Hiring Managers won’t schedule a final round interview without a genuine desire to have you in their company. You are legitimately in the running to procure the job in question. At Excel Recruitment, we prepare candidates week in week out, and have been fed back some of this information from the companies we recruit for. Final round interviews are always the trickiest. Candidates often feel they have exhausted themselves, having already identified and sold themselves and their attributes.

In most cases final round interviews will take place in-store/on site. You will have illustrated that you have the skills for the job, now is the time for them to gauge mannerisms and your cultural fit, two very important facets that determine your success in a new job.

Whilst we recruit for a variety of positions and industries, these were the areas of focus that appear pertinent to any job.

Confidence

Confidence is incredibly important in most situations, but particularly in interviews and especially in the final round.

• Going into the interview don’t show any self-doubt.
• Know your CV upside down, know your numbers, (KPIs, targets, profits, turnover) and know your capabilities with regard to this job.
• You have been impressed with your CV to be called for interview in the first place. You were invited back after meeting you; there is no reason why you shouldn’t be confident.

Know when to brag about your strong attributes, what positive and progressive changes and what you’ve achieved previous. Contrastingly, know when the right time to address your weak point is. Self-awareness isn’t arrogance, nor is it self-doubt. One thing to remember is to spin any weaknesses positively. An example that prevents you from sounding overconfident might be

• Acknowledging any weakness and showing tangible steps you’ve taken to improve.

Preparation

ALWAYS prepare beforehand. This is one thing that couldn’t be emphasised by clients and consultants enough. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail. A phrase that typifies what will happen if you fail to do sufficient research.

Always have a back-up plan going in case something doesn’t go as planned. (One thing that is more popular over the last few months is a SWOT analysis by candidates.)

• Practice your presentation/answers and get feedback from friends and family about the language you are using.

• Don’t undervalue paper presentations. Be prepared for any glitches on the day, and back up such presentations to your email, drop box, google drive etc. so they are accessible on any device. Should all these fail, go old school with it printed out. It leaves you well prepared in terms of content and adequately prepared for every technical eventuality.

*One thing you need to be aware of at all times is that this is not your first interview. Unless you are meeting with totally different people, don’t bore the interviewees by talking about the same things you did in your first interview.

Your Talk

Companies want positivity. Speaking well of your past and current employers and showing excitement about the prospects of working with your new potential company, should be premise for all answer. Always focus on framing and presenting things positively. Potential employers expect you to really shine in a final round interview. Having said that, they also expect nervousness; you are human and they know that.

Other noteworthy things.

Ask Questions

More specifically, ask thoughtful questions. Often candidates can be consumed by nerves and appear too enthused at things that aren’t important in the interview. Things like being shown the office, or fire escape. Always keep the focus on the job in question and always use this focus to build thoughtful questions. An easy one that illustrates your team awareness and fit into the team would be

• Have members of the team come from similar backgrounds to myself?

Focus on You

In final round interviews it is easy to run away with enthusiasm. Talk about potential projects you’ll be working on is naturally exciting. As is being shown all the office perks. Don’t let this be a distraction that takes away from you making your case for the position.

Remember

Put your personality across. Don’t let the severity of a final round interview deter you from building rapport. Hiring Managers appreciate a laugh (when relevant) too.

Takeaway point

If you are unsuccessful in getting the job DON’T let it shatter your confidence. You have the skills, experience and determination to have got to final round. There are likely to be various factors that led to the decision to hire someone else; it doesn’t necessarily bear negatively on you as person or as a professional.