1. The phone screen
Usually the first filter. A recruiter - often not the hiring manager - checks that your experience, salary expectations and availability roughly match the role. It's short, 15–30 minutes, and conversational.
What they're testing: basic fit and communication. How to prepare: keep your CV in front of you, know the job advert well, and have a 60-second summary of who you are ready to go. Stand up while you talk - your voice carries more energy.
2. The video interview
Now the default for first and second rounds. Everything from a phone screen applies, plus the camera: your lighting, background, eye line and audio all quietly shape the impression you make.
How to prepare: test your setup the day before, raise the camera to eye level, and look at the lens - not the screen - when you answer. Close every app that could ping. If the connection drops, stay calm and rejoin; how you recover is itself a signal.
3. The competency (behavioural) interview
Structured questions that start with “Tell me about a time when…” The interviewer scores your answers against defined competencies - teamwork, ownership, conflict handling, delivery under pressure.
How to prepare: build a bank of six to eight real stories and structure each with the STAR technique. One strong, specific story beats three vague ones.
4. The technical or task-based interview
Coding exercises, case studies, portfolio walkthroughs, take-home briefs or live problem solving - the format depends on your field, but the goal is the same: watch you think.
How to prepare: practise thinking out loud. Interviewers care about your reasoning path at least as much as the destination. If you get stuck, say what you'd try next and why - silence is the only real failure mode.
5. The panel interview
Two to five interviewers at once, each with their own angle: your future manager probes skills, HR checks values, a senior leader looks at potential.
How to prepare: learn who's attending and what each likely cares about. Direct your answer to the person who asked, then widen your eye contact to include the rest of the panel as you finish.
6. The assessment centre
A half or full day of group exercises, presentations and tests, common for graduate schemes and volume hiring. It's different enough that we've written a dedicated guide to assessment centre days.
7. The informal chat
“Just a coffee” with a founder or team lead. Relaxed setting, real evaluation - every anecdote you share is still evidence.
How to prepare: exactly as you would for a formal round, then relax into the tone they set. Bring genuine questions; curiosity reads as motivation.