What type of interview is designed to create anxiety in applicants?

A stress interview is specifically designed to create anxiety in applicants as part of the assessment process. The rationale behind this approach is to evaluate how candidates respond to pressure or challenging situations, which can be indicative of their ability to handle stress in the workplace. In such interviews, interviewers may ask difficult or unexpected questions, maintain a challenging demeanor, or create an uncomfortable atmosphere to observe how the applicant reacts under stress.

Using stress as a tool allows employers to gauge a candidate's resilience, problem-solving capabilities, and composure in face of adversity, which are essential traits in many high-pressure job environments. These interviews can also reveal personal traits, such as confidence and poise, that may not be as visible in more traditional interview formats.

The other interview types serve different purposes. Behavioral interviews focus on past experiences and how they relate to future performance, panel interviews involve multiple interviewers assessing a candidate, and competency-based interviews evaluate specific skills or competencies relevant to the job, not necessarily under stress. Each of these methods has its place in the hiring process but does not share the primary goal of deliberately creating anxiety to test candidates in the way that a stress interview does.