The 5 Steps of an Interview (With Steps and Tips)
In many fields, interviews are an important part of the job search process. Those who are new to the job market or haven’t been on many interviews may find it helpful to know what to expect during the meeting. Learning about the different parts of an interview can help you get ready for your next one and feel confident. In this article, we’ll talk about the steps of a job interview, explain why each step is important, and give you tips on how to get through the whole process. The 5 Steps of an Interview (With Steps and Tips)
What are the steps of an interview?
Interview stages are the parts of the interview process that the hiring manager or interviewer leads the job candidate through. Most job interviews have the same structure, and these steps work together to give structure and direction to the process. Even though there are no formal, set steps in this process, most interviews follow a similar pattern. This helps candidates know what to expect and helps interviewers get ready to meet with a candidate. If you know how the process works and what is expected at each step, you will be able to spot each step and respond in a professional way.
Why is it important to know how an interview works?
Getting to know the steps of an interview will help you know what to expect during the process. If you just graduated from college, haven’t worked much, or are just starting out in your career, the job interview process can seem scary. Knowing what to expect can help ease some of your worries. Learning what to expect at each stage can help you get ready for an interview and feel good about yourself. When you feel ready, it’s easier to stay focused, organised, and ready to give the interviewer a good impression.
5 interview stages
Here are the five parts of an interview for a job:
1. Getting people to know each other
The first step of an interview is to meet the hiring manager and introduce yourself. Most of the time, this means shaking the hiring manager’s hand and formally introducing yourself. When you shake someone’s hand, be firm, look them in the eye, and smile to show that you are professional and excited about the interview. When you meet the hiring manager, say something friendly and professional like, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” If you have a panel interview, shake hands with each person on the panel and learn their names so you can talk to them directly during the interview.
2. Talking to each other
After introductions, it’s common to spend the next few minutes of an interview making polite small talk with the hiring manager or interview panel. This step is important because it helps you get to know the interviewer. They might ask you a few questions to find out more about you as a person and decide if your personality is a good fit for their team. This step can also help you feel more at ease during the interview. If you take some time to get to know the interviewer and the rest of the team, you may feel more comfortable and relaxed during the next part of the interview.
3. Getting the facts
Next, the person interviewing you may ask you to give a short speech about yourself and why you want to work for their team. This is done to learn more about you. It’s common for interviewers to ask you to tell them about yourself. They want you to give a brief summary of your career path, why you applied for the job, and what skills you have that make you the best person for the job. If you practise your pitch before the interview, it can help you organise your ideas and talk about them in a confident, professional way.
4. Making the interview happen
The hiring manager will start the structured part of the interview after you have given your pitch. Depending on the type of interview, they may ask you about your past jobs, how you would handle a certain situation, and what you think the company and industry will do in the future. During this part of the interview, you should focus on showing why you are the best person for the job. Tell the organisation what your skills and qualifications are and how you can use them to help the company.
Near the end of this step, the interviewer may ask if you have any questions for them. Bring a few questions with you to the interview, and plan to ask at least three of them at the end. These questions show that you came to the interview prepared, did research on the company, and are really interested in the job. They can also tell you more about the company, its structure, and its goals, so you can decide if it’s a good fit for your skills and career goals.
5. In the end
Once the part of the interview where people ask and answer questions is over, the interview moves toward its end. At the end of the interview, shake the person’s hand again and thank them for their time. Thank them for the chance to interview you and let them know you’d like to work with them in the future. Sending a thank-you note within a day of the interview is also a good idea.
This can be a handwritten note or a short email thanking the interviewer again for their time and attention. In the note, you might want to talk about something that came up during the interview. For example, if the interviewer asked you a tough question and you want to say a few more things about your answer, you could do so in your thank you note. Mentioning something from the interview shows the hiring manager that you paid close attention to the meeting and thought about it afterward.
How to finish the interviewing process
Here are some things you can do to do well in an interview:
Pay attention to how you move.
Your body language can show how confident and excited you are during an interview. When you try to sit up straight, smile, and make eye contact, you can show that you are interested and paying attention. When you nod your head while someone else is talking, it shows that you are paying attention and interested in what they are saying. Also, make sure you know how to shake hands. When you meet the interviewer or interview team, give them a firm handshake. This will boost your confidence and set a good tone for the meeting.
Do a lot of research on the company.
Before your interview, find out as much as you can about the company. As part of this research, you will learn about the company’s mission, values, goals, culture, and major competitors. If you know what qualities the company looks for in its employees, you can use your own skills to meet their needs. Also, finding out about the company’s goals and culture can help you make sure they are the same as yours. If you’re looking for a place to work for a long time, knowing what the company’s goals are for the next five to ten years will help you decide if they match your own career goals.
Find out what to bring.
If you have everything you need when you get there, you can feel organised and sure of yourself. When getting ready for an interview, you should plan to bring things like:
- A case for your papers.
- List of references and copies of your resume
- A notepad and pen or pencil to write down information
- How to get to the interview site
- Use gum or mints to freshen your breath before the interview.When you show up with everything you need, you make a good first impression because it shows that you can organise and plan ahead. It can also show that you are interested in the job and care about the interview.
Work on your answers.
Lastly, practising your answers before the interview lets you prepare your key points ahead of time, practise giving them with confidence, and organise your thoughts so you can explain them clearly to the interviewer. Find a list of common interview questions in your industry or field to help you think of what to say. Choose a few questions and think about how you can answer them based on your skills and work history. If you can, ask a friend you can trust to help you role-play your interview.
When practising with a friend, give them a list of questions to ask as if they were the interviewer and go over your answers to each question. Ask them to tell you what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can work on your weak spots and feel better about the things you do well. But sometimes too much preparation can cause more stress, so practise your key points until you feel sure of them and then take a break.
