Other types of Interview

An employer may use various ways to assess you for a job; 

it is important to be aware of how you can be assessed so 

that you can prepare fully for each type of interview and have

 the best chance of success.

Competency based interviews
Competency based interviews are designed to allow you to show your skills and 

experience in the main areas of the job. You may be asked to discuss examples of 
your previous work and achievements. The examples you give should expand on, or 
be different from, those on your original application form. Before the interview, you will 
need to list the skills and experience needed for the job. You should also think about
what you have done that you could use as an example for each one.

Group interviews

You may be invited to be assessed as part of a group. This is to test how you might 
work as part of a team. Be prepared to take an active part in the discussion or task 
and put forward your ideas. Be confident but not aggressive.

Telephone interviews

Some employers may carry out a first interview over the phone. Be prepared for this 
when phoning employers by having your CV handy and reading through some sample 
questions. You can find an example of some questions you might be asked by following 
the link below.

• Questions you might be asked

Skills tests or work sample tests

These tests are designed to measure the level of your knowledge or understanding of 
the job, for example: a typing test for office an assistant or code review for web developers. 
Find out what the test will involve and try to practise before the interview.

Personality tests

You could be asked questions about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour in certain
situations. There is no such thing as a right or wrong answer, as the overall picture is 
what is important. The end result is a personality rating used to see if the person fits the 
job advertised. Analyzing these tests is a highly skilled process and larger organisations
may use these tests along with other methods.

Aptitude tests

Aptitude tests are designed to predict how well you might do certain tasks. 
They test abilities such as:

• reasoning with words, numbers or diagrams
• problem solving
• following instructions

These are usually set as a test paper that you have to finish within a set time. 
You can take practice tests to try to improve your ability - search for them online.

Published by Sameer for whichprofession.blogspot.com