talk in a quiet environment
Make sure you are in a quiet place with minimal chances of being interrupted. Avoid being in public places or around noisy people when your interview is scheduled.
2. Stay calm while speaking
Since it is difficult to gauge things over the phone, you may feel nervous before or during the interview. Take a deep breath before you pick up and take your time in answering questions. Take care not to stammer or speak over the interviewer/s.
3. Rehearse talking points before your phone call
Along with preparing to answer the expected questions, practice your verbal skills by rehearsing them out loud to clear any issues with speech and articulation. If possible, record yourself to hear how you might sound to your interviewer, and improve on it if required.
4. Keep things handy
When on a telephonic interview, searching for a pen or not having a paper handy may hamper your confidence and reflect in your voice. So, make sure you have everything you may need right in front of you so that you don’t fumble, or seem unprepared.
5. Pay attention to posture
You may have noticed that when you speak to someone who is lying down, their voice sounds different and sometimes, even slightly lethargic. Even when you talk on the phone, it is necessary to have a good posture and sit straight up instead of relaxing on your bed or lying down on a sofa.
2. Video interview questions
2020 has taught us all about staying connected and getting work done on video calls. Interview processes are no exemption to it, making video interview questions one of the most common types of interview questions.
They are a great way of connecting with candidates and employers who stay in different locations or cannot meet in person for any other reason. The most commonly used apps for these interviews are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc.
Video interviews have become increasingly popular due to their convenience and ability to democratize hiring or admissions processes.
People can now consider applying to faraway universities or companies without worrying about the costs and inconvenience of traveling for interviews.
Here are a few important video interview questions that you can prepare with:
Tip: You can also read Describe yourself in one word
These are some of the most commonly asked video interview questions. Do read our detailed blog on Video interview questions for better understanding.
Tips to ace a video interview
1. Check your devices before the interview
Make sure you have a laptop or a desktop with a working webcam, a functional microphone, a speaker setup, and a stable internet connection.
Arrange and test these well in advance so you are not interrupted by hardware issues in the middle of the interview
2. Sit in a well-lit, organized space
It is important to sit somewhere quiet and well-lit so that your interviewer(s) can hear and see you.
If you have to be in a public place like a café or a library, choose a bright corner with no music, noise, or people walking by.
3. Put your phone on silent and put away other distractions
A ringing phone or a message from your best friend is enough to distract you from even the most important interview of your life. But why go through such a dilemma, when you can put away all the distractions easily.
Put your phone on silent mode and keep away all your distraction for the duration of your interview. Inform people around you in advance to make sure you are not disturbed by anyone.
4. Keep everything you may need on your desk
While giving an interview, it is possible that you need to have something and fumble looking for it.
It may cause some disruption in your voice in a telephonic interview, but in a video interview, it will cause disturbance as you will have to move about.
This will not only break the flow but will also reflect unpreparedness on your part. So, if there is anything you need during the interview, keep it at one arm’s distance.
5. Behave professionally
Just because you do not have to step into an office for your interview, you should not take your appearance, posture, and manners for granted.
Dress in formals, maintain proper body language, and behave just as you would in an office. Even trivial things like wearing a tie and having a formal username can make a difference.
3. HR Interview questions
The most common and popular type of interview questions is the HR interview questions. These questions are usually asked in the HR round and have more to do with your personality and aptitude.
While an HR interview seems like a fairly simple task, it can be tricky if you do not prepare well. So, here are the top 10 HR interview questions for you to practice:
- Tell us something about yourself
- What are your strengths?
- Why have you jumped ships so many times?
- What is your greatest fear?
- Do you have any medical issues we should know about?
- Did you ever have a conflict with your boss?
- What do your friends/colleagues say about you?
- What is the difference between hard work and smart work?
- Are you an organised person?
- What is your biggest achievement?
You can find answers to these HR interview questions and more in our blog Frequently asked HR interview questions. Now here are some tips on how to ace an HR interview.
Tips to ace an HR interview
1. Find out about your interviewers
It may be useful to find out about potential interviewers from the company website. Take a look at their fields of interest and work to see how they align with yours, what they are likely to ask you about, and what you in turn can ask them.
2. Stay confident
It is intimidating to sit and be asked a rapid slew of questions from a whole group of senior professionals in front of you.
But remind yourself to stay as calm as possible and not let your anxiety show. Your confidence can impress the interviewers just as much as your knowledge. So, speak with confidence and have a good body posture.
3. Pay attention to everyone
If you have more than one interviewer, remember to pay attention to each of them. Their behavior towards you may vary – some may be very patient, while others may ask tough questions, or observe silently.
Don’t let this affect your performance or develop a bias towards any of them. Address all the interviewers equally during your interview.
