Tell me about a time you took on a task that was out of your regular job duties due to an emergency. What happened and how did you manage the new task?
When you reach this point in a job interview — where the interviewer is done with their questions and opens up the floor — you don’t want to be caught off guard. It’s important to have a plan for how you’ll respond, and a list of questions specific to that opportunity.
But what types of questions should you actually ask? And are there certain ones to avoid? I turned to two job interview experts for advice: Art Markman, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Bring Your Brain to Work, and John Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author of How to Get a Job You Love. Here are their recommendations for how to approach this part of the interview and sample questions they’ve seen work in practice.
FINAL INTERVIEW TIPS! (How to PASS a Final Job Interview!)
The final interview is the last real opportunity to evaluate each candidate, set clear expectations for the role, and make a great impression. We hope that by using these final interview tips, companies can select, hire, and retain the right candidates for their organizations.
Since by this point it has been determined that the candidate’s skills fit the job, the final interview is an excellent opportunity to gauge how they will fit into the organization. Not only is it important to ensure that the candidate will be happy in the role, but that they would fit in with the company and with their new team. Here are some questions to help assess cultural fit:
Some employers also like to ask behavioral interview questions during the final round to guarantee that their new hire will “play well with others” and be a good match with their potential team members. Below are a few examples of behavioral interview questions:
It can be beneficial to take a straightforward but courteous approach to pointing out a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Start by reiterating what qualities and skills the candidate possesses that piqued the hiring team’s interest in the first place.
So, what should employers ask in the final round of interviews to ensure that they cover all their bases? In this article, we share our best recommendations.
Candidates to avoid:Â
20 Third Interview Example Questions and Answers
We can’t cover every possible question that might come up in your third interview. If you know anyone who went through the same interview process as you, reach out to them for an inside scoop on what to expect.
Barring that, here are some common interview questions that’ll likely turn up, in one form or another, in your third interview. Remember that the third interview focuses heavily on behavioral questions, so answers will vary greatly depending on your background. Use the sample answers for formatting, not content.
At my last job as a sales representative, I had a client who was threatening to take their business elsewhere. In a meeting with the customer, I was able to map out the issues he was having and change how we handled his account to better suit his needs. I learned the importance of being proactive in these situations so that issues can be resolved before they reach the point they did. Since then, I’ve encouraged the rest of my team to use my method of regular check-ins with clients to make sure that everyone was happy with the service we provided.
When I was promoted to manager at Cugino’s Restaurant, I was initially thrilled. But the manager before me had a very lax attitude towards people covering each other’s shifts. I felt that the system was confusing and inefficient, and left less sociable employees with fewer shift options than the “popular group.” When I instituted changes to how covering shifts worked, it was unpopular at first, because it added a layer of managerial approval, but overall, the restaurant staffing was better organized.
At XYZ Company, my supervisor tasked us with maintaining a sales spreadsheet that showed which potential customers each team member had already reached out to. I found this system extremely inefficient and confusing and often led to members of our sales team contacting the same people. I developed an automated process whereby all the sales representatives’ contacts were automatically logged in a new, streamlined spreadsheet. By showing my supervisor a finished product that improved our day-to-day work, she was convinced that this change of tactics was for the best.
When I was working as a software developer at ABC Organization, our customer success manager was in the hospital for a few weeks. During this time, one developer from each project was asked to liaise with the client. While I’m normally used to discussing my work with peers, I had never really had to communicate with a layman before. However, I was able to describe the progress on the client’s project to her without any major misunderstandings, and the client actually rated our customer service as 10/10 when it came time to assess our performance.
I am always trying to grow as a person and as an employee. I’m a fast learner and confident that I can quickly become familiar with your internal systems. I’ve also started taking courses on Python, and am excited to master it as I’ve mastered other programming languages in the past.
At my last job, a member of my team would consistently blame his mistakes on a project on other team members. I’ve always felt that the best way to handle a conflict is directly. So I spoke directly with him and let him know that the team was starting to lose faith in him, as he had pointed the finger at just about every one of us. Afterward, he was much more forthcoming about his mistakes and more open about asking for help when he needed it.
I think it depends on the project. When I was developing a project for a client at my last job, it was still full of issues when the deadline arrived. I pushed for us to wait until the project was perfect before delivering it, and the client was pleased to have a fully-functional product at the end. However, in the case of internal projects, I feel it’s best to deliver a project immediately when it’s passable and then implement improvements from there.
When my team was tasked with developing a product for our last client, we were given vague parameters and each team member had a poor idea of what was expected of them. I ended up taking the lead on the project, which involved developing a more focused strategy. Ultimately, the project was finished ahead of schedule, and my team was awarded for their excellent work. My model for the project’s strategies was eventually implemented to streamline future endeavors.
In the past, when I’ve received negative feedback from my manager, I’ve always worked to understand what I could do better. For example, when I was working for Company Inc., my manager expressed that my PowerPoint presentation for a client wasn’t up to snuff. I talked with her after and found out what her priorities were for this sort of project. By taking her advice into account, I was able to consistently deliver successful presentations afterward.
I tend to be a very methodical worker who breaks down a project into mini-goals. So when I was partnered with a co-worker who had a more freeform approach to projects, I was worried. However, I was able to play to both of our strengths. I handled the nitty-gritty tasks in my methodical way, while my partner kept an eye on the big picture. By working to combine our different work styles, we actually came up with a better-finished product than either of us would have come up with on our own.
Other Possible Questions:
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“So, do you have any questions for me?”
When you reach this point in a job interview — where the interviewer is done with their questions and opens up the floor — you don’t want to be caught off guard. It’s important to have a plan for how you’ll respond, and a list of questions specific to that opportunity.
But what types of questions should you actually ask? And are there certain ones to avoid? I turned to two job interview experts for advice: Art Markman, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Bring Your Brain to Work, and John Lees, a UK-based career strategist and author of How to Get a Job You Love. Here are their recommendations for how to approach this part of the interview and sample questions they’ve seen work in practice.
FAQ
What questions should I ask in a third interview?
What is the purpose of a 3rd interview?
What are 5 unique questions you can ask at the end of an interview?
- What do you personally like most about working for this organisation? …
- How would you describe your organisation’s culture? …
- Can you tell me about the kind of supervision you provide? …
- What have past employees done to succeed in this position?
