Discover the 9 different types of job interviews

Have you reached the interview stage in your recruitment process? Are you looking to hire the ideal candidate? Is your job posting impeccable? Have you received several applications for your job offer and are now looking to interview some candidates who caught your attention? Are you unsure about which type of interview you should conduct in alignment with the company's values?

Be aware that there is a variety of interview types that may be better suited to different situations and recruitment needs. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages and can be effective depending on the company's context and objectives.

NICOKA details in this article the 9 different types of recruitment interview. If you know of others, feel free to let us know.

Types of Job Interviews:

1. Structured Interview

The structured interview is the most common type of interview in the recruitment world; during an individual interview, the candidate has few open doors, indeed, it is the recruiter who leads and asks a pre-established list of questions. The recruiter generally meets face-to-face with pre-selected candidates based on their application, experience, and several criteria. The questions asked during this interview are generally closed, short, or multiple-choice. Be careful not to degrade the employer brand by conducting this type of interview.

Advantages : The recruiter gathers precise information about the candidate, which will be essential in the decision-making process and throughout the recruitment process.

Disadvantages : The downside of this method is subjecting the candidate to this interview and not encouraging their comfort during this exchange.

2. Semi-structured Interview

Here, the interview allows a bit more freedom for the candidate being surveyed. At the beginning of the interview, the recruiter mentions the various topics they wish to address during the exchange and invites the candidate to intervene when they deem it necessary. The recruiter asks specific questions and expects in front of them an enterprising candidate regarding the answers given to these questions. The recruiter can then both test the candidate's personality and give them the opportunity to stand out, ensuring all planned stages of the process are completed.

Advantages : The interview is slightly structured and calls for spontaneity, which is enough for the recruiter to gather the desired information.

Disadvantages : The interview can seem long if there is no defined time and may lack structure.

3. Unstructured Interview

This interview is entirely spontaneous; the recruiter does not impose specific questions, and the interview remains open. The recruiter allows the candidate to take the initiative of the interview and sell themselves by choosing the topics they wish to discuss, for example, their professional background. They lead the discussion. However, the recruiter imposes a timeline that the candidate must respect and intervenes as little as possible, adopting a more observational and active listening posture, reigniting the conversation based on the interviewee’s responses.

This type of interview can quickly destabilize a candidate. More and more recruiters are using this more instinctive method to break the usual codes of structured interviews commonly conducted in many companies. Hence, the famous "tell me about yourself."

Advantages : The interview allows the candidate to take initiatives and thus the opportunity to stand out from other applications.

Disadvantages : The freedom of spontaneity can destabilize the more shy and stressed candidates.

4. Virtual Interview

The video conference interview is increasingly widespread and nonetheless saved recruiters during the health crisis, a method that has significantly popularized since then. This interview consists of exchanging virtually and directly with a candidate; it can also be a preliminary interview or a complement to a physical interview for the proposed position.

Solutions like Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype meet this video conference interview request.

However, the video conference interview does not allow for the same first contact as face-to-face and slightly diminishes the opportunity to establish a relationship with the candidate.

Advantages : A trendy method that represents a real time saver for both the candidate and the recruiter, as well as the possibility of recording and re-watching the interview after obtaining the candidate's consent.

Disadvantages : A disadvantage of video conferencing for a recruiter is the inability to detect and identify the candidate's non-verbal cues behind a screen; moreover, the chosen tone or a bit of humor can be misinterpreted. The recruiter must succeed in capturing the interviewee's attention during this virtual meeting.

5. Asynchronous Interview

This type of interview is part of many recruitment processes. The asynchronous interview takes place via recorded videos and interviews, where the candidate receives an invitation to attend an asynchronous video interview. It is also known as "AVI". The candidate logs into a platform, then answers a few questions by recording their responses in writing and/or video.

This type of interview has spread since 2019 and due to the challenges posed by the health crisis. Generally, the duration of questions and answers is one to two minutes. At the end of the interview and once the video recording is sent, the recruitment team or the recruitment agency views and analyzes it, then decides whether or not to proceed further in the process.

Advantages : This type of interview represents a time saver for the recruiter, allows pre-selection of candidates, and is a rather modern and interactive recruitment method. It is increasingly favored by recruiters. The asynchronous video interview gives more candidates a chance than a physical interview.

Disadvantages : The asynchronous interview is not very personalized, and no direct interaction occurs between the two parties.

6. Phone Interview

This exchange happens verbally between the recruiter and the candidate, typically used before a physical interview to gauge interest and confirm certain information about the received application. The call can be in-depth and accompanied by questions or conducted spontaneously to get an overview of the candidate's professional skills and project to know if they wish to continue their application for the position they applied for.

The candidate has every interest in preparing for this daunting exchange by thinking about being in a quiet environment, having a charged battery, checking network quality, keeping the job ad in mind, collecting some information about the company in advance, and not forgetting to take notes during the phone call. Preparing the interview beforehand will maximize their chances of securing a second face-to-face interview. The call can be both a trap and a good exercise for candidates.

The phone exchange lasts on average between 15 and 30 minutes and remains quite concise. The recruiter can thus observe certain soft skills but cannot analyze non-verbal language, though a smile can be heard! 🙂

Advantages : Generally considered a preliminary interview, it does not require real preparation and organization, makes the exchange flexible, and saves the recruiter time.

Disadvantages : Non-verbal language is also limited by this approach, and this phone interview only allows for candidate pre-selection.

