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Informational
In a traditional employment interview, employers seek out candidates, set up the appointments, and find out what they need to know. In an informational interview, you initiate contacts, seek out potential employers, set up appointments, ask questions, and find out what you need to know. For example, if you want to make a career transition, you might use informational interviews to build your network and make contacts in your targeted field or career. Informational interviewing is a good way to find a position, although nothing may be available at the time of the interview. Your goal is to leave a positive impression so that when something does arise, you will be remembered.

An informational interview is briefer than an employment interview. Therefore, you have to formulate your questions around what you want to know about the company or the field. Ask open-ended questions that encourage your contacts to speak at length about themselves-questions that begin with "who," "what," "where," "when," and "how." Remember to ask whether the person you interview knows anyone else you should talk to and whether you can mention his or her name when you contact that person.

Screening
The dual purpose of a screening interview is to verify facts and to screen out inappropriate applicants. Campus interviews, National Employment Clearing House (NECH) interviews at American Chemical Society (ACS) national meetings, and even follow-up phone calls from recruiters to candidates are typical screening interviews. In these preliminary discussions, the interviewer determines which applicants will be invited for in-depth site interviews.

The goal is to ensure that you have the skills and experience to qualify for the position. In a screening interview, the interviewer usually does not have the power to make the decision to hire; determining your qualifications—not your motivation and organizational fit—is uppermost in the interviewer's mind.

Although it may seem that a screening interview benefits only the organization, it also is an opportunity for you to determine whether you are sufficiently interested in proceeding to a site interview. Ask only general questions about the position and the company. Do not try to control the interview; the time to ask more in-depth questions is during the site interview. Answer questions simply and directly, giving the interviewer only the desired facts. Your goal is to convince the interviewer to recommend you for a site interview. The interviewer may not have the power to hire you but does indeed have the power to screen you out, so proceed carefully.

Site
The site visit is arranged by the organization to determine whether to make you a job offer. It also should provide you with enough information to decide whether you would like to accept the job, if it is offered. The site interview will focus on your qualifications for the position, motivation to do the job well, and fit with the organizational culture. At this stage, you are a viable candidate, so impress the interviewer with both your questions and your responses. Also take the opportunity to observe and determine whether you could contribute, grow, and enjoy working in the organization overall and as part of a specific unit.

In most large companies, you will spend some part of your interview with a representative from the human resources department. This individual's responsibility is to provide you with information about corporate policies, including matters such as working conditions, benefits, and typical career progression. Remember that this person, too, will be assessing your personality and behavior to determine whether you will fit into the organizational culture.

At the end of the interview, you may be told when to expect a decision. If not, ask what the time frame is, or what the next step will be. If you do not hear by the specified date, call to ask about the status of your application.

Other components of the site interview include:

Technical Presentations. If you are a graduate or experienced chemist, you may be expected to give a technical presentation about your recent work as part of the interview process. You are not expected to disclose confidential or proprietary information, and it is perfectly acceptable to present your research in general terms or to use nonproprietary examples, as long as you say so at the beginning of your presentation. This presentation is vitally important to your candidacy. It may be the group's only opportunity to form a collective opinion of you, and for many members of the group, it will be a chance for them to form their first impressions of you.

Group Interviews. Group interviews are conducted for a variety of reasons, but mostly to observe candidates: how they will fit into the group, how they react under the pressure of talking to several people, or how solid their social skills are, for example. Sometimes, group interviews are held because time constraints prevent multiple individual interviews. One goal of the group interview is to see how well you would blend in with your potential co-workers. For some candidates, this is a stressful experience; they become more self-conscious about what they say and do. Furthermore, instead of being evaluated by one person, the candidate is being evaluated by three, five, or more interviewers. Do not feel that this experience is a trial in which you are on the stand and they sit as the jury; consider this event as an audition, with your interviewers as the audience.

Behavioral Interviews. The technique of behavior-based interviewing is based on the premise that the best predictor of your future performance is the sum of your past achievements. The interviewer asks meaningful questions about past behavior. From the examples you give and information about your specific skills and abilities, the interviewer will make an assessment about your future performance. In part, this information allows the interviewer to make a hiring decision based on facts, not feelings.

Behavior-based interviews are more structured than other kinds of job interviews. You will be asked about specific instances when you exhibited particular skills. Aside from providing a self-portrait, this technique can bring out points or questions the interviewer would not have otherwise considered. The structured nature of behavior-based interviewing tends to rule out the interviewer's intuitive feelings. If you understand the theory behind behavior-based interviews and prepare for them, you will be more confident and better equipped to convince interviewers that you are the best choice for the job.

Academic Interviews. The academic interview normally requires some preparation in addition to that required for typical job interview. Of course, you must do your homework: Know the members of the faculty, the department, and the institution. Read any available departmental literature, the institution's catalog, and the ACS Directory of Graduate Research so that you are familiar with each faculty member's research interests. Be ready to ask questions and to present your research, both formally and informally. Bring to the interview reprints and/or preprints of your work, copies of your research proposal(s), and an estimate of start-up costs.

As part of the academic interview you will be required to prepare a 45-minute presentation that describes your current research. Include any background material necessary to inform your audience, a succinct statement of the problem, a description of the techniques used, the conclusions of your work, recommendations for future studies, and any necessary acknowledgments (both individuals and sources of funding). Your research seminar will be used not only to judge your knowledge and effectiveness as a researcher, but also to evaluate your teaching and communication abilities. A well-rehearsed, well-organized presentation is essential.

In addition to a formal research seminar, most university departments will request an informal presentation about your proposed research. This presentation, based on your written proposal(s), should be a succinct overview of your research interests. Discuss the amount of time needed to complete the work, and offer a realistic sense of which agencies you would approach for support. Forearmed is forewarned: Be especially realistic about obtaining industrial support; junior faculty rarely obtain support from industry.

Given the recent emphasis on teaching, you probably will be requested to provide a statement of teaching philosophy. This statement might include a list of courses that you are qualified to teach (both undergraduate and graduate), special topics of interest and expertise, and innovative approaches to teaching. The latter could include interdisciplinary courses or multimedia approaches to instruction.

The Interview Handbook, published by the ACS Department of Career Services, provides more detail about the different types of interviews and the overall interview process.