When you are called for an interview, make sure you get all the details: location of office, specific room of interview or where to check in, parking arrangements, time and who will be involved with the interview. Ask how many people will be conducting the interview and their titles. Interviews can involve many formats, including:
- One-to-one interview.
- A round robin interview where you meet one-on-one with various people in the organization.
- A panel of 2 to 10 people.
- An interview over lunch.
- A tour and “meet and greet” scenario, where they observe how you handle yourself in different situations.
- An in-box exercise where they present you with sample in-box memos and ask you to prioritize them and respond to them.
- Assessment Center interviews that bring you and other candidates in the same room to deal with sample problems that are typical of the position – they watch how you work as a leader and team member in these situations.
- Practical exams such as a driving test, written test, computer test, or any test that has you actually completing tasks that would be assigned to your position on a normal day.
As you can see, understanding the format will enable you to be prepared and be less nervous, and to know how much time to allow for the interview.