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When Do You Bring a Candidate Back for Another Interview?

It can be difficult to know if you’ve chosen the right person to fill a role on your team. You could interview a person multiple times and still not have a complete view of what kind of employee they will be. That’s why asking the right questions is essential to the hiring process and can help you determine whether or not you should invite the candidate for another interview.

Most interview processes now last three to five rounds, according to experts speaking to CNBC. Depending on the type of role and level of management, can expect to have a couple of different types of interviews:

  • A pre-screening call with the recruiter to determine if the candidate is a fit for the role
  • A preliminary interview with the hiring manager to see if the candidate is proficient in the responsibilities of the role
  • A panel interview with the team with which the candidate will be working to determine their ability to collaborate
  • An interview with a senior leader in the company if the role will interact with their team
  • A final interview with the hiring manager to address any lingering concerns or questions

The tricky part for hiring managers is: when you do come across a candidate who is a good match for the role, how will you know it’s time to bring them back for another interview?

Interviewing candidates can be tough. Insight Global makes hiring easy. Download our free guide. Image of a man interviewing.

Why Host A Candidate for Another Interview

It can be easy to find someone who can easily handle the responsibilities of the role you’re hiring for, but it’s difficult to know if they will be able to fit in with the team and collaborate cross-functionally. You also want a candidate who can give thoughtful, honest answers to your questions across all rounds, even if they take a moment to do so.

Don’t discount candidates just because they seem nervous or quiet. Interviews can be stressful and sometimes don’t fully reflect what a person will be like in your daily environment. Instead, try to be empathetic to the candidate and remember we have all been in their shoes at one time or another.

Use another interview—whether that’s a second interview, third, or beyond—to sift out information that you haven’t received in previous interviews. And make sure it applies to the role and what kind of person you’re looking for on the team. Don’t just ask questions just to ask them. The interview process can be cumbersome—both for managers and the candidates—when similar information is talked about in each interview.

Here are some goals to have when bringing a candidate in for another interview:

Get to know the individual personally

Supplemental interviews are important because they allow hiring managers the space to evaluate each candidate’s personality and potential fit within the organization. Technical skills are easy enough to learn, but soft skills and personality are just as vital, if not more, to a successful team.

As a hiring manager, you’re tasked with finding candidates that contribute to a positive workplace environment, which subsequently leads to improved productivity and worker retention.

Bring In Different Perspectives

For key positions with your company, several of your colleagues may like to weigh in on the interview process. However, navigating around several people’s schedules to accommodate dozens of first-round interviews is not practical. Therefore, second-round interviews (and beyond) can serve as an opportunity for leadership and other stakeholders to meet only those candidates who passed the first round.

Show Your Office/Team Culture

For candidates who might have to relocate or commute for the job, inviting them for an in-person second round makes sense. It allows the candidate to meet prospective co-workers in person and get a sense of the environment they’d work in. You can even take the candidate out for a meal, allowing you to assess them in a more casual setting.

Bringing candidates into the office can also sell them on your culture. They get to see what the day-to-day in the office is like. That matters to many candidates.


Read: How Many Interviews Should You Conduct with Candidates?


How to Ask the Right Questions

Job interviews often start with a more general list of questions:

These questions, and other strategic interview questions, are helpful for initial screenings, but they don’t really allow a candidate the opportunity to showcase the breadth of their experience and personality.

Instead, when bringing candidates in for another interview, questions must be tailored to the role and the person themselves. Think about the day-to-day challenges the person would face in the role and create scenarios that allow them to answer honestly about how they would conquer those challenges. Furthermore, if you will be interacting with the role often, ask yourself: would I enjoy working with this person?

Some more in-depth questions you can ask include:

  • What are your long-term career goals?
  • How do you like to be managed?
  • What are your salary expectations?
  • How soon could you start?
  • What makes you the best fit for this role?
  • Is there anything you’d like to discuss further from your first interview?
  • What’s missing from your current position? How will this opportunity better meet your needs?
  • How do your personal values align with those of our organization?
  • What would you need from us to accept an offer?

If you don’t know what to ask, that might be a sign that a) you’ve gotten all the information you need to know about the candidate, or b) you aren’t interested in learning more about the candidate.


Related: Are Your Losing Candidates in the Interview Process? Here’s How to Fix It


When to Bring a Candidate Back for Another Interview

So when do you bring a candidate back for another interview? Sometimes it’s just a gut feeling. In some cases, the hiring manager and the interviewee might hit it off and have a productive and enlightening conversation, in which case the hiring manager would want to bring the candidate back for another interview.

Another reason to bring the candidate back would be if they gave you excellent answers to your questions, and you were left with the impression that they could handle the responsibilities of the role. You may want the candidate to then speak to other team members to see if they get the same impression.

After a panel interview, you, as the hiring manager, should debrief with the team and get their feedback on the candidate. If all of the members of the panel agree, ask the candidate back for the next round of interviews—or, in this case, the couple of initial interviews may be enough and you can move forward with the candidate.

How to Know When It’s Time to Make an Offer

As the hiring manager, it’s up to you to know when to move from the interview stage to an actual offer. Reflect on the following.

How committed is the candidate?

Did the candidate demonstrate excitement and commitment to the position? Were they punctual, and did they come prepared? Answering some of these can help you feel confident in making an offer.

How soon do you need to fill the role?

Don’t unnecessarily delay the process. If you have a solid candidate to fill your open position, make an offer.

Leaving a position open for too long compromises the work environment of your current employees. Plus, you could lose good candidates to other opportunities if you wait. If possible, demonstrate that an offer is coming soon after the most recent interview, especially if you have the candidate in person.

Trust your gut and your team

If you and your hiring team feel confident about a candidate, go for it. There’s always some risk throughout the hiring process. You will never be totally sure of a candidate’s effectiveness and longevity with your organization. Trust your gut.

We Know the Interview Process Can Be Tough

Throughout the hiring process, you may comb through hundreds of resumes. You’ll likely interview a dozen or so individuals. It can be a drawn-out, heavily administrative process. However, by the time you get to the second-round interviews, have some fun with it! It’s your chance to get to know each candidate and confirm it’s time to choose and make an offer.

Remember to include your team, take their feedback seriously, and ask the right questions to determine whether the candidate should continue to move through the interview process and eventually be hired for the role.

If you need help with the hiring process, Insight Global can help. We can screen candidates and conduct initial interviews, so you and your team can minimize how many interviews you need to partake in. Let us know more about your needs below!

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