6.4 Additional Types of Interviews

There are some additional types of interviews, which include:

Group Interview

In the group interview, multiple applicants are interviewed at one time by one or more interviewers. This type of interview can be used for selection or assessment of team skills. Interviewers may also use a group interview to assess an applicant’s stress management skills or assertiveness because, in such a group setting, the applicant will be surrounded by other applicants who also want the job. Group interviews can be less costly than one-on-one or panel interviews, especially when many applicants need to be interviewed in a short amount of time.

Requiring fewer interviewers may be a cost savings, but there are also problems with this interview format. In group interviews, the interviewer has to multitask more than when interviewing one applicant at a time. Interviewers in one-on-one interviews are already busy doing many things. These include attending to what applicants are saying and how they are acting, taking notes, rating applicant responses to questions, and managing what they say and how they act. Interviewing more than one applicant at a time makes it more challenging for the interviewer. This can negatively affect the interviewer and his/her job as an interviewer.

Another problem with group interviews is that applicants who get questioned later in the interview have more of a chance to think about how to answer the questions already asked by the interviewer. This can give those applicants an advantage over those applicants questioned earlier. These problems can make it less likely for group interviews to accurately predict who will perform well on the job.

Technical Interview

This kind of interview focuses on problem-solving and creativity. The questions aim at the interviewee’s problem-solving skills and likely show their ability to solve the challenges faced in the job through creativity. Technical interviews are being conducted online at progressive companies before in-person interviews as a way to screen job applicants.

Virtual Interviews

Virtual interviews are becoming increasingly common. They are conducted online via video-conferencing tools such as Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. Companies utilize technology in interviews due to its lower costs, time-saving benefits, and ease of use. Furthermore, technology enables a company to recruit more applicants from further away. Although they are being utilized more often, it is still not fully understood how technology may affect how well interviewers select the best person when compared to in-person interviews. Applicants are more likely to accept a job after a face-to-face interview than after a telephone or video interview. Companies should weigh the costs and benefits of using technology over face-to-face interviews when deciding on selection methods.

It is likely you may use one or more of these types of interviews depending on the type of job.