Job interview is the most important stage in the career path of any candidate. So, be sure to prepare yourself without fear but with passion.
Proper preparation for the job interview is one of the most important tools available to any candidate to achieve their desired goal: Integration or re-entry into the labor market.
Concepts such as soft skills, emotional and artificial intelligence claim a significant share in the labor market, preparing us for a 360-degree turn in the selection of suitable candidates with education and experience now taken for granted and easily understood.
What are the most common interview types?
Below, you will find some of the most common and sometimes less common types of interview
Telephone Interview: This is a preliminary interview conducted over the telephone to determine whether candidates agree on some key issues before being invited to an in-person interview. Caution! It might end up being a regular interview!
Traditional Personal Interview: A face-to-face meeting that usually lasts 40 minutes.
Video call interview: follows the same process as a traditional interview but takes place via applications such as Skype/Zoom/Googlemeet.
Panel interview: involves multiple interviewers, who ask questions and evaluate a candidate’s answers.
Group interview: involves 2+ candidates being interviewed simultaneously by one or more interviewers.
Practical interview: A candidate’s technical knowledge is assessed.
Interviews at Career Days: Provide an opportunity for job seekers to meet with potential employers, learn about job openings and submit their resumes.
Artificial Intelligence Video Interview using various artificial intelligence programs and specific time for answers.
AI – Artificial Intelligence Unbiased Recruiter Robot: Interview with a robot to avoid discrimination.
Alternative Interview: An interview different from the others…
In a constantly changing work landscape with the search for well-qualified personnel being a brake for every company, it is equally important to emphasise that in an interview not only the candidate is called upon to prove his/her worth but also every business to present the brand and in briefly its strengths, i.e. the reasons it stands out compared to others, conveying to the candidate the belief that it is his/her next ideal choice.
But the rule has exceptions…
In the technological leap age of development that we live in, many executives downplay the role of each business to listen to the wind of change aiming at self-improvement. This has the effect of observing ‘aged’ businesses both on the inside and the outside.
Myths and truths in job interviews
Suitable preparation for a job interview does NOT start the moment you find yourself in a work environment but earlier.
Are you looking for the right mentality that will ensure you peace of mind?
Explore some myths and truths that you will identify with, while you may be troubled by others.
Myth: It is better to be at the venue of a job interview 15 minutes before
Truth: The interview doesn’t actually have a specific protocol regarding the time of attendance, so it’s safe to be a few minutes (up to 5 minutes) early at the venue.
Myth: A job interview is only done once
Truth: Every business has a separate internal regulation dictating how its executives will act during interviews. Usually the interviews take place in a prescribed period of time and are 1-3. In any case, the interviewee must ask if there will be a follow-up interview as well as the manner or time of the information that will follow.
Myth: A job interview is conducted only by the Manager/Owner of a business
Truth: According to the organisational chart of each company. In small businesses where the owner is also a manager, the interview is conducted by him/her.
In other companies, interviews are conducted by the Head of Department and then with the HR (Human Resources Manager).
Myth: I don’t need to know much information about the company when sending my resume since I may get more than 1 interview notice especially after the Covid-19 era where many executives abandoned their positions.
Truth: It is an indisputable fact that during the health crisis and afterwards, data changed with the balances being severely overturned and the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon creating a handful of problems. At the same time, working conditions, salary statements and timetables entered a new negotiation phase.
The way was paved for thousands of candidates and especially for those who invested in the acquisition of know-how as a result of which they can claim enviable jobs on equal terms compared to the past.
But do we forget the self-evident and gamble our professional status by claiming more than we can contribute and all this in the name of exploitation?
Myth: It’s best to note on my resume that references are available upon request. If they ask me about, I will figure it out somehow.
Truth: Every business is entitled to ask for references from previous employers as well as to evaluate the course of previous collaborations. You’d be surprised how many times candidates were rejected when the feedback they received from previous jobs wasn’t good. It makes the same bad impression on the future employer when previous jobs are listed in companies they have never worked for!
You can ask your previous employers (e.g. owners/managers/head of departments) and especially when the cooperation went smoothly, their contact information, so that your next employer can learn more about you.
Myth: Salary discussion should NOT brought up at the job interview.
Truth: Wrong. It is essential for your interlocutor and company representative to be aware of the salary situation and working hours in a previous position you held. An equally erroneous move is for your interlocutor not to know or to avoid referring mainly to the salary using expressions such as: the job position has not yet been priced since the company will move on a different salary scale for a candidate with 2-3 years of experience compared to another who is demonstrably more experienced.
Myth: I don’t need to ask questions since a job interview does not equal to an immediate hiring process.
Truth: Questions are highly desirable since communication is two-way. Don’t you want to know what a typical day is like in the workplace and in the position you are interested in? What are possibly training courses you can attend that will help improve your performance or even the training you will receive? An equally important question is whether you are filling a position for an employee who has left or decided to take the next step in their career. The answer can be highly enlightening and act as an excellent source of feedback on the quality of the business or not.
Several companies, realising the usual problematic relationships (happens even among best families) between their employees and wishing to upgrade the conditions of the working environment, offer incentives (e.g. trips, team bonding events, rewards, etc.) to contribute to the creation of a healthy climate among their staff members.
Myth: During a job interview , I need to project the dynamic side of my professional personality while replying.
Truth: Confidence plays an important role in life as it affects our psychology. But is it enough? You should never forget who you are talking to, knowledge and skills, and how many times has been in the same position against candidates with the same or similar behavioural style. After all, you are not judged on the basis of the self-confidence you radiate, but mainly on the basis of your skills and experience, so that in the end you are selected as the most suitable candidate to fill the position.
Myth: When asked what my strengths and weaknesses are and how I behave in a workplace, I have to hide every imperfection. It is a sign of weakness.
Truth: Absolutely not. There are strong and weak elements in every human being. The ability to recognise your weaknesses and how you can correct them to move forward is of the utmost importance. There are no secret recipes but there are clearly better ways to make weaknesses work positively in the workplace contributing to your progress.
Myth: Should I send a follow up e-mail?
Truth: In case you know beforehand the email, you can send a follow up email thanking for the opportunity of the interview as well as getting to know you while waiting to be informed about the next stage of the evaluation. Nevertheless, it is not considered necessary as it does not actually count as an advantage rather than an expression of courtesy.
English (UK) 
Ελληνικά