Do any of you see the point in doing more than one round in interviews?

15 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 7:40PM UTC

   It depends. But if you are an hourly candidate then maybe 1 interview might be fine.

2. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 7:47PM UTC

   Depends how much you want the job. If that's your line in the sand, I'd expect to have a difficult time finding a job.

3. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 8:54PM UTC

   I think 2 is sufficient, but I'm hearing of others going through more than 4 which is an awful lot.

4. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 9:59PM UTC

   Absolutely! How can they make a decision from only 1 interview, that actually isn't fair to the candidate, especially if they are being considered. Too many candidates to not respect this process. Unless you're getting hired in fast food, is my one no.

5. AnonymousJanuary 23,2025 at 10:37PM UTC

   I was laid off in 2018, took me 56 weeks to find a job. My first time ever being laid off. I was 58 and had been at my company 19 years. I had never not had a job! Took a while to create a decent resume. Lots of applications. Lots of phone interviews, maybe 10-15 or so in person interviews, some of them multiple layers. Lots of ghosting!! Then a Sunday night, Easy-Apply on LinkedIn. Next day I interviewed with a recruiter, then the hiring manager in person, then their boss, and was offered the job a few days later. My Director turned out to be horrible. That company was acquired (and gutted) about 18 months later, I was laid off again. This time during covid. I initially did some applying, a few bad interviews, but gave it up until unemployment and free COBRA ran out. I needed a break anyway. Then again, EasyApply on a Sunday night. Talked to the recruiter next day! 2 days later a 1-1/2 hour phone interview with the hiring manager. A couple days later a video meeting with the team. 2 days later I was offered the job. Again, crazy! Especially after going through all the immediate rejections, being ghosted after several interview rounds, etc. A little over 3 years later I'm still at that last job. And it'll be my last. I'm old enough now, I'm not going through all that again! I don't think there's any magic. For me it was just luck, getting to the right people, at the right time. Good luck to you all going through it. Hopefully your right time comes soon.

6. AnonymousJanuary 24,2025 at 2:49PM UTC

   What a ride! And thanks for sharing. Encouraging for those over 50 still looking for that “one last gig”. Kudos to you for sticking with it! Those Sunday nights really paid off.

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 23,2025 at 11:47PM UTC

   What kind of position are you talking about?

8. AnonymousJanuary 24,2025 at 3:05PM UTC

   Office assistant

9. Sue Gordon- retired Career CoachJanuary 24,2025 at 1:27PM UTC

   Yes, of there is an important point (unless perhaps for entry level jobs like retail). Employers receive dozens, if not hundreds of applicants for any given role. As a hiring manager, I often had 10 or more applicants that were qualified on paper (honestly only 10-20% of applicants were qualifed on paper). So, that is still a lot of people to interview. A screening interview helps to cull that number down to a manageable number for in-person, in-depth interviews. I was always amazed by how many people tanked a phone interview-- I remember one candidate was clearly reading the home page of our website when we asked what she knew about our organization. Just a few questions can tell if the person just isn't cut out for the role-- or if they don't really care about working for that employer. So, the first round clears out those that don't really care, or misrepresented themselves and don't have the skills claimed on the resume. The second round helps employers to truly get to know the candidate.

   Depending on the job and the field, there could be more rounds. Sometimes a key decision maker is out on the interview day, and a candidate is asked to return to meet with that person. There may be technical interviews.

   Making a hiring mistake is costly and stressful for all. Doing a thorough interview process is important to create a team that thrives.

10. Ariana NunezJanuary 24,2025 at 1:36PM UTC

    This is very insightful. Thank you!

11. Nina JohnsonJanuary 24,2025 at 2:15PM UTC

    As some have mentioned, a role's level of responsibility and interaction with others can require a candidate to interview with a range of potential colleagues: HR general screening, direct supervisor or team lead, and perhaps director level. Each are looking at different aspects of the candidate and can require separate interviews.

    Some companies prefer a "panel interview" where each of these colleagues take turns asking the candidate questions applicable to their perspective but all can take notes of the answer and avoid asking the same questions. The more senior the role, the more interview steps there usually are. One colleague may ask questions specific to tools and tasks of the role while another may be looking at your potential to grow into other roles once in the company.

    If you're the candidate, this is also an opportunity for you to experience a range of communication styles within that company. A panel interview can reveal how upper management treat lower-tiered management. For example, do they treat them with respect or talk over them and send them to fetch their coffee? It can be very enlightening!

    If it's a role you're interested in, try to look at each round as an opportunity for you to learn about the role, the company and whether it's a good fit for you - best of luck!

12. J CJanuary 25,2025 at 1:16PM UTC

    Only if I have several equally qualified candidates. Or if there’s a difference of opinion among the interview team. We would use that second interview to flesh out some responses or clarify and questions we had

13. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 3:05PM UTC

    Two is sufficient for most jobs. Anything over three interviews is excessive, a waste of everyone's time, and indicative that there is something lacking in your hiring process.

14. AnonymousJanuary 25,2025 at 4:04PM UTC

    Yes, especially if there is a very large pool of applications. Two seems reasonable to me. The first round is to gauge basic qualifications- determine whether the applicant is who they present themselves as.

    The second is a smaller pool and will be interviewed on the specific needs of the company/team.

    Going beyond that gives me pause. Does the company know what it’s looking for?

15. AnonymousJanuary 26,2025 at 1:23PM UTC

    For me, it depends on the job and the company but it's not easy or a standard number of interviews that are needed. However many companies have too many interviews because they can't get their stuff together. They expect to see golden rays shooting out of thr best person's head. Or many actually want to see the "winner" turn onto the purple unicorn we hear about.

    I wish all here the best for their career search and job hunt. It is never easy.