The first interview launches you to promote yourself to the prospective employer. This is followed up by the second and the third job interview. Here the due diligence for the right fitment is done at a higher role. How do you ensure you bring in your breakthroughs to land the offer? Here's a few suggestions:
Understanding the typical schedule and purpose of each round can help you prepare for each and give you an advantage in the hiring process.
Weeding Out
The first interview is strictly used to weed out candidates who stand out from those who simply looked good on paper. Interviewers will try to ask questions to verify the claims made on a resume and the focus remains on matching the candidate to the basic job requirements, certifications, qualifications, presentation, and salary. It's a "high-level chat," said Mark Johnson, HR manager for the Americas at Serena Software in Redwood City, Calif. "This is where we are getting to know you," Johnson said. "This is the phase where we say, 'This is what we're looking for,' and 'This is what we see on your resume that supports what we are looking for.'"
It's a screening process, said Gia Colosi, director of human resources at eMeter in San Mateo, Calif., another software maker. "At this point we're looking at whether you have the technical capability to do the work."
Layers of a Cake
The second interview is where an interviewer will begin to press for examples of specific experiences that support the candidate's claims to be the person presented in their resume. "Think of it as layers of a cake," said Marilyn Monarch, group director for HR consulting and services at Citrix Systems. "We're trying to find out the applicant's work history for the last five to seven years ... If we're talking a second interview we've got a solid candidate. They've moved beyond being a suspect to a prospect."
Monarch said the type of question she likes to ask in a second interview is to have the candidate speak about a recent incident where they identified an area that needed improvement in their last or current position, and then to walk her through how they went about getting it resolved. "Sometimes you get an impactful representation of what the candidate is about," she said. "We're listening for experience and how they present their story."
The second interview is also a time to ensure that the candidate understands the intricacies of the position, the work involved, and the compensation, Johnson noted. "I have to calibrate my expectations and their experience with what the job requires," Monarch said.
Understanding the typical schedule and purpose of each round can help you prepare for each and give you an advantage in the hiring process.
Weeding Out
The first interview is strictly used to weed out candidates who stand out from those who simply looked good on paper. Interviewers will try to ask questions to verify the claims made on a resume and the focus remains on matching the candidate to the basic job requirements, certifications, qualifications, presentation, and salary. It's a "high-level chat," said Mark Johnson, HR manager for the Americas at Serena Software in Redwood City, Calif. "This is where we are getting to know you," Johnson said. "This is the phase where we say, 'This is what we're looking for,' and 'This is what we see on your resume that supports what we are looking for.'"
It's a screening process, said Gia Colosi, director of human resources at eMeter in San Mateo, Calif., another software maker. "At this point we're looking at whether you have the technical capability to do the work."
Layers of a Cake
The second interview is where an interviewer will begin to press for examples of specific experiences that support the candidate's claims to be the person presented in their resume. "Think of it as layers of a cake," said Marilyn Monarch, group director for HR consulting and services at Citrix Systems. "We're trying to find out the applicant's work history for the last five to seven years ... If we're talking a second interview we've got a solid candidate. They've moved beyond being a suspect to a prospect."
Monarch said the type of question she likes to ask in a second interview is to have the candidate speak about a recent incident where they identified an area that needed improvement in their last or current position, and then to walk her through how they went about getting it resolved. "Sometimes you get an impactful representation of what the candidate is about," she said. "We're listening for experience and how they present their story."
The second interview is also a time to ensure that the candidate understands the intricacies of the position, the work involved, and the compensation, Johnson noted. "I have to calibrate my expectations and their experience with what the job requires," Monarch said.