Different Types of Interviews and How They Work
Introduction
Today’s hiring environment is rapidly evolving, presenting both new challenges and opportunities for HR professionals. The rise of remote work, digital interview platforms, and a growing focus on organizational culture are fundamentally reshaping every type of interview.
As we head into the future, it’s essential for HR leaders to understand the different types of job interview, stay current with innovative interview methods, and know exactly what types of questions to ask in an interview to make successful hiring decisions.
This guide is designed to walk you through the key types of interview formats, outline the most effective types of interview methods, and offer a carefully curated selection of interview questions for every phase of recruitment. By the end, you’ll have clear strategies for conducting modern interviews, optimizing candidate experience, and selecting the best talent for your organization.
Types of Job Interviews
Choosing the right type of interview is foundational to achieving positive hiring outcomes. Each approach brings unique strengths and applications that HR professionals need to leverage for effective talent acquisition.
Traditional Interviews
Traditional one-on-one interviews remain the cornerstone of recruitment processes. Conducted either in person or virtually, this type of interview facilitates direct interaction between the candidate and interviewer, allowing for in-depth assessment of qualifications, job fit, and communication skills.
Despite new interview methods emerging, the traditional interview endures due to its structured setting and capacity for in-depth exchange. It is especially suited for roles that demand individual accountability and strong interpersonal abilities.
Group Interviews
Group interviews can involve multiple candidates being interviewed simultaneously, or a panel of interviewers engaging with a single candidate. This type of interview method is especially beneficial for positions requiring collaboration, teamwork, and robust communication skills (Smith, 2022). Observing candidates in a group setting provides insight into leadership qualities, group dynamics, and adaptability.
Group interviews also allow HR teams to expedite screening when hiring for high-volume roles or jobs that prioritize team-based outcomes.
Mastering Group Interviews for HR and Small Business Owners in the Age of AI
Video Interviews
With remote work becoming the norm, video interviews have emerged as a critical element in modern recruitment (Jones & Lee, 2023). Whether synchronous (live) or asynchronous (pre-recorded), video interviews expand access to a wider candidate pool, streamline scheduling, and reduce geographic constraints.
Successful video interviews require the same rigor as in-person meetings, including reliable technology and thoughtful processes to ensure fairness and consistency across all candidates.
Behavioral Interviews
Behavioral interviews are grounded in the belief that past actions predict future performance. In this format, candidates respond to questions that require specific examples of how they've handled real-world situations similar to those they’ll encounter in the job (Brown, 2021).
Employing the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) helps both candidate and interviewer stay focused and ensures that competencies are evaluated against clearly defined benchmarks.
Behavioural Interview Questions: What Every HR Professional Should Know
Interview Methods
Selecting the right interview methodology is crucial for uncovering the most relevant information about each candidate. The main types of interview methods each suit different recruitment goals and organizational needs.
Structured Interviews
Structured interviews involve a consistent set of predetermined questions posed to every candidate (Rodriguez & Wilson, 2024). This approach increases the reliability and objectivity of candidate evaluation, simplifies comparison, and promotes legal defensibility.
This type of interview method is invaluable for eliminating bias, generating comparable data, and ensuring a fair, transparent process. However, an overly rigid structure can sometimes limit insights into each candidate’s unique qualities.
Structured Interview Best Practices Every Recruiter Should Know
Unstructured Interviews
Unstructured interviews are less formal, allowing the conversation to flow according to the candidate’s responses (Anderson, 2023). This method encourages a more organic dialogue and can uncover unique strengths or challenges, but it carries greater risk of inconsistency and bias.
Unstructured interviews may be best deployed in later recruitment stages, where rapport-building or deeper exploration of complex experiences adds value.
Semi-Structured Interviews
Semi-structured interviews balance structure with flexibility, combining core standardized questions with the opportunity to pursue relevant new topics as they arise (Garcia, 2025). This blend ensures coverage of essential competencies while allowing interviewers to adapt and probe for richer insight.
This hybrid approach is increasingly favored by HR professionals aiming for both consistency and depth, particularly when recruiting for complex or evolving positions.
