Interview formats

You may recognise different interview formats at different stages of the recruitment process. These will be explained further here.

Face-to-face interviews

Face to face interviews can either be physically “in person” or online (eg in real-time through Google Meet/Skype etc). The number of interviewers can vary - you could have a one-to-one interview or you may be interviewed by a panel of people.

Some interviews may have a very formal style, while others feel more like an informal conversation about you and your interests. Be aware you are still being assessed, however informal the interview may seem.

Other interview formats may include:

• Group interviews - particularly used in assessment centres. Here, several candidates are present and you could be asked questions in turn or take part in a group discussion.
• Multiple station interviews - multiple interviewers may be positioned in different stations that the candidates rotate around. Usually, each interviewer asks questions to test different criteria under timed conditions. Portfolio interviews - you may be asked to bring a portfolio of your work and have an in-depth discussion about the pieces you have chosen to include.
• Academic interviews - used for further study or research positions, the questions focus on your academic history to date, your interest in the subject, and your long term goals.
• Technical interviews - used for jobs or courses that require relevant knowledge and skills may include 'technical' questions or perhaps have a separate technical interview. Questions focus on your knowledge of the company’s products and services, as well as design work and projects you have done.

You may be notified of the interview format and duration in advance. If you are fortunate to receive the names of your interviewers, it is good practice to research them and their backgrounds. This could be particularly useful for technical and academic roles, as you can get an understanding of their specialisms, which might inform their questions.

Video interviews

The popularity of video interviews is rapidly growing amongst graduate recruiters. Similar to a telephone interview, they regularly are used in the middle stages of a recruitment process to screen candidates.

The difference between a “live” online interview and a video interview is that the video interview is pre-recorded. The video interview is normally hosted on browser-based software and the employer will give you links and details on how to access it in advance. Typically, after receiving the link, you will have 1 week to complete the video interview, although this can vary.

The video interview consists of a series of questions, which will either appear as text on the screen, or as a video of an employer reading out the question. You will normally have “thinking time” (typically 1 minute), and this is a good opportunity to make brief notes. After this, you will be recorded via webcam and microphone for your response. A typical length of time for your response is 2 minutes, although this can also vary.

It is also very helpful to practice video interviews in advance in order to get used to them. We have resources which can help you with this. Explore the “Key Tasks” section at the bottom of the page.

Telephone interviews

These are normally used in the middle stages of the recruitment process and are most commonly used by large graduate recruiters. Your performance in a telephone interview will determine whether or not you move on to the next stage of the selection process, so you will need to prepare as thoroughly as you would for a traditional interview.

Some of the following non-verbal techniques may help you overcome the disadvantages of having to communicate without being able to see the person you are speaking to:

• standing up during the interview, which can help you project your voice and remain focused
• smiling while you speak will help you to convey enthusiasm in your voice
• using the kind of hand gestures that you would use in normal conversation
• dressing as if you were attending a face-to-face interview

Sometimes the employer will call without any prior warning, but in most cases the time and date of the interview will be agreed beforehand. The average length of a telephone interview is probably about 30 minutes, but they can last for as little as twenty minutes or as long as an hour.

Key Tasks

1. Do you know what format your interview will take? The recruiter should have provided some information so do read through this carefully. If you are still unsure, ask the recruiter directly. Just be mindful that they may not be able to give lots of additional information in order to be fair to all candidates. Further information about the recruitment processes of the top graduate recruiters can also be found through Graduates First.

2. The Graduates First Aptitude Test Portal contains a range of practice video interviews for different sector areas and formats. Use this to get more comfortable with timed video interviews.