10 Types of Interviews (and How to Ace Them)

Interviews come in all shapes and sizes: Sometimes you’re with one interviewer, others you’re with five. Maybe you’ll be asked to lunch, expected to solve a problem, or invited to a Skype interview.

But no matter what the format, we’ll give you what you need to succeed.

We’ll show you how to nail every type of job interview you might face. Check out these 10 common interviews and what you need to know about them.

1. The Traditional Interview

This is the scenario you’ll face most often: You sit down with a solo interviewer and answer a series of questions designed to help her figure out if you’re a great candidate for the job.

What You Need to Know

• 51 Interview Questions You Should Be Asking

• How to Answer the 31 Most Common Interview Questions

• Your All-in-One Interview Prep Guide

2. The Phone Interview

Asked for a phone interview? A call is typically a first-round screening to see if you’re a fit to come in for a full interview, so nailing it is key. You’ll want to prepare just as you would for an in-person interview, with some key adjustments for the phone format.

What You Need to Know

• 22 Phone Interview Tips to Help You Nail the Call

• 13 Questions Hiring Managers Love to Ask in Phone Interviews (and How to Answer Like a Pro)

• 4 Ways to Rock the Intro Call With a Recruiter

3. The Skype Interview

Skype video interviews take the phone-screening interview to the next level, and they’re becoming a regular part of the job application process for many companies. From choosing the right on-screen look to making sure all of your tech systems are a go, you’ll want to be 100% ready for your TV debut.

What You Need to Know

• Skype Hype: The Key to Acing Your Virtual Interview

• Phone and Skype Interviews Are the Worst, Unless You’re Prepared

• How to Do a Video Meeting or Skype Interview Without Feeling Totally Awkward

4. The Case Interview

The case interview is a more specialised format in which you’re given a business problem (“How can BigCoal Co. double its growth?”) or a puzzle (“How many tennis balls fit in a 747?”) to solve. While case interviews were once exclusively the domain of aspiring consultants, they’re now popping up everywhere from tech companies to NGOs.

What You Need to Know

• Ace the Case: 7 Steps to Cracking Your Consulting Interview

• Secrets for Cracking the Quant Interview

• A Few Signs You’ve Taken Your Interview Research Too Far and Turned Into a Stalker

5. The Puzzle Interview

Google and other highly competitive companies have been known to ask “puzzle” questions, like, “How many people are using Facebook in San Francisco at 2:30 PM on a Friday?” Seems random, but your interviewer wants to determine how quickly you can think on your feet, how you’ll approach a difficult situation, and how you can make progress in the face of a challenge.

What You Need to Know

• 4 Insanely Tough Interview Questions (and How to Nail Them)

• 13 Crazy Interview Questions That Awesome Companies Will Actually Ask You

• 9 Steps to Solving an Impossible Brain Teaser in a Tech Interview (Without Breaking a Sweat)

6. The Lunch Interview

Has your potential employer suggested an interview over a meal? That’s a good sign—it usually means she wants to learn a little more about you and how you act outside of the office. We’ll show how to highlight your strengths and accomplishments while trying to manoeuvre a mouthful of chicken Piccata.

What You Need to Know

• Let’s Do Lunch: How to Prepare for a Job Interview Over a Meal

• 8 Rules You Should Memorise Before You Go on Any Interview That Involves Food

• The Only Advice You Need for Navigating an Interview Happy Hour (Because Yes, That’s a Thing)

7. The Group Interview

Group interviews aren’t common, but you might find them for sales roles, internships, or other positions in which the company is hiring multiple people for the same job. How do you catch the hiring manager’s eye when you’re part of the group? It takes a little gusto and a few smart tactics.

What You Need to Know

• Standing Out From the Crowd: How to Nail a Group Interview

• 16 Quick Tips That’ll Help You Stand Out in a Group Interview

• Here’s One Way to Stand Out When You’re Competing Against Hundreds of Qualified Candidates

8. The Working Interview

In some industries—writing, engineering, or even sales—you may be asked to complete an actual job task as part of the interview. Basically, your interviewers don’t want you to tell them you can do the job, they want to see it.

Don’t panic: If you go in prepared, this is your chance to shine.

What You Need to Know

• The Best Interview Questions to Ask in Every Round

• Is It Normal to Get a Job Interview Assignment?

• What Every Job Seeker Should Know About Work Assignments During the Interview Process

9. The Firing Squad

If you’ll be reporting to several people or working with a team, it’s not uncommon to meet with multiple interviewers—all at the same time. Sounds nice, because you only have to answer those tough questions once, but it can also be tricky to make a strong connection with each decision maker.

What You Need to Know

• The Firing Squad: How to Survive a Panel Interview

• The Secret Weapon That Job Seekers Always Ignore When Prepping for an Interview

• 6 Questions That Will Ease Your Mind Before the Interview

10. The Career Fair Interview

If you’re attending career fairs as part of your job hunt, get ready for impromptu interviews, where you’ll only have 10 or 15 minutes to sell yourself to the recruiter for a chance to come in for a full interview.

What You Need to Know

• 4 Job Fair Tips That’ll Make the Experience Worthwhile

• 8 Easy Ways to Become the Most Confident Person in the Room

• 4 Mindset Changes That’ll Make Networking Feel Way Less Fake and Horrible