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In order to gain employment, we must face at least one interview. There are several different kinds of interviews and common questions that may be asked. Knowing what to expect, and preparing, are the best tools toward success.

Types of Interviews

There are several interview styles. Knowing what you may face, remaining calm and answering questions truthfully help to relieve the stress of the situation.

The first interview you may encounter is the screening interview. These are exactly what they imply; they screen applicants to weed out those who may not fit the company's needs. These often take place over the telephone. Speaking to recruiters at job fairs is another example. Screening interviews are often short but don't treat them lightly. The first impression is important! In just a few minutes, you must be able to sell yourself. You will be asked about your education and job experience so be thorough but brief.

From the screening, we move on to hiring/placement interviews. There are several of these, any one of which you should be ready for.

First is the most common, the one-on-one interview. You will sit down with a representative of the company and answer questions. If the representative is the person who does the hiring, the queries will be specific. If the person is a human resources employee, the questions will often be more general.

Panel interviews consist of a team of two or more representatives of the company. You will need to think in terms of a team and adjust your answers in such a way as to emphasize that. Look each panel member in the eye while answering.

Group interviews include several prospective employees at one time. The interviewer will be looking for leadership and communication skills. Focus on the interview but remain courteous to the other prospects.

Sequential interviews stack appointments over the course of hours or days. These will be successive one-on-one affairs. You must sell yourself and your qualifications to each interviewer.

Lastly, stress interviews may be conducted. These gauge your reactions to stressful situations. You may be treated rudely, left to wait for a long time before an interviewer greets you or asked to take a quiz with an impossible time limit. A panel may interview you firing questions at you in rapid fashion. The most productive way to handle these types of interviews is to remain calm and focused.

As you can see, there are a variety of interviews you may face at any given time. Relax, prepare and calmly conduct yourself. Arm yourself with knowledge of the company and be very familiar with what answers you may give in these situations. Knowing what you might face is half the battle.

Nikola lives and writes in Oklahoma. She is a returning college student studying business management. Nikola anjoys reading, scrapbooking and spending time with her two dogs. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Facsimile.Com which is a site for Fax Machines.

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