A whole interview-process is similar to falling in love with someone.  If someone is impressed by your well prepared CV and you show qualities that would fit into the company’s needs, the employer gives you a call to invite you for a „date”, which means a face to face meeting to get a better understanding of each other.

If everything goes well, expectations and qualities meet requirements, the employer will hire you, than your connection will be officially established with a paper contract. If both parties (employer and employee) sign this contract, accepting all terms and conditions, this work relationship will become part of your everyday life starting at your „new home”. During the years, better and worse periods may vary, but the common goal and vision always grants motivation to continue your hard work. The companies usually have long-term plans with you, that’s why detailed personality testing is needed. This way, both employer and employee can benefit from the relationship later on. Depending on the nature of the work and on the purposes of the meeting, we can identify different interview types that you can run into. To successfully pass these tests, we want to give you some useful advices. Good luck!

Phone interview

A call, when you need to recall your previous experiences.

A phone interview can happen without any previous appointment organized as an initial screening and „entry” for the personal interview.

Tips: if the call is unexpected and you cannot speak, ask the interviewer in a very polite manner to reschedule it. During a phone interview, make sure you are in a quiet room and you are not eating, drinking or chewing gum. The best thing is to have your CV in front of you.

Traditional one on one job interview

Look into other's eyes and tell your smart answers. Don't be afraid, managers are not maneaters.

The personal, traditional one on one interview can happen with or without a previous phone interview. You are interviewed by one of the representatives at the company and in most cases, also the manager of the position you are applying for. These people will most probably work with you directly, so they want to get a chance to size you up and get to know you.

Tips: Always be professional, polite and well dressed. Ask questions in connection with the job at the end, so the employer can see you are very interested in your work. If you are too stressed, put your hands below the table, so others cannot see it trembling.

Panel (or group) interview

Exam committee in front of you? Don't worry, magic happens, impress them!

This one is a more complex interview type, than a one on one interview. Here you can also meet your future employers/colleagues, but from different departments (HR, management, supervisor of a given subdivision) and they can ask you questions which are relevant to their own fields of work. They can save time by establishing a collective opinion about the candidate during the whole interview process.

Tips: Do not be stressed by sitting in front of a group of people. Always direct your answer to the person who asked question, but try to maintain eye contact with the others as well. If more candidates are present at the same time, introduce yourself and be polite. Don’t be shy, try to volunteer to respond during question, but never dominate the entire interview.

Behavioural interview (STAR)

Time for storytelling – prepare your 72 favourite stories! 

The abbreviation of STAR stands for: Situation, Task, Action and Results. During this type of interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on situations that can occur during the job you are applying for. They assess your prospective future performance based on past performances during similar situations and asking how you would handle different work-related situations. This way, they can get more information about your behaviour, personality and character.

Tips: Be proactive and try to think of a few examples that you can use to illustrate your skills and give a good impression about yourself. Never be too negative and do not blame others.

Lunch interview

When you are cordially invited for a business meal via e-mail.

It is a relatively rare form of interview, when the company invites you to have lunch together at a restaurant with additional team members of the team, so you can get to know each other while leaders can also check how you would fit into their team. You can ask questions about the company or about your exact job as well.

Tips: Never eat too heavy meals (danger of being sleepy). Even if the company pays, never order meals that are too expensive. Do not take your leftover home. Pay attention to chew quietly, slowly and eat small bites.

Video interview

Tricky situation, when wearing elegant shirt with sweatpants is also possible. 

The video interview is a perfect solution, because it allows having a face to face interview, even if you are abroad or at a relatively distant location, so no additional travel and organization is needed. (These kinds of interviews are usually held via Skype or Google Chat).

Tips: Practice before a video/camera or with your friend using an online chat to avoid embarrassing situations during the interview. Always bring your PC or your camera to a tidy and arranged place, possibly with white walls. Ensure proper internet connection and a quiet place with no external noises.

Stress interview

Keep calm and focus on the questions! 

This is the typical example of uncomfortable interviews. Questions are raised to test your stress level and how you handle stress during the job.

Tips: Don’t take anything personally. Keep your cool, be patient and take your time to respond to the question. Never be impolite and do not use bad language or slang.

Work sample interview

Time to reveal your achievements - be well prepared with your masterpieces!

This interview type gives you a chance to showcase samples of your previous works/projects and demonstrate your skills. It can be via a display of your portfolio or by describing projects.

Tips: Practice your presentation until it is smooth and flawless.

Selection interview

Show me what you know!

Different in-depth questions are posed to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications and abilities. This interview type can consist of multiple stages of interviews.

Tips: Keep in touch with everyone you meet before and after this interview. Try to sell yourself, but stay natural.

Králik Márti