How many interviews are necessary to get a job?

How many interviews do you need to get a job? This is a question we are often asked by our applicants when they receive invitations to multiple rounds of interviews. Especially if a first job interview goes extremely well, many applicants wonder why they need another cross-examination. Additionally, it can be extremely frustrating for applicants when attending multiple rounds of interviews does not result in a job offer.

In theory, if you are the best candidate for a job, it should only take a maximum of three rounds of interviews before you know you have received a job offer. Of course, the prerequisite is that you are adequately prepared and give the interviewers all the information they want to hear in your answers. But why so many when you are the best candidate for the job?

Of course, there is no hard and fast rule as to how many rounds of conversations are considered acceptable. The number of Interviews The process a company takes before making a decision varies from company to company. Based on our experience, we can tell you the reason why many companies don't base their decision on the first idea.

Interview expectations vs. reality

If Applicant If you're looking for a job, you might imagine the hiring process like this:

• Search job boards for the ideal position
• Creating a compelling resume and cover letter
• Application send
• invitation for job interview receive
• Research the company and focus on one job interview prepare
• Take part in the interview
• Accept a job offer
• Start a new job by the end of the month

Unfortunately, the interview process is rarely that easy. Applicants often have to pass a telephone interview before receiving an invitation for a personal interview. If this round is successful, applicants may have to appear before the interviewers a second time. Instead of the eight steps mentioned above, applicants are often frustrated when there are ten or more.

How the interview process has changed

Interview - Source: expatica.com

Previously, companies could wait until they had at least ten suitable resumes before compiling a shortlist. Once they made a decision, they conducted three rounds of interviews to find the best candidate. The recruiting process might look something like this:

• Telephone interview
• First personal interview
• Second personal interview

However, the hiring technology available today means candidates can apply for jobs much more quickly. Therefore, once their resume is available, they disappear from the market much faster than before. This means that hiring managers have to get to an interview much quicker.

Although the three-round system is still widely used, hiring managers rarely wait until they have found ten good applicants. Instead, once they come across a good resume, they try to schedule a phone interview with that person as quickly as possible.

Why do companies hold so many rounds of interviews?

Companies can spend a lot of time interviewing many candidates before finding the perfect candidate. It is extremely rare for a hiring manager to make a decision after just one interview. In larger companies, this is usually because several people have to agree before a decision can be made.

Also, the different stages of the interview are designed to find out different information. Below you will get a small insight into what HR managers expect from each phase of the process.

Telephone interviews

No matter how excited hiring managers are to meet a candidate, they will almost always schedule a phone interview first. There are two main reasons for this.

The first reason is that there are always certain “deal breakers” when hiring applicants for a particular position. Telephone interviews help weed out unsuitable applicants based on these basic requirements.

For example, if a company has problems retaining employees from a certain region because travel is problematic. In this case, interviewers will likely discuss any issues the employee may have with commuting during the phone interview. Only when the interviewers are convinced that the applicant's daily commute is not a problem will they be invited for a personal interview.

Personal interviews

If you receive an invitation for an in-person interview, the company wants to give you the job. It's up to you to convince the company that you are worthy of receiving a job offer.

How many interviews are too many? - Source: inc.com

Of course, you could take longer on the phone and ask more detailed questions. But when you meet someone face to face, an interviewer can find out certain things about them without questioning them. It's incredible how much they can learn about you from your body language and behavior, e.g. E.g.:

• Punctuality - do you show up on time?
• Are you too eager - are you coming too early?
• How well do you get along with the company's employees - are you polite to the receptionist?
• What are your organizational skills - are you ready when you are picked up at reception or do you fumble with your things?
• How confident are you - do you have a firm handshake?
• How confident are you that you can handle this task - your body language can reveal many things that you don't reveal about yourself
• Are you sufficiently interested in the position - how much research have you done?
• Are you a good fit for the company culture - do you ask questions that give the interviewer the impression that you are concerned about whether you will fit into the company?

Another invitation to an interview? How many are necessary?

As we saw above, there is an amazing amount of information interviewers can glean from an interview. Not to mention what they learn from asking awkward interview questions. So why are further rounds of discussions necessary? There can be many reasons for this; we have listed the most important ones below.

Many stakeholders are involved

In larger companies, many people have to give their consent before a new employee can be hired. For this reason, the head of department and an employee from the human resources department are usually with you job interview present.

The department head naturally wants to decide who he lets work in his department. Human resources staff are present to ensure that no discrimination occurs. They also want to be satisfied that the hiring manager is acting in the best interests of the company.

Cross-departmental networking

If an employee regularly works with multiple departments, more than one HR manager may have questions to ask. However, the person may also need to work closely with a specific team member. In both cases, HR managers usually only arrange a meeting with other parties involved once the applicant proves to be a serious candidate.

Tests of knowledge/skills

Companies often want to determine whether potential employees are capable of performing specific tasks or presenting their ideas on a particular topic. This scenario is particularly common in technical or creative positions. Therefore, additional rounds of interviews may be required for these types of positions.

How to keep days off to a minimum

Of course, multiple rounds of discussions are completely understandable from the companies' perspective. But employees can only fake so many doctor's appointments to take time off before HR gets interested. So how can they keep absenteeism to a minimum?

The most obvious answer is a five-year plan that includes changing jobs for career advancement. If you foresee that you will need to apply for a new job, you should plan enough vacation days to attend interviews. But how many of us are actually that systematic when it comes to career planning? For our typical, less organized readers, here are a few ideas on how to reduce their time off for interviews.

Prioritize your time

Your time is important - Source: forschung-und-lehre.de

To save time when searching for a job, consider relying on the expertise of a recruiter. Recruiters take over many administrative tasks for you, which saves you a lot of time. And the better your HR consultant gets to know you, the more accurately he can match you with your dream company. This can save you countless hours that you would otherwise waste applying for unsuitable positions.

Recruitment consultants work longer hours than most companies and are available to applicants outside of their regular working hours. Take advantage of this by arranging calls or meetings with them before you start work, during your lunch break, or after work.

Likewise, employers are usually open to the idea of ​​arranging telephone interviews on your own time. Use this time wisely and save yourself vacation days until you have to attend a personal appointment.

Go digital

Many recruitment agencies require an in-person meeting before they can apply to their clients on your behalf. Instead, research online to find an agency that makes the most of technology. Participating in video interviews instead of in-person meetings can save you a lot of time. There's no point wasting time traveling when you have so many other considerations to consider when looking for a job.

Do your best!

The more effort you put into preparing for the interview, the more likely you are to be rewarded with a job offer. So do your homework, research the company, be smart, and be present to increase your chances of success in the interview.

Several rounds of discussions: A few final thoughts
Being invited to multiple interviews can be a huge burden. If you also take time off work to do this, the stress of the job search increases even further. Unfortunately, no matter how unpleasant or stressful this may be, it is part of the process of finding a new job.

If you approach your job search skillfully and manage your time well, you can keep your absenteeism to a minimum.

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