So Many Interviews!

Interviewing with a large company?  The number of interviews can be staggering.  At a certain point you begin to ask yourself if they are just pumping you for ideas or if management has a problem with decision-making. Not to worry! The seemingly endless cycle of interviews is a great way to learn about the corporate culture and can help you make an effortless transition into a new organization.

As work has become increasingly collaborative, task-interdependence has escalated.  Where team members rely on you, and you, in turn, rely on them, giving them an opportunity to weigh in before a job offer is made just makes sense.  Your future colleagues now have a stake in your success since they participated in the decision to hire you.  Guaranteed—you’ll feel more comfortable your first weeks on the job if you’ve actually met your partners.

Let’s look at the different kinds of interviews you are likely to have with these different constituencies and the opportunities they offer

The Screener

This is the first conversation you’ll have after your resume has been flagged.  This phone interview may well be with an external screener.  The focus will be on the specifics of your background.  What did you do, where, and what were the results.  Any personal warmth that can come out over the phone is always a plus, but the purpose of this is just to drill down on your qualifications for the job at hand.  Your goal:  make sure you’ve analyzed the job, can present examples of relevant experience and have concise, positive answers to potential problem areas.

The Gatekeeper

This is the dreaded HR interview which assesses your fit with the corporate culture, your general desirability as a new hire, and the screener’s evaluation of your qualifications.  Here’s where your answers to all of the HR interview questions you’ve worked on come in handy.  View it as a good opportunity to get some general background on the company—how the business is doing, the culture, where management sees growth.  Also, an internal HR person can give you the corporate “take” on your department.  Too often this interview is just seen as a potential roadblock, but it’s also an opportunity to get to know someone who can be a useful sounding board in the future.  If the job at hand doesn’t work out, your HR recruiter might see you as a candidate for another job.

The Decision-maker

Most people think of this meeting as the ‘real’ interview which also makes it the most anxiety-provoking.  But, step back and look at it from the manager’s perspective.  She is just trying to figure out if you will be a good fit for her, the company and her department and if you can do the job.   Your job is to help her answer those questions while getting answers to your own questions. Will this job be challenging?  Will it allow me to use the skills I most enjoy?  Is this person someone whom I can respect and from whom I can learn? Where can I go from here?    By now you should be well versed in the company, have a clear and concise message about your skills, background, past results.  So…view this as a two-way conversation where both of you have a lot at stake.

The Honcho

This can be a straight-forward, just ‘checking under the hood’ type of interview or much more substantive.  Regardless, it’s a great opportunity for you to showcase your skills in a way that might be considered grandstanding after you are hired.  Think of it as a first date where you can ask questions that are off limits down the road like, “Why did your first marriage break up?”  Focus on the results you’ve achieved presented in the context of broader business issues and show you’ve done your homework on the industry and the new company.  In many companies this interview is a formality—unless there are still multiple candidates in the running or the Honcho sees a red flag.

The Group 

Group interviews can be challenging.  The Group may have a plan, in which case you follow their lead. Or it may be more informal.  Regardless, most people sitting around the conference table have three questions on their mind:  Are you competent?  Are you a ‘my way or the highway’ person?  Can they trust you to do what you say you will?  Generally, try to get them talking about what they are doing and how they see your role.  Discuss what you did in broad terms —always bearing in mind the three questions in the back of each person’s mind.

Instead of viewing each interview as an opportunity for the company to eliminate you, think of each interview as an opportunity to get more information about whether this is the right job for you.

I am delighted to share this guest post from Nancy Hutchens. She earned a Ph.D. in Behavioral Science from Rice University and had her own management and career consulting business in New York City where her clients included The New York Times Company, Time Warner and McKinsey and Company.  She now lives in Bloomington, Indiana, and has a private career consulting practice. Thanks for the great interview advice, Nancy!