7. Group Interview

The group interview brings together several candidates in the same space. This practice allows recruiters to highlight certain traits of a candidate in a group, observe the most enterprising or not in a more competitive context. It is generally conducted by bringing together a maximum of ten participants. Candidates may be assigned a professional role-play based on the position to be filled and the industry sector.

Group interviews are frequently used for positions requiring relational skills or teamwork. The group interview usually lasts half a day and generally helps recruit future collaborators for several open positions.

Some companies use group interviews through role-playing games or "serious games."

A "serious game" aims to offer a game mixed with serious content and a fun scenario. The goal is to make the content appealing and to convey information.

For example, some companies use this method in digital games or recruitment escape games. Soft skills are then the elements evaluated during these game mechanics. These practices may even complement an individual job interview.

The candidate will have time between the invitation and the D-day to prepare for the interview by researching the position to be filled, preparing and refining their presentation, polishing their attitude, and identifying beforehand the different types of profiles they might face. If they manage to convince the recruitment team, they will then be led to an individual interview.

Advantages : It allows gathering several candidates in the same space, evaluating them simultaneously based on their career goals and other criteria, but also saving time in your recruitment processes. Moreover, it represents a cost-effective means for the company.

Disadvantages : The group interview can be a source of stress for candidates and represents significant organization for the company.

8. Job Dating

Like in certain administrative places where you take a ticket and wait for your turn, in this specific "chain" interview case, candidates follow one after another. Indeed, the candidate meets the recruitment officer or manager directly after another candidate. This type of interview is extremely exhausting for the recruiter and does not encourage candidates' adherence to this recruitment method, who will most often negatively judge the company's operation.

The so-called "job dating" interview (professional meetings) is inspired by the famous "speed dating". It can be held in the company's premises or even at a trade fair or dedicated space and is not very long, usually lasting around ten minutes.

This type of interview is used in large companies when looking for interns, apprentices, or seasonal workers. This method is a time saver for both the recruiter and the candidate, but the candidate must prove themselves quickly.

The candidate will only have a few minutes to make a good first impression and capture the recruiter's attention. Indeed, they may bring a resume, cover letter, or portfolio to leave with their interviewer at the exchange. They will ensure to choose appropriate attire, practice presenting their pitch, and time themselves in front of relatives if necessary, thank the recruiter after the exchange, and follow up after the event.

Advantages : This interview represents a time saver for both the candidate and the recruiter, allowing the recruiter to discover several profiles in a short time.

Disadvantages : Time is limited for the candidate, and they must manage to convince quickly; moreover, this interview does not always favor the best applications.

9. Panel Interview

This method is demanding; it involves bringing together several people at the same time, such as HR managers, recruitment officers, managers, employees, etc. This situation is more common during local community recruitment. However, the candidate may be destabilized by facing several jury members, and the interview may prove to be a waste of time for the company to mobilize so many people.

Advantages : This type of interview facilitates decision-making, as it takes into account the opinions of several professionals based on the same exchange. These participants also bring their set of questions that a single jury might not have considered.

Disadvantages : The logistics and organization involved are demanding in applying this type of interview; moreover, the exchange in front of several people can be stressful for the candidate.

Recruitment Interview Tests

To complement a job interview, you can use recruitment interview tests to make a better decision and gather additional information about your candidates that is not mentioned on their resume. Among these tests, you will find different types of tests:

Reasoning Tests : The reasoning test, also called a psychometric test, focuses on questions measuring candidates' verbal, logical, and numerical abilities. This test helps detect a personality trait or character.
Personality Tests : The personality test evaluates behavior in facing different professional situations, identifies candidates' soft skills, and assesses if the profile matches the company's values. It is a good way to analyze a candidate's behavior in a professional environment or even identify their emotional management.
Skills Tests : The skills test analyzes the required abilities of a future collaborator for a position, and this test can take the form of a role-playing scenario. This test allows the company to target efficient and productive candidates corresponding to the position.

There are specialized software programs for conducting these tests. NICOKA partners with four tools specifically dedicated to conducting recruitment interview tests.

Discover NICOKA's partner tools:

Assessfirst : The platform is designed for companies of all sizes. It evaluates candidates' soft skills, abilities, motivations, and personalities using artificial intelligence. Each assessment is tailored to the specific needs of the position.
Central Test : The solution is dedicated to talent assessments. It has more than 1200 fully customizable job references and can evaluate over 63 skills. It conducts psychometric tests and skills tests.
We Suggest : The platform evaluates candidates' soft skills more precisely in an objective, scientific, and personalized manner, interactively and engagingly. It is possible to create custom assessments or choose from a library of templates.
Trimoji : The solution evaluates candidates' soft skills. The assessments are based on psychometrics and cognitive sciences, and it provides detailed and visual analyses of these recruitment and evaluation tests.

In Conclusion

To summarize, this list notably demonstrates the essential aspect of selecting the type of interview that best meets the company's needs and the position to be filled.

Each of these approaches is different, representing strengths and weaknesses; however, they all aim to choose the most appropriate candidate for your search. By using one of these methods, you can evaluate not only professional skills but also candidates' alignment with the company's culture and values.

You have just identified the different types of interviews, and we now invite you to read our article dedicated to organizing a job interview.

You can also equip yourself with ATS assistants to help organize your interviews, for more details on our ATS, take a look at the features of NICOKA CABS.