Key Interview Questions
Regardless of the type of interview used, the quality and focus of your questions profoundly impact hiring outcomes. Effective questions target both job-specific skills and cultural alignment to ensure a successful match.
Skill Assessment
“Can you describe how you have successfully led a project?”
This question assesses leadership capability, project management acumen, and organizational skills. Candidate responses reveal their approach to planning, delegating, and achieving measurable outcomes - directly linking their experience to your organizational needs.
Cultural Fit
“What type of work environment do you thrive in?”
Understanding each candidate’s preferred environment is crucial to ensuring long-term engagement and retention. Responses help determine whether your culture aligns with the candidate’s values, motivations, and work style (Smith, 2022).
How to Craft Culture Interview Questions That Reveal True Fit
Innovation and Problem-Solving
“Describe a challenge you faced and how you overcame it.”
Modern workplaces demand adaptability and creative problem-solving. This question gauges a candidate’s resilience, resourcefulness, and ability to deliver results in the face of obstacles (Lee et al., 2022).
Future Goals
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Identifying candidates whose ambitions align with company goals is vital to both engagement and retention. This question highlights drive, career planning, and growth potential (Smith, 2022).
Emerging Trends for 2025
Staying current with the latest trends is critical in attracting and retaining top talent. Here are the emerging types of interview methods and trends shaping the 2025 recruitment landscape.
AI-Powered Interviews
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the type of interview method by analyzing not only what candidates say, but also their tone, word choice, and even non-verbal cues (Brown, 2021). AI-driven tools promise more consistent, data-driven assessments and help minimize unconscious bias.
However, HR professionals must remain vigilant around transparency, fairness, and data privacy when adopting these solutions. Regular validation is essential to mitigate unintentional discrimination or bias in the process.
Gamification
Gamified interviews introduce simulations, interactive assessments, and scenario-based challenges into the interview process (Rodriguez & Wilson, 2024). These methods can reveal competencies that traditional interviews may overlook, such as on-the-spot decision-making, soft skills, and adaptability.
For best results, ensure that gamified elements are directly tied to job requirements and accessible to all candidates.
Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
Prioritizing diversity and inclusion is no longer optional - it’s essential for a resilient, innovative workforce. The most progressive types of interview involve diverse panels, bias-aware questions, and ongoing review of processes for equity (Jones & Lee, 2023).
Design interviews and evaluation criteria to support diversity, actively listen for a broad range of perspectives, and implement consistent reviews to eliminate systemic bias. Candidates increasingly seek employers who authentically commit to DEI, making this focus both an ethical and strategic imperative.
What Does DEI Stand For? A Recruiter’s Guide to Inclusive Hiring
Conclusion
For HR professionals, mastering the art and science of interviewing means understanding the array of types of job interview available, knowing how to select the most effective types of interview methods, and crafting questions that go beyond the surface.
By aligning your strategies with the latest trends and being intentional about what types of questions to ask in an interview, you empower your organization to attract, assess, and hire top talent - ensuring adaptability in a rapidly changing workforce landscape.
Stay current, keep your processes inclusive, and leverage the best interviewing practices to lead your team to hiring success in 2025 and beyond.
Explore Top Interview Questions Now
Ready to elevate your interview strategy?
Explore Top Interview Questions Now
References
Anderson, P. (2023). The pros and cons of unstructured interviews. Journal of HR Methods.
Brown, S. (2021). Behavioral interviews: Predicting future performance. HR Insights.
Garcia, L. (2025). Semi-structured interview techniques for 2025. International Journal of Human Resources.
Jones, T., & Lee, R. (2023). Remote work and video interviews: The new normal. Workforce Strategies Journal.
Lee, S., Kim, H., & Patel, T. (2022). Problem solving in job interviews. Career Development Quarterly.
Rodriguez, A., & Wilson, K. (2024). AI and gamification in modern interviews. Journal of Employment Trends.
Smith, J. (2022). Understanding cultural fit in interviews. Journal of Organizational Culture.
About Nguyen Thuy Nguyen
Part-time sociology, fulltime tech enthusiast