4. Build a good rapport with the interviewers
Do not limit your answer to just the person who has asked you a question. Find ways to connect it to follow-up questions posed by others or interest areas that other interviewers have.
If you manage to create a flow in conversation and engage as many of the interviewers at a time as possible, you are more likely to be remembered by all of them at the end.
5. Practice well before the interview
Practice does make a man perfect! So, before going for the interview, don't cram the answers. Practice speaking them out loud and try to understand your tone and material.
Speak on all relevant topics and practice speaking about them in front of a group of people. It will help you prepare and gain confidence before the interview and also increase your chances of getting hired.
4. Personal Interview questions
We often think that Once we have prepared for answering about our skills and speaking with HR, what more could we possibly have to prepare for? The answer is ourselves, we are yet to prepare for questions that speak to us as a person.
Personal interview questions help the recruiters understand your personality and you in general.
But it is the type of interview questions that people often overlook in their preparation. It is because we all think that answering about ourselves is easy and does not need to be prepared.
But when faced with questions like what animal would you rather be? Or tell us about a time things didn’t work out for you, you may find it difficult to answer if not prepared well.
So, here are the top 10 Personal interview questions for you to prepare for your big interview:
- If you could be an animal for a day, who would you want to be, and why?
- Can you tell us some of your strengths and weaknesses?
- Are you a team player or a lone wolf?
- What are you passionate about?
- How do you separate your professional life from personal?
- What is more important to you? salary or work-life balance?
- What was the last book that you read?
- Which person has inspired you the most, and why?
- Are you better at planning or implementing?
- How do your friends describe you?
Find answers to these questions and a few more in the blog Top 15 Personal Interview Questions and Answers .
Tips to ace a Personal interview
1. Know yourself well
Having clarity about certain aspects of your life is not enough for a personal interview. How you frame your answers can make all the difference.
Make a list of talking points and put together an answer that reflects your strengths, skills, and knowledge. Use the STAR interview technique to answer the questions efficiently.
2. Be vocal
Being vocal is a key here, because if you can’t speak about yourself in an interview, what can you speak about?
Answer questions clearly and loudly and make sure you are heard and understood well by the interviewers. Be confident while expressing yourself.
3. Listen before Answering
Before you answer, make sure that you listen carefully to what the interviewers are saying.
This will help you put the answers in context and give you time to think of anecdotes to include in your answers. Not to mention, it is one of the key skills of a good communicator.
4. Use suitable personal anecdotes in your answer
Using your anecdotes to make sense of the answers is a good practice when preparing for personal interview questions.
You may want to consider what kind of anecdotes you choose to answer with because they should not be too personal or irrelevant.
5. Be a thorough professional
Talking about ourselves can make us feel comfortable, but this should not reflect in our body language. Make sure you answer with wit, assertion, and good reasoning while maintaining good body language and speech.
Use formal language and avoid aggressive gestures like pointing fingers or thumping tables.
5. Stress interview questions
Stress interviews, as the name suggests, are more difficult to tackle. During stress interviews, the candidate is tested rigorously by being subjected to a stressful situation on the spot.
Stress interviews analytically evaluate the candidate’s ability to perform under pressure in unexpected situations.
These interviews are designed to assess how a candidate will behave and perform in jobs that involve multitasking, offensive interactions, and extreme pressure.
They usually involve intimidating interviewers, uncomfortable questions, aggressive or rude behavior, unpredictable or negative responses, and riddles or brain teasers. To prepare, here is a list of stress interview questions for you!
- Tell us something about yourself that is not here on the resume?
- How would you feel if you were rejected in this interview?
- Why haven’t you achieved more in your career?
- How would you rate yourself on your performance in your previous role?
- What would you change about a postbox?
- What new can you bring to the table?
- Can you explain your answer clearly?
- You don’t have relevant experience and we only hire experienced professionals. Why should we hire you?
- How many steps did you take while walking through the door to the chair?
- If you were a box of cereal what would you be and why
Tips to ace a stress interview
1. Prepare and practice
Nothing is a bigger boost to your confidence than knowing your subject matter and capabilities well.
Prepare all topics and ask someone known to you to quiz you on all possible questions. This way you can enter the interview room with a firm conviction in yourself.
2. Keep as calm as possible
Remember that the point is to test you in high-pressure or hostile situations.
No matter how surprised or taken aback you are, keep your thought process clear and your behavior steady. Maintain your composure and do not let them know you are scared.
3. Take your time
Whether they are firing questions at you rapidly or posing impossible hypothetical situations, do not be in a hurry to answer them. Take time to comprehend the question, and ask your interviewers to clarify further, if possible.
