So, you have found a job ad that interests you – congratulations! Now you should make the most of the process.
Let us start with a key piece of advice which is valid for the whole recruitment process – make sure to listen carefully and ask questions during all interactions. This will help you get a better understanding of the position, manager and company which is invaluable in positioning yourself. As an example, you can ask the recruiter to describe the hiring manager, which will allow you to better prepare for an upcoming interview.
Before sending in your application, contact the recruiter and/or the hiring manager to ask them a few questions about the position. Their answers may provide you with information which you can use to sharpen your cover letter and cv. More importantly, the conversation provides you with the chance to briefly introduce yourself and mention something that makes them remember you when going through the applications. Then apply quickly. The selection process does not wait for the closing date and, if a suitable candidate is found immediately, late applicants may not even be considered.
Once the recruiter has compiled an initial long-list of potential candidates it is time for the formal screening process. The six steps below are an example of an extensive recruitment process. Junior roles, with many applicants, are more likely to include pre-screening (step 1). Senior roles, with few candidates, are likely to include different type of assessments and grandfather confirmation (step 5-6). Note that recruiters often do not have a perfect grasp of the role and rely on a brief only. This means that as long as you interact with a recruiter you can expect fairly general questions.
1. Pre-interview screening (15-30 minutes)
If there are many applicants for a position, the recruiter can choose to do screening calls or surveys to quickly accept/reject candidates on the long-list. The intention is to confirm that a candidate possess the must-haves in the job description. Simple check-the-box questions are usually used, such as “I see that you have project management experience. Tell me about aproject you delivered successfully.” How can you prepare? Make sure to, already at the time of application, identify examples confirming that you possess all the experience, skills and competencies listed on the job description.
2. First interview – Qualification by the Talent Acquisition team (60 minutes)
The first interview is almost always carried out by a recruiter. It aims to explore the candidate’s experience and competence to qualify and rank the top 5-10 candidates.
In this interaction you will be assessed on your skills, competency, communication, motivation for changing jobs, clarify gaps and changes in your cv, interest in the company, salary expectations and notice period. The recruiters will ask questions to understand who you are, what you want, your preferences, what you can do and what gives and takes energy from you.
How can you prepare? You need to be able to package and communicate who you are, what you can do, and what drives and motivates you. In other words; show the recruiter that your experience and skillset match what is being sought, and that you have the personality and motivation to do the job.
3. Second interview – Qualification by hiring manager (60-90 minutes)
The second interview is usually carried out by the hiring manager, sometimes together with the recruiter. It allows the manager to meet the top candidates and deep dive into your competencies and skills in the more detailed context of the job. You can expect more detailed questions on job specific aspects and how you behaved in certain situations. The manager is trying to answer two main questions: Can you do what the position require? Do I want to have you in my team?
Most common approach is to use situation-based questions (i.e. tell me about a time when you did not meet a deadline) and competency-based questions (i.e. tell me about a time when you supported a colleague). The logic is based on the principle that past performance predicts future behavior; how you behaved in the past indicates how you will behave in the future. You will be assessed on both your technical and behavioural skills as an individual contributor and/or leader.
How can you prepare? Understand the job ad, and reflect what has been said in earlier stages; what is the hiring manager looking for? You need to be concrete. Never give a hypothetical answer. You therefore need to have thought of concrete and relevant examples to share from your previous experience. In other words, use sharp examples to show that you can do the job and are a good cultural fit to the team.
4. Assessment
Online test tests such as PI, Savills and Myer-Briggs are often used to shorten the candidate list. Tests usually consist of a aptitude test (i.e. “intelligence test”) and a personality test. Some companies, though rare, may also have final candidate(s) evaluated by a psychologist, either face to face or via video call. The important thing about assessments are that you can practice before so that you are not surprised by the format and/or the time pressure. You can find practice tests online – list here. By practicing aptitude test you can strengthen your skills and thereby improving your score. The behavioural tests are a different story since they can, to a certain degree be manipulated – you can pick your answers if you know what the type of position requires (read more here). That said, it is not wise to pretend being a person you are not since the result could potentially be that you end up in a role where you should not be – a very unfortunate situation for both the employer and the employee.
5. Third interview – Deep dive by hiring manager (60-90 minutes)
A more in depth interview might sometimes be carried out by the hiring manager together with HR and/or other stakeholder(s). At this stage there are usually one to three candidates left in the process. The manager is now convinced that you can do the job and is mainly focusing on confirming specific competence and clarify question marks. You also can expect detailed questions on how you have handled certain situations in the past to understand how your personality and way of working would fit into the team. This interview is aiming tries to answer the question “do I want to work with this person”. How can you prepare? By listening carefully to what is being asked in the second interview, you can usually pick up on areas where the interviewer is not 100% satisfied with your answers
5. Fourth interview – Grandfather approval (30-60 minutes)
Many organizations apply the grandfather principle i.e. the formal decision to hire must be approved by the direct manager’s manager. The format will be similar to the second interview, though questions are likely to be more general, focusing on your motivation and cultural fit. The idea is to understand; will this person be able to work and deliver in the grander context of my existing larger team?
The first challenge with interviews is that you do not know which questions will be asked. After reading this you have a better idea what the people you meet will be looking for and can prepare your answers and examples. The second challenge, which often is the final deciding factor among equally competent candidates, is the chemistry between the hiring manager and the candidate i.e., “do I want to work with this person”. This cannot however not be “prepared”, and you must go with the flow.
Now go ace your interview! Then read our article about how to do salary negotiation. 🙂