How Corporations Typically Conduct An Interview Process 

All corporations over time develop a set pattern of how to conduct an interview.  Rarely are there dramatic changes to the overall interview process and any changes made tend to be minor and focus on narrow aspects.  With that thought in mind, we have included a process that represents most organizations’ current interview process. 

1.      Position Need Is Identified.

a.       Hiring Manager gains approval and room in the budget to move forward with a hiring decision.

2.      Job Description Is Made For The Position. 

a.       This is usually completed by the Hiring Manager and states the general job duties for the position and what qualifications they are looking for?

3.      Advertisement Of The Position.

a.       The job description is placed in the job listings section of the company’s website and may include advertising the position in other mediums, such as newspaper and internet job posting sites. 

b.      This function can be done by Human Resources (HR) personnel or by the Hiring Manager depending largely on how involved HR is with the interview process.

4.      Review of Incoming Resumes.

a.       If HR handles this request, the list of incoming resumes will be either reviewed by an HR representative manually or be submitted into a resume software program designed to sort out those most qualified for the position from those with lesser qualifications. The more qualified candidates resumes are forwarded to the Hiring Manager.

b.      Another alternative is the resumes may come directly to an administrative assistant who will sift through the resumes before sending the qualified candidates' resumes onto the Hiring Manager.

5.      Hiring Manager Chooses Interview Candidates.

a.       Hiring Manager reviews the condensed list to look for prospective interviews.

6.      Contacting The Candidate

a.       Hiring Manager or HR representative will then contact the candidate to setup an initial phone screen interview.

7.      Initial Phone Screen Interview

a.       This will most often be conducted by an HR representative or an administrative assistant.  Its purpose is to see whether the candidate is interested in the specific position and whether his/her qualifications and salary requirements are in line with the company’s projected range.  To get an idea of how the employee will see this process, check out the phone interview tips.

8.      Formal Phone Interview

a.       A member of the hiring team will contact the candidate over the phone and ask questions about the candidate’s resume and also some behavioral questions.  The purpose of this interview is to screen out candidates who do not have the appropriate level of experience in all the job qualifications.

9.      Background Check

a.       This step can be performed at any time; however, it usually does not become an issue until right before and during the on-site interviews.

b.      Essentially, an HR representative will be following up on the candidate’s references and former employers to determine whether his resume and answers are consistent with those people’s opinions and memories of the candidate.

10.   Technical Efficiency Tests

a.       These tests are objective tests designed to determine what level of proficiency the candidate has in a certain skill.  For example, a banker might be asked to perform some mathematical calculations in a timed testing environment to see how good are his/her mathematical skills.

b.      These tests can be performed at anytime in the interview process.  Some companies provide these with the initial phone interview and can be done over the Internet or a local testing site.  Other companies will wait to provide these technical efficiency tests until the on-site interviews.

c.       Poor performance on these tests will bar candidates from advancing in the interviewing process although the actual weight given to these tests will vary depending on the position and the company.

11.   Formal On-Site Interview(s)

a.       These interviews are performed by other members of the hiring team and/or the Hiring Manager and they are designed to:

                                                               i.     Ask further behavioral and resume-based questions.

                                                             ii.     Give the candidate one final opportunity to resolve any lingering doubts or concerns about their qualifications.

                                                            iii.    Provide an opportunity to do additional technical efficiency testing in a controlled environment.

                                                           iv.    Determine if the candidate would be a good fit for their team and company culture.

12.   Final Interview

a.       This is usually with the Hiring Manager or the Hiring Manager’s boss.  The main purpose of this interview is to either:

                                                               i.    Determine if the candidate’s personality is a good fit for the team or

                                                             ii.   Decide between the remaining candidates to see who would be the best candidate for the company’s needs.

13.   Acceptance or Rejection

a.       An acceptance can be given at the final interview by the Hiring Manager.  However, it can also be given a few days later via a phone call or email from HR Personnel.

b.      A rejection tends to be given through email or a phone call later in the process.  As a matter of practice, an email tends to be the preferred method with a statement saying the company has chosen to go with another candidate.  

This outline provides a good working knowledge of the typical corporation’s approach on how to conduct an interview.  Compare it with your own corporation’s process to see how it matches up.