Interviewers come in many styles, shapes, and sizes. They may be trained professionals or rank beginners. They may be pleasant and encouraging or rude and opinionated.

Likewise, there are several kinds of interviews, depending on the personality and preferences of the interviewer and the instructions from the employer. Generally, in on-campus and consortia interviews students will be involved initially with a screening interview, one from which the interviewer makes a recommendation about whether to consider a candidate further. The screening interview is usually (but not always) conducted by a friendly, encouraging individual who has been trained to follow a fairly structured line of questioning.
Telephone
Telephone interviews are merely screening interviews meant to eliminate poorly qualified candidates so that only a few are left for personal interviews. The jobseeker’s mission in this interviewed is to be invited for a personal face-to-face interview.
Panel
A panel is the reverse of the group interview. There are several people from the employer. You might be interviewed by 2-10 people at the same time. Be sure to make eye contact with each person. When a question is asked you want to direct 50% of your eye contact to the person that asked the question and the other 50% to the other members of the panel. Try to get everyone’s contact information so that you can write each of them a thank you letter.
One-On-One
This is the traditional format for interviews. Make good eye contact and try to match their “style”. If they are very conservative and don’t smile it would not be a good idea to try humor in the interview. In a one-on-one interview the jobseeker’s goal is to establish rapport with the interviewer and to show that his/her qualifications will benefit the company.
On-Campus
The main challenge is that you usually only have 30 minutes with the recruiter. So be sure to use all the time to your advantage. If there are company representatives in the waiting area, take advantage of the extra “face time” by speaking with them. Remember, they are always evaluating you.
On-Site
When you get an interview that is at the employer’s place of business you need to stay on your toes. You want to be nice to everyone from the receptionist to people you pass by in the parking lot. You never know what their position is at the company. Plan your route to the location and make sure you allow for traffic. You do not want to be late to an interview! Arrive about 15 minutes early but you want to be near the employer about 1 hr before your interview so you can make sure you have everything together. Take the last 45 minutes to get some water or a bite to eat if you are hungry.
Stress Interview
Stress interviews are used to see how the jobseekers handle himself. You may be sarcastic or argumentative, or may keep him waiting. You may also lapse into silence at some point during the questioning, this is used as an attempt to unnerve the jobseeker.
Screening Interview
Typically this is the first step a company takes after the resumes have been scrutinized. The purpose of this meeting is to assess the skills and personality traits of the potential candidates. The objective ultimately is to “screen out” those applicants the interviewer feels should not be hired due to lack of skills or bad first impressions. The interviewer must also “screen in” those candidates she/he feels would make a valuable contribution to the company. Your job during this preliminary meeting is to convince this person you are worthy to take the next step.
Lunch Interview
The same rules apply in lunch interviews as in those held at the office. The setting may be more casual, but it is a business lunch and the jobseeker has to be watched carefully. The jobseeker must use the lunch interview to develop common ground with your interviewer.
Committee Interview
Committee interviews are a common practice. Jobseeker will have to face several members of the company who have a say in whether he/she is hired. In some committee interviews, you can ask the jobseeker to demonstrate his/her problem-solving skills. The committee will outline a situation and ask him/her to formulate a plan that deals with the problem. The interviewers are looking for how the jobseeker apply his/her knowledge and skills to a real-life situation.
Group Interview
A group interview is usually designed to uncover the leadership potential of prospective managers and employees who will be dealing with the public. The front-runner candidates are gathered together in an informal, discussion-type interview. A subject is introduced and the interviewer will start off the discussion. The goal of the group interview is to see how the jobseeker interact with others and how use him/her knowledge and reasoning powers to win others over.
Informational Interview
Typically this is an interview set up at the jobseeker’s request with a Human Resources Manager or a departmental supervisor in the career field he/she is interested in. The purpose of this interview is to help the jobseeker find out more about a particular career, position or company. He/she is seeking information from these people in hopes that they might refer him/her to someone else in their company or to somebody they may know outside their company who could use your skills.
The Informational Interview is a part of the “cold-calling” process whereby jobseekers are generating their own job leads.
The General/Structured Interview
Frequently the Screening Interview is combined with the General Interview due to time constraints many companies have during the hiring process. Often the jobseeker will meet with the supervisor over the position for which he/she is applying. During this interview he/she will be discussing the specifics of the position, the company and industry.