Most times, a final interview is sufficient for hiring managers to decide if they need your services or not. However, there are cases when a hiring manager wants to interview again after the final interview.
Hold the brakes! Who is a hiring manager?
A hiring manager is a person that establishes the need for and requests a new position or an open job to be filled.
It is the employee to whom the new person will report when hired. Therefore, they play a vital role in the process and work closely with the HR team to find the right person for the position.
Unsurprisingly, many applicants are lost when they are invited for an interview again after the final interview.
Why would they want to do that?
What does it mean?
How do you go about it?
These are a chain of thoughts that can cross one’s mind
Stay with us as this article will provide practical tips for these questions.
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Why Would A Hiring Manager Want To Interview Again After The Final Interview?
These are why a hiring manager would want to interview again after the final interview.
- One reason is to verify the information of an applicant or to introduce them to other department members.
Ideally, there is a group of persons that conduct interviews. These people search for unique traits or capabilities that the company needs.
It could span from technical ability, personality or physical conditions, etc.
- Secondly, a company can deem it necessary to ask more in-depth questions or demand that you throw more light on its needs.
- Thirdly, the person who merited the job may be no longer available for the job. If you were the second best, they would only naturally reach out to you.
- Fourthly, it could be a situation where one of the interviewers has some doubt about approving you for the job.
Some interviewers may have raised concerns about certain aspects of your candidacy but are generally inclined.
It could either mean that they were not satisfied with your answers in some areas or were not able to ask you about those areas in the initial interview. Either way, they want to be satisfied that you meet all criteria.
The fact that you have an additional interview and they accepted you is a good sign. It means that your interviews generally went well, but there are some areas of clarification.
Since it is not a majority-win context, the hiring manager wants to interview again after the final interview after a thorough examination and comparison.
- Fifth, a hiring manager might be impressed with your ability and would like to offer you a position other than the one you applied for.
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How To Approach Questions When A Hiring Manager Wants To Interview Again After The Final Interview
There are several approaches to answering questions when a hiring manager wants to interview again after the final interview.
However, below is a recommended approach that has proved effective, the STAR method:
Situation
It is best to start your answer by explaining the typical situation and providing the appropriate context.
Task
It is good to describe the company’s tasks to you. It will give the impression you understand what they require of you.
Action
You must try your best to practically explain the actions you will take to address established problems.
Result
The final phase is to describe your vision’s possible and realistic outcome and highlight the positive results.
Read also: 5 Tips For Your Job Interviews
Other Important Tips
There are certain things you must do as well as avoid when a hiring manager wants to interview again after the final interview.
Some of these things include:
Treat Each Interview As Important
As each interview represents a fresh beginning, it would be unwise to coast on the success of a previous interview.
If you were previously second in line, you will have to prove that you are indeed the best of the remaining candidates, which means you should research and prepare for the first interview and each subsequent callback.
The best you can do is to treat each interviewer with civility and consideration. Be yourself, be prepared, and if your best effort isn’t enough to earn a job offer.
Avoid Overconfidence
There is a difference between being confident and being prideful.
To appear confident, some candidates overdo the role and appear egocentric.
In an attempt to appear confident, you do not want to appear egoistic.
Therefore, it is essential to work on your delivery using more diplomacy and tactfulness. Word choice is critical.
Ensure not to overstep the boundary into arrogance. It’s one thing to be sure of your abilities, but quite another to question the skills of those around you.
Expect Different Kinds Of Questions
These questions can be more complicated than interview questions that focus on work experience, technical skills, and qualifications.
Final interview questions may focus on behavioral and relationship-type questions, so you should prepare for these.
You could prepare for these questions by asking a trusted friend to practice a few mock behavioral questions with you.
Prepare Questions About The Company
The final interview allows you to ask any questions about the company that you need clarity on. In addition, you might want to perform some research on the company to give you ideas for questions.
For instance, you could ask what training and career development opportunities are available for somebody in your position, what the expectations are concerning overtime, or how they would measure your performance.
Study The Company’s Culture
It is essential to study the company’s culture. For example, if you notice that employees of all levels are comfortable conversing with each other, you can deduce that the company culture probably encourages teamwork and collaboration.
You will most likely meet potential colleagues and members of management during your final interview. Therefore, it is a significant opportunity to observe behavior and the office environment to learn clues about the company’s culture.
Conclusion
It is not unusual when a hiring manager wants to interview again after the final interview.
On receiving this invite, you should see it as a positive sign of interest.