Interview rounds: What to expect and how to prepare
There are common questions to prepare for during specific rounds of interviews as well as ideal questions to ask. To prepare for both, it helps to role-play these scenarios with friends, family, or someone from your professional network to help identify answers that work—and answers that don’t.
First round
The full interview process varies by company. Some will use a first-round screen with an internal recruiter or rely on an external recruiter for this step. The first interview is typically more of a culture-fit exercise, meaning the interview will be a high-level conversation and not as technical or detailed. You may not get into the bulk of your experience, and that’s okay. Here are some common questions that interviewers ask and questions you should be prepared to ask during the first round of an interview process:
Questions to answer in round 1 Q: Tell me about your background?
The answer should be a synopsis of your background lasting 30–60 seconds. Focus on the highlights and the key takeaways you want the interviewer to walk away with. One of the biggest complaints from interviewers is that interviewees tend to divulge too much information when asked this question. Focus on the key aspects of your professional background that tie to the position you’re interviewing for.
Q: Why are you considering leaving your current company?
It is important to be respectful when answering this question by speaking positively about the company and your experience there. This creates an opportunity to provide a justifiable, professional reason for leaving and an ability to tie it into the opportunity you are interviewing for.
Q: Why did you leave your previous positions?
Focus on the positives of your past employers and positions, especially how they helped you grow and the skills you leveraged. This will help explain why the position changes ultimately made sense for your career path.
Q: What are your compensation expectations?
IIt’s not guaranteed that this question will come up in the first round, but it’s important to be prepared to answer it. Avoid giving a specific number that could be too high or too low. Provide an educated range that you are comfortable with and note that anything within the range would meet your expectations.
Questions to ask in round 1 Q: What type of traits do you look for at the company, organization, and department?
After a discussion on your professional background and qualifying yourself from a technical perspective for the position, the response to this question reveals a lot about the culture of the company and what they prioritize. The final hiring decision can often come down to a personality fit, so speaking to who you are and how that intersects with the company can provide a memorable personal touch.
Q: Why is the position open?
This will give important background about the job and whether the position is open because someone was promoted into a new role. This question can also provide informative insights on company growth, current priorities, or current struggles, like turnover.
Q: What are you looking for in this position, and what criteria are most important to you?
This question shows the interviewer that you care about what the company is looking for and prioritizing. It can provide information you can use related to your experience and qualifications and how they fit what the company is looking for.
Second round
The second-round interview is typically when you will meet with the direct hiring manager. This round will focus more on your technical skills, qualifications, and experience. Being able to provide important, concise details about your relevant experience for the role builds your credibility while demonstrating your confidence in your ability to perform the essential responsibilities of the position.
This round is also when you should ask detailed questions about the position and the department.
Questions to answer in round 2
Note: The interviewer may repeat questions from the first round to add context to your initial response or to hear your response first-hand and to ask you follow-up questions. Q: Why do you want this position?
This is an opportunity to showcase your interest and passion for the role and the company. Being enthusiastic about your experience and how it can benefit the company can go a long way to impress the hiring manager.
Q: What was your greatest accomplishment in a previous position?
Avoid generalizations and have specific examples and scenarios prepared for this question. Focusing on hard metrics like revenue impact or time saved can showcase how you helped an organization.
Q: What are your strengths?
Use specific examples that you’ve identified through previous employers. Whether it was direct feedback from a recent performance review or general feedback you received from previous managers or colleagues, be confident in your answers and avoid generalized topics.
Q: What are your weaknesses?
It is okay to be candid in your answer, but it is important that your answer does not spotlight a weakness that could raise concerns about your ability to be successful in the role. A safer option is to identify a weakness that comes from the extremes of one of your strengths, but you can also use this as an opportunity to share a critical assessment that you’ve made strides to improve on.
Q: What are your long-term goals?
Start by being enthusiastic about the current position you are interviewing for and demonstrate a willingness to learn and take on additional responsibilities as needed. This will instill confidence in the hiring manager that you are willing to be challenged in the immediate role and have a desire to progress in the company. Be aware that you don’t want to appear more interested in the opportunity for growth than you are in the position you are interviewing for.
Questions to ask in round 2
Note: You may want to ask questions from the first-round interview if you’d like the interviewer’s personal responses to them. Q: What areas do you consider to be the most challenging for the position?
This question forces the interviewer to prioritize aspects of the role and can lead to a broader, more informative discussion. Ask specific follow-up questions based on their response. This will show that you are engaged and are motivated by the challenges provided, giving the interviewer confidence that you can handle them.
Q: What are your expectations for the position?
This shows that you are seriously considering the opportunity and are goal oriented. The response will also provide important details when you’re evaluating the expectations of the role after the interview and will help inform your decision.
Q: What are you looking for in this position? What criteria are most important to you?
This will provide valuable insights you can use to elaborate on your relevant experience and qualifications and make sure they fit with what the interviewer and company value.
Q: After discussing my background, are there any concerns I can address about my ability to succeed in the position?
This is one of the most important questions you can ask during the interview. It shows confidence in your ability to be successful, but more importantly, it gives you the opportunity to elaborate on or clarify any gaps or misunderstandings before the interview ends.
Q: I am very excited about the opportunity and feel I could immediately contribute to the position. What are the next steps?
This demonstrates a level of professional assertiveness in your interest for the position while sharing your desire to keep the process moving forward.
Third round
Third round interviews could be with peers, business partners, senior managers, or other key stakeholders. Advancing to this round means the company is interested in you and will likely start to “sell” you while interviewing you. Until you officially receive an offer from the company, however, remember that every interaction is still an interview. Continue to treat the process professionally and prepare accordingly. What you say along with your nonverbal cues are being evaluated until the very end of the process.
When interviews involve other stakeholders
Meetings with people who will not be your direct manager require a different approach. Review the job titles of who will be conducting the interview and anticipate how they may interact with the role you are interviewing for. Here you can leverage your previous experience and demonstrate how you have professionally interacted with individuals in previous companies that held a position like theirs. Specific working examples can go a long way in developing a productive relationship and generate positive feedback that can make its way back to the hiring manager.
When interviews involve meeting with peers
This provides an opportunity to focus your questions on why the position is open. Individuals on the peer level tend to provide a more candid response that will help inform your decisions or next steps.
When interviews involve meeting with subordinates
Focus on asking questions like how you can help them reach their goals, what has been missing from this role in the past, and how you can be helpful in their development and success. This will establish a rapport with them and highlight that you can be helpful.
Note: If you have multiple interviewers on the same day (or even on different days), be prepared to ask questions of each person you meet with. Asking the same questions is okay because you will get different answers, which will provide additional insight into the opportunity. Making a good first impression and maintaining your excitement and level of engagement, especially at the end of a long and tiring day, can go a long way.