(6) Selection process for your new role - what to expect?
You’ve made it! Your efforts have finally paid off and you have had your first interview. What happens next and how long will all this take?
Nowadays, quite a few job descriptions or reply emails to application forms will contain information about the selection process steps. This transparency is long overdue but sadly not yet very common. It’s important to know what process steps you can expect so you can prepare, and also judge where the effort is worth it and where it isn’t. Timeline is as important as the steps, a good selection process will not take too little or too long, and it will respect your availability. Usually, a selection process will have some or all of these steps:
Screening interview
This is the usual first stage in a selection process. It will typically last 30 minutes and it is a more general introduction into the process where general information will be confirmed, usually with a recruiter. See our article on how to prepare for this and other interviews in the selection process?here.
An interview with the hiring manager for the role
While the screening interview will typically stay at a more general level, this interview will give you an opportunity to meet the person who is hiring for the role, thus the conversation will focus more on delving deeper into your experience and how the skills you bring can contribute to the success of the organization through this role. You should also expect the conversation to deal with the role itself, the opportunities, challenges and possible pain points. You should also use this opportunity to understand the role in depth. Ask all the relevant questions about the role and do not leave the call with any doubts. Moreover, this interview is a good opportunity for you to see if you click with the hiring manager (who will likely be your direct manager) and if your styles align.
Assessment:
This is also a common step in a selection process. It’s one of the best ways for a company to assess knowledge and specific hard or soft skills in a case study/group activity or a written piece. We have written an extensive article about how you can do this process step successfully, and you can expect to see the details about this in two weeks. Another important aspect here is to assess if the effort is worth it. Our article covers this as well.
It's becoming more common to do the assessment within an interview and we think this is a fantastic way to see if you click with the interviewer and what rapport you establish.
An interview with a Head of department/Team lead
It's less common nowadays for this to be a separate step as the selection processes are moving faster due to the company’s needs and there is more respect for candidates’ and interviewers’ time (as good candidate will not be on the market long), and usually this person will not be the different from the hiring manager. If there is this step, make sure you use it to learn more about the team and the dynamics and about what the expectations from this senior person towards you are.
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Interview with the main stakeholders of this role
Although this step adds complexity to the selection process, in general it is very positive for you to interact with people who will be your main stakeholders internally or externally, as you can learn about their needs and get an idea of interactions as well as challenges and opportunities. Make sure you research the interviewers beforehand so you can ask pertinent questions and make sure you also prepare accordingly.?
Peer interview
This is another, now more common, process step, and we see it very positively. It gives you an opportunity to meet and interact with people who will be your peers and will likely actively train and onboard you. It’s a good opportunity to ask about the team dynamics, common challenges, their expectations in terms of contribution and your style.
Cultural/values interview
This is sometimes a separate step and it may involve you reading through values/principles/pillars of the company beforehand to prepare. It usually will be conducted by a senior leader or a cultural champion (in smaller start-ups and companies, this interview may be done with one of the founders) and will focus on what you bring in terms of values and how they fit within and align with the company values. You can also assess if company values align with yours. If this is not the case, you can reconsider if you want to continue with the process or not.?
As we wrote above, some processes will include some or all of the above, sometimes separately and sometimes combined in one interview. The more senior the role, the more process steps there may be, and this is fine. The important thing is to make sure they are not repetitive, they make sense, they add value and you can perceive transparency and collaboration between the interviewers. If you see any red flags, you may want to reconsider where you invest your time. A good recruiter will always be there to guide you and support you throughout the process and clarify any doubts. In a healthy selection process, you will also be able to choose interview dates and times to a certain point.?
So how long will all of this take, you may ask?
A process step will usually take a week to ten days to complete but it can be alarming if the process stretches too long or you have no news between the steps. Remember - you are deciding as much as the company is, and do not feel bad withdrawing from a process that just doesn’t make sense.?
This article has been co-authored with Milena Stanic