12 Types of Interviews You May Find in a Job Search

Key takeaways

Several types of interviews you may encounter during your career are informative, video, technical, panel, and group interviews.

• Typically, during a phone screen interview, you talk with a recruiter for 15 to 30 minutes on the phone.

• You can use the hiring manager interview as an opportunity to learn more about the available role and how your experience fits.

• You can engage in a mock interview with a friend or a career coach to prepare for your real one.

Explore the different types of interviews you may encounter throughout your job search. If you’re ready to begin enhancing your technical and workplace skills, enroll in the AI for Creative Work Specialization from the University of Michigan, where in as little as four weeks, you can learn about collaboration, business ethics, artificial intelligence, and more.

What are the 5 types of interviews?

The interview process varies by company and industry. In the tech industry, for example, it’s standard to complete a phone screen, hiring manager interview, technical or skills-based interview, and an onsite interview with several potential team members. But senior or leadership roles may require more stages. 

Typically, a recruiter or company representative will provide you with the information you need regarding each interview: who it will be with, when it will take place, and how it will be conducted (in-person or video). You can also ask what the focus of each interview will be so that you can be better prepared for each step of the process.

Furthermore, interviewing for a job may involve completing several different types of interviews, each with a distinct focus. For example, when you meet with a hiring manager, they may ask you a range of behavioral and situational interview questions to understand how your skill set and experience align with the role. You can also pursue interviews, such as informational interviews, which can illuminate a particular type of work, company, or industry.

Let’s review the standard interviews you may encounter when you’re being considered for a job.

1. Phone screen

A phone screen is usually a 15 to 30-minute phone call with a recruiter. While it may seem like an official interview, it’s really meant to verify the experience you listed on your resume and reveal what interested you in the role and your larger career goals. It can help to frame your story, so a recruiter gets a broader sense of who you are. 

At this stage, recruiters often contact several candidates who seem like a potential fit to gather information that will help the hiring manager decide who to begin interviewing. 

2. Hiring manager interview

A hiring manager interview is often your first official interview for a job, though there are instances when some companies may have you meet with a different interviewer or a panel of interviewers before the hiring manager. 

This type of interview is an opportunity to learn more specifically about the available role and how your experience fits. You may receive behavioral interview questions that aim to understand you and your workplace and technical skills.

3. Second or panel interview 

A second interview means you’ve impressed the hiring manager or the first interviewer, and you’ve made it to the next round. You may meet with any number of people at this stage. Interviews can be broken up into one-panel interviews or multiple interviews with a range of team members or employees (sometimes called an “onsite interview”). 

You can expect more behavioral questions, along with some situational questions, meant to help interviewers understand how you’d respond to hypothetical scenarios. You may also need to elaborate on your technical skills and ask more specific questions.

4. Skills-based or technical interview 

Sometimes called a “case interview,” the skills-based or technical interview is one you may complete either face-to-face with an interviewer or on your own time. In either instance, you will need to complete a test designed to rate your technical competency. For example, copywriters may have to complete a writing test, UX designers may have to complete a whiteboard challenge, or software engineers may have to complete a coding test.

5. Final interview

The final interview is meant to wrap up any lingering questions the hiring team may have about you and offer a chance to make a final impression. You may meet with the hiring manager once again or with a different company leader or executive.

Which is the most common type of interview?

Interview types will vary depending on your field, but many hiring processes start with traditional one-on-one interviews. In this format, you speak with one person from the company who asks a range of personal and professional questions to assess whether you’re a good fit for the company. In some cases, you may have several one-on-one interviews with different team members.

Read more: Company Culture: Why It Matters

7 additional different types of interviews

Outside of a corporate job search, you'll find numerous other interview types that can help you gather important information about a job or industry, practice your interview skills, and more. Let’s go over these different options. 

1. Informational interview 

An informational interview gives you greater autonomy. When you’re interested in working at a company or performing a certain type of work, it’s a chance for you to reach out to a relevant person and find answers to your career-related questions. Informational interviews are informal conversations meant to guide your job search by helping you gain valuable details.

2. Mock interview 

A mock interview is an opportunity to practice interviewing. Often, you will meet with someone—like a friend or career coach—who plays the part of the interviewer, and you will be the interviewee or participant. At the end of the mock interview, you should receive feedback about what you did well and any areas that could benefit from extra preparation. 

3. Video interview 

A video interview is not a type of interview so much as an interview format. You can interview over video for any of the interviews we’ve discussed. While many companies tend to prefer Zoom for interviews, there is a range of videoconferencing software available to facilitate conversations with candidates. 

4. Panel interview

A panel interview takes place with more than one person, such as a hiring committee. You may have to answer questions in a “round-robin” setting, wherein each person asks you a question before moving on to the next person on the panel. Depending on who participates in a panel interview, you can use it to gain important insight into how the team functions. 

5. Group interview 

A group interview may sound similar to a panel interview, but it’s when there’s more than one candidate as opposed to more than one interviewer. With this type of interview, candidates are interviewed at the same time so that employers can learn more about how you interact with others. 

6. Off-site interview

There may be times when a potential employer wants to meet with you “offsite” or away from their company’s office to discuss a job. Offsite interviews, sometimes called lunch interviews, can be formal or informal. There may be more distractions with this type of interview, especially when food is involved. In that case, try to pick a meal that isn’t overly messy and limit or avoid drinking alcohol.

7. Career fair interview

This type of interview takes place at a career fair, where a company representative has typically been sent to recruit college students, recent graduates, or others interested in working for the company. The length can range from a brief screen (similar to a phone screen) or a longer formal interview, but the purpose is to gauge your interest in the company and your experience. 

When you attend a career fair, it’s a good idea to research the companies you’d like to speak with in advance so you’re prepared in case an introduction leads to an on-the-spot interview.

Keep up with interview trends and tips

To stay current regarding interview tips and trends, join Career Chat on LinkedIn. You can also check out these other free resources:

• Watch on YouTube: 10 Leadership Questions Every Candidate Should Be Ready For

• Get prepared: Job interviews: How to confidently prepare

• Learn the STAR method: How to answer interview questions with the STAR method

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