The 6 Common Stages of Job Interviewing

It was somewhere around the ninth interview, during a conversation with an operations manager, that the candidate started to wonder what the point of all these meetings was anyway.

As firms take a more cautious and methodical approach to hiring, focusing on specific skills, priority roles, and cultural fit, they are making candidates endure more and more rounds of interviews. Candidates aren’t just waiting twice as long to get an offer; in some cases, they’re also going through as many as nine rounds of interviews. “It gets tiresome for the candidate. They get interview fatigue,” says Korn Ferry Advance career coach David Meintrup, who notes that middle- and junior-executive roles typically entail between three and five rounds.

It can be an exhausting process, which makes an understanding of its stages critical. Here are some thoughts on the stages of a typical interview process, including the objectives of the potential employer and job seeker in each one.

Stage One: Background and Fit

This is the initial screening for those who’ve been identified as potential candidates. Here, the firm is looking to confirm that candidates have the basic qualifications for the role, can meet in-office requirements, and are seeking a salary within the established range for the position. Candidates should “provide a tour of their career,” says Meintrup, highlighting experiences or skills that make them a good match for the role. In the past, an in-house or outside recruiter would conduct this interview, but increasingly it’s being outsourced to, and recorded by, chatbots. 

Stage Two: A Deeper Dive

The next interview is usually with the person hiring for the role, who will actually be your boss. It focuses on competencies and behaviors, says Angela Galle Sylvester, a career coach with Korn Ferry Advance. Questions are likely to be more open-ended: A candidate might be asked to discuss an accomplishment they’re proud of or how they might handle a specific situation. The aim, says Sylvester, is to understand the candidate’s level of motivation, communication style, problem-solving abilities, and other intangibles. Candidates should have a story to tell that highlights their major career accomplishments and demonstrates the traits and characteristics the job calls for.

Stage Three: The Team Meeting

Val Olson, a career and leadership coach with Korn Ferry Advance, says this round is among the most critical—and most underestimated. It pairs candidates with potential new colleagues in one-on-one or panel discussions; it’s as much about whether the team members think they would enjoy working with you as it is about your ability to do the job. “Here’s where the likability factor comes into play,” Olson says. Many candidates consider this round to be less important because it tends to be informal. But it’s a key part of the process, because “the team is reporting back to the hiring manager what they think and feel about your candidacy,” says Olson. Meintrup agrees, adding that he advises clients to look for ways to make a personal connection with team members by studying their LinkedIn profiles. 

Stage Four: Presentations and Direct Reports

Some industries and positions don’t require these rounds. The ones that do are looking for candidates to demonstrate technical prowess, strategic thinking, or subject-matter expertise. Candidates may be asked to complete presentations, go-to market plans, and/or field or case-based tasks, among others, says Meintrup. For managerial roles, firms may have candidates interview with some of their potential direct reports as well. “Here, firms are measuring how you would come off in front of clients and your leadership presence and style,” he says.

Stage Five: Skip-Level Meetings

If you’ve gotten this far, you are more than likely to get an offer. By now, the recruiter, hiring manager, team members, and others have signed off hiring you. The last step is a one-off meeting with the executive leader of the department or unit to get their stamp of approval. This tends to be a more conversational and casual round, often taking place over lunch or coffee, with the goal of establishing a relationship. Questions tend to focus on big-picture objectives and how you see yourself contributing to them.

Stage Six: Hammering Out the Details

In this round, which follows the presenting of a formal offer, the candidate and an HR executive negotiate final terms. By now, Olson says, each of them should have a good idea of the compensation, in-office requirements, work-life balance, and other aspects of the job; the offer should fairly reflect the expectations of both sides. Even if most of the terms have already been agreed to, Olson says, “most companies expect a little back-and-forth on the finer points.”

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s career development capabilities from Korn Ferry Advance. 

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