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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: There’s no right or wrong way to run an interview. Each method, style and technique has it’s own pros and cons, considerations and preparations depending hugely on your industry, business, the advertised position and so on. It’s all about finding out what works best for you and your company… and in this blog we’re going to help you with that. Below, we’ve outlined the 6 different types of interview and their advantages and disadvantages for your consideration. Let’s get back to basics. 1. The Telephone Interview.Telephone interviews are hugely valuable because they speed up the interview process and minimise time-wasting, whilst culling your weaker candidates earlier on. A face-to-face interview will take up your time as well as your candidate’s, so having a quick chat to suss out whether they’re suitable, before meeting up, will benefit both of you. A CV only tells part of the story; hearing the candidate’s tone of voice and assessing their direct answers will provide a much more detailed insight into their personality.
How Long Should It Take?In general, a telephone interview should take about 30 minutes, giving you both a chance to warm up for 5 minutes, check each other out for 20 minutes and warm down for 5. Of course, if a candidate manages to keep you on the phone for longer than 30 minutes with engaging conversation, that’s a very good sign. Advantages:
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2. The Video Interview.Video interviews (Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime) are a great alternative to telephone interviews. The fact that you can actually see each other adds a certain level of importance and professionalism to the ‘call’ and removes the temptation for either party to multi-task or lose focus. Of course, you could still face similar issues to those that plague the telephone interview. Background distractions could still occur, other calls could come through, bad signal could distort the conversation and, as you can both see each other, there’s no hiding from them!
How Long Should It Take?Video interviews will vary in length, depending on the situation… If used as a substitute for the telephone interview, at the beginning of the process, then it should last roughly 30 minutes. If used as a substitute to the individual face-to-face interview, nearing the end of the process (either a group video chat or one-to-one) then it should last roughly an hour. Advantages:
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3. The Panel Interview.Panel interviews are the same as individual, face-to-face interviews, but with two or more interviewers in the room. The main advantage of panel interviewing is that it precludes any personal biases that might creep into the assessment process. Each interviewer will pick up on different characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and together (hopefully) make a much fairer judgement.
The panel interview is usually conducted as the sole or final step in the interviewing process to take place instead of an individual interview and following any telephone and/or group interviews. How Long Should It Take?Panel interviews should last 45 Minutes, at the very least, giving you a suitable amount of time to work out whether the person is genuinely right for the role. A really great interview will last longer than an hour; your candidate must be doing something right if they’ve managed to engage you in conversation for such a prolonged amount of time. Advantages:
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4. The Assessment Day.Assessment “days” can be used to assess larger groups of interviewees at the same time, for a range of different skills. Common amongst graduate employers, they are a great way to evaluate candidates in more detail, for a longer period of time. If you’re interviewing a large group and your offices are only small, it’s a good idea to seek out a local assessment centre to host the day for you.
How Long Should It Take?Most assessments take place across one day (although some companies have been known to host week-long assessment interviews). They’re commonly used as the very first recruitment step, to suss out the superstar candidates in a big crowd, or as the only step, with an individual interview scheduled at some point, meaning the entire process is completed in just one day. Advantages:
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5. Group Interviews.Group interviews are used a lot less regularly than the other interview techniques we’ve mentioned, but they still have their place in modern recruitment. You could conduct your group interview in two key ways… like an individual interview; asking exactly the same questions that you would ask in an individual interview, openly, to the whole group, allowing candidates the chance to compete to impress. Or like the assessment day, with brief introductions, leading into group tasks and activities.
How Long Should It Take?Group interviews that replace the individual interview, should last roughly an hour and a bare minimum of 45 minutes. Of course, interviews that incorporate group-work tasks are much more difficult to organise and will invariably last longer, so allow yourself more time. Advantages:
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6. Individual (face-to-face) Interviews.Individual, face-to-face interviews are by far the most popular and efficient form of assessment. Allowing you to get up close and personal with each candidate while keeping an eye on their body language is far more effective than any other interviewing format. Think about it: do you find it easier to build a relationship with someone over the phone or face-to-face?
How Long Should It Take?You can tell a lot about an individual interview, by how long it takes. As a general rule… 30 minutes or less would imply a less-than-average candidate. Either they didn’t grip you at all and answered with the bear minimum or something was seriously wrong and you just wanted to get them out of the room (or vice versa). 45 minutes is roughly average. This shows that the candidate is engaging in conversation, expanding and answering with detail. These could be great candidates for the job. Over an hour. Candidates that are really impressive will keep you talking and before you know it, the interview will have overrun. These super-engaging candidates are the ones to look out for. Advantages:
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SummaryYou should always personalise your interviewing technique, structure and goal, in accordance with your business, industry and job role on offer. Work to your strengths and try different techniques to see what works best. When you have decided, take a glance at the “Assessing Applicants” section of our blog, which is filled with sample questions (both difficult and easy), hints, tips and warnings to help you interview like a pro. Good luck with the interviews! |