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The Traditional Structure of an Interview

Updated: Jul 19, 2023



The job interview is but one tool in the hands of the employer to continue and find out if you are the right person for the job, yet even more importantly, if you are the person they would like to spend half of their wake hour with (if not more).


There are multiple models and versions that can be applied to a job interview. Some are more traditional, some are less traditional and more creative. It also depends on how a person defines what a job interview is.


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The traditional interview model includes several sections/parts to it. Let’s make a list of these sections and then elaborate on each one of them. Common sections of a traditional interview include the following:

1. The meet and greet*

2. The formal introductions

3. The “briefing”

4. Questions and answers

5. Job candidate’s questions

6. The “closing”


The meet and greet: is not part of every interview as some job interviews will jump straight into the formal introductions. If and when the meet and greet section takes place, the interviewers either get up or are already up and engage in shaking your hand and warmly welcoming you. Then everyone sits down. They might meet and greet you near the entrance door or might be standing behind the table where the interview will actually take place.


The formal introductions: usually the interviewers start by going between them and introducing themselves. Most commonly the interviewers state their name and title, yet some will include a personal greet, and perhaps something personal about themselves. For example: “Hi, I am John, I am the director of human resources” or “Hi, I am John, I am the director of human resources, welcome to BooyaJobs.com” or “Hi, I am John, I am the director of human resources, welcome to BooyaJobs.com, and I wanted to share that I love cycling”.


The “briefing”: is a short part of the job interview where one or more of the interviewers explains how the interview will be conducted, step by step. Usually they will also indicate the “rules” of engagement during the interview. For example: “After we are done asking you questions, you will be allowed to ask us questions” or “please feel free to ask for clarifications or if you need the question repeated at any time”. The “briefing” usually also includes the indication of how much time the entire interview should last, how many questions are included, and how much time has been allocated for each answer.


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Questions and answers: this section of the job interview includes the going back and forth where the interviewers ask questions, and the candidate for the job answers. As indicated in one of our previous posts, it is best to keep your answers medium in length while choosing a talking pace the is not too fast and not too slow. This may change if clearly indicated, for example “please briefly indicate…” should cause you to shorten your answers or “please elaborate on…” should cause you to lengthen your answer.


Job candidate’s questions: prepare 2-3 questions of your own. Use this precious time given to you to either ask about important information or better yet, impress them. For example, when interviewing for executive management positions, questions about the vision and mission, strategic plan, values, community engagement, or what would be a great achievement that could be achieved in the next 3-5 years, would improve your status as a forward-thinking executive leader. Other questions may include clarifications about the time schedule going forward, salary (although the interviewers are not always the person that decides on the salary nor necessarily negotiates), decision-making processes, team work, and more. It is clear that the questions you ask tell a lot about you, thus make them count.


The “closing”: is the last part of the job interview, and may include any last moment topics or issues, clarification questions if there is still enough time, summary of the interview and more. It is important to remember that it can also serve you as an opportunity to leave one last great impression. Use this section to say something that will keep you in their minds such as “This job is a perfect fit for me” or “I am definitely interested in the position even more now” or “you were very kind, I appreciate the opportunity and remain very much interested”.


Remember, there are multiple ways of conducting a job interview, and multiple ways to interview for a job. This article gave you a glance into one option. Yet most importantly, good luck with your job search!


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