What's with all these 2-3 part interviews, group interviews, etc? (job offer, applying)

[andywire]

So I've been interviewing like crazy. One common theme... Companies are running candidates through the gauntlet. Just sat through one with 4 people. Very pleasant interview, non threatening and everyone seemed enthused. So, if I'm selected to proceed, I will have another interview with the president of the company included.

Most interviews I have had in the past were simple. Meet hiring manager or owner, shake hands, have an offer and proceed. Is this the new norm for hiring? Is this only typical for larger companies?

[ccm123]

It's the "new norm". Companies are very selective and want "several members of the team" to meet prospective candidates in order to provide different feedback about the candidates. I once went through a 5 stage interview (3 of them by phone).

[BirdieBelle]

It costs a lot (in terms of $$ AND productivity) to make a bad hire.

Companies I am familiar with are trying to save $$ by spending more TIME with candidates on the front end.

[ggumbo]

Originally Posted by andywire

So I've been interviewing like crazy. One common theme... Companies are running candidates through the gauntlet. Just sat through one with 4 people. Very pleasant interview, non threatening and everyone seemed enthused. So, if I'm selected to proceed, I will have another interview with the president of the company included.

Most interviews I have had in the past were simple. Meet hiring manager or owner, shake hands, have an offer and proceed. Is this the new norm for hiring? Is this only typical for larger companies?

I think it's large companies. That's what I noticed anyway when I started applying for jobs. The bigger the company = more interviews. For part time bank teller and retail positions there would sometimes be 3 or more interviews... I was always like "What's all this for?" Huge waste of time.

The job I just started had the easiest hiring process ever. It's a small company and so far, everything is great.

[jakabedy]

I recently interviewed with a company where I met first with the hiring manager, then two other managers in my potential business unit, then three other managers/technical seniors on other areas (compliance, accounting, etc.), then a regional VP. I got a nice lunch out of it, but it was an exhausting five-hour day, bookended by a four-hour drive each way. To put the icing on the cake, they said they'd have a decision by day "X", which would have allowed me, if offered, to weigh the offer against another offer I already had in hand. But it turned out they wouldn't be able to make a decision on time, so I had to accept the other offer and essentially back out of consideration with them.

I didn't burn bridges, however. One never knows what the future holds.

[the_grimace]

I believe this is the new norm, it has been for me. My typical interview process over the last three years has lasted between anywhere from 2-8 months (terrible, I know). Most times the process goes something like:

1. phone interview with HR
2. hiring test (skills test)
3. phone interview with hiring manager
4. phone interview with co-workers, other producers and managers I'd probably interact with
4b.(possibly another phone interview here depending on the size of the company, or amount of people you might work directly with)
5. Onsite interview (usually an all day event)
6. Job offer or not

Kind of frustrating, especially due to the tediousness and slowness of this process... What can you do I guess.

[statisticsnerd]

Originally Posted by andywire

Is this the new norm for hiring? Is this only typical for larger companies?

It's primarily a large company thing, in my experience. The most interviews I've ever had with a small employer is two, and that was unusual- a lunch interview with a partner and then the second interview where I talked with some of the other people in the office. The second interview was very informal and I wasn't quizzed about anything. At that point, I knew they had probably selected me and were more or less just introducing me to my coworkers.

When I was interviewing like crazy a few years ago (after a layoff), I interviewed with several large companies and small businesses. Almost all of the large companies had multiple layers of interviews and sometimes a phone screening beforehand, plus the occasional psychometric test. With the small businesses, I talked with just one or maybe two people and they were more informal and had less of the retarded canned interview questions.

In fact, the only jobs I have ever gotten have been where the interviewer and I have had a normal conversation. Throw in the "strengths and weaknesses" type crap and I bomb the interview.

[andywire]

Well, this company was about 53 strong. More robots than people though.

[Tekkie]

The standard process I've gone through is typically 2-3 interviews. The first one is usually a phone interview by some HR grunt screening people out. If they like you, they pass you on to the hiring manager. The final interview is typically split between the hiring manager, the director of the department (head honcho), and the HR manager. The entire process takes at least about a month anymore. It sounds like these trends have started to trickle down to the blue collar sector now. What a shame.

[city living]

I work for a VERY large place and thankfully, there was no group interview. Just a phone interview and an interview with the management/supervisor.

My friend had a group interview for pharmacy school. Because they claimed they wanted to see how they "communicated with others." Right.