It will show your interviewers that you believe in good judgment and careful decision-making even in tough times.
4. Do not worry about the right answers
The point of stress interviews is to judge your personality and problem-solving skills.
Instead of rushing to conclude, focus on demonstrating your capability to process information quickly and systematically, while talking your way through a problem.
5. Do not feel hurt
Remember the nature of this type of interview and do not let the questions or responses get to you.
Remember that intimidating you is part of the process and none of the interviewers want to offend you personally.
6. Situational interview questions
Have you ever been asked questions like “What would you do if you were….?” Such questions place you in a scenario and have your answer based on your imagination.
This type of interview question is called Situational interview questions. Here are some situational interview questions to give you a better understanding:
- In this job, you might be given tasks you haven’t done previously. How would you deal with them?
- Suppose you make a mistake at work but nobody is around to notice it. Would you let it pass so that things can continue smoothly or stop and confess so that it can be corrected?
- How would you handle a disagreement with a team member you work closely with without it affecting your work?
- How would you react to an unsavory complaint filed by an angry customer against you?
- How would you ensure high quality results when handling a large pool of clients at the same time?
You can find answers to these questions and tips to ace such interview questions in the blog Top 10 HR Situational Interview Questions and Answers
The following two types of interviews are for existing employees who are either trying to grow in their organization or are trying to leave it.
7. Promotional interview questions
Promotional interviews are a specific kind of interview that is held when someone is being considered for a promotion at their workplace.
Organizations often open up senior positions for internal hiring, which require promotional or job promotion interviews.
Promotional interviews usually test your knowledge of the company, your capabilities, and aspirations – more importantly, if your vision matches the company’s and your skills and abilities complement it.
Here are some questions you can expect from a Promotional interview:
You can find more information about how to deal with Promotion interview questions and what to do before, and after it here .
Tips to ace a promotional interview
1. Prepare in advance
It is important to keep an ear out and show interest in promotion in front of seniors or hiring personnel. Be sure of yourself, apply early, and start preparing for the interview.
2. Let people know
It might be smart to let any direct seniors or supervisors know of your decision. Not only will that make your intentions clear, but also deter any friction that may appear later during the interview.
3. Do not shift your focus
Continue paying attention to your current position and doing your job well. The success of a promotional interview may depend heavily on your behavior and performance at work just before and after the interview.
4. Highlight your strengths and aspirations
A promotional interview is held to gauge your capabilities of handling an increased workload or more diverse responsibilities.
Make sure you express your interests and confidence in doing that. Also be clear about your personal and professional goals, along with a vision for your company.
5. Be humble
Overconfidence can creep in anytime before, during, or after the interview – and actually, ruin your chances at landing the promotion.
Do not behave like a know-it-all or act arrogantly. Express gratitude for the opportunity during the interview.
8. Exit interview questions
Exit interviews are conducted when an employee is leaving a company or has his/her employment terminated.
The information received by the employees who are leaving can provide insight into individual work experiences or reflect upon the company’s work environment and practices.
Exit interviews can be held in-person, over the phone, or via survey forms. Although there is a lesser pressure to perform, the responses given in an exit interview are just as important about maintaining a relationship with the company as well as helping it to improve as an organization.
Here are some questions that you can expect from an exit interview:
You can read so much more about exit interview questions and tips on how to ace them in our blog <a href= "https://www.naukri.com/blog/how-to-answer-exit-interview-questions-with-sample-answers/" title=" target="_blank"> How to Answer Exit Interview Questions (With Sample Answers)
Tips to ace an exit interview
1. Do not ignore it
Exit interviews may not seem useful to you but your feedback can be very valuable for the workplace you were a part of. Do not avoid appearing for it or giving your responses on time.
2. Be honest
Your views and suggestions can make a lot of difference to how the company operates and treats employees who remain or join after you. Be truthful about your experience and do not fabricate facts or events.
3. Provide constructive criticism
Exit interviews are an opportunity to give back to the institution. Make sure you make productive statements and provide feedback that can be used by the company to create and implement better norms and policies.
4. Do not be petty
Even if you do not leave the company on good terms, do not behave bitterly or negatively. Refrain from personal attacks and offensive comments. Instead, air your grievances as formally and politely as possible.
5. Do not burn down bridges
Your colleagues and professional networks are valuable. Even if there is little chance of working with them again, it is advisable to not behave wildly and cut off all ties.
Be a true professional and maintain a positive attitude towards the workplace even as you are leaving it.
In conclusion, interviews are a very crucial part of your career. Sometimes how you behave and act in an interview is much more important than the skills and degrees you possess.
So, make sure you do prepare for all types of interviews that exist in the ecosystem to land the job of your dreams.
All the best!
