Evaluating candidate skill and fit in the third round of interviews

In order to find the best candidate for your company, you screen and evaluate many candidates through multiple interview rounds. Even though the recruitment process is not same at every company and for all the positions, there are some basic guidelines:

• Phone screening interviews are helpful as the initial contact with job applicants to decide if they have the essential skills for the role.
• Second round interviews help you know more candidates’ skills and assess their role-specific qualities.
• Third round interviews help you to understand if candidates would be a great fit or not just for the particular position but the entire company.

For the third round interview, ask situational and competency-based interview questions to check how candidates handle challenging situations. Find candidates who:

• Are innovative thinkers
• Are inspired
• Think proactively
• Take state-of-the-art approaches

If this is the final round of your recruitment process, include interview questions that show candidates’ career objectives. It is best to look for potential hires who share the same values as your company and are more likely to work with you for the long-term.

Third round interview questions to ask candidates

• Tell me about the most challenging project you have worked on so far. What type of challenges did you face? How did you overcome them?
• If hired, what would your work plan be for the first three months here?
• If hired, what would you would you hope to learn in your first three months?
• How do you think you can help our company in reaching more clients, achieving our goals, increasing revenues and building new products?
• What is more important: delivering an error free project post deadline or delivering a fine project on time?
• Tell me about a time when you worked on an assignment that was different than your regular job duties due to an emergency. What was the final outcome and what was your approach?
• Name the tools/resources that can improve your performance.
• According to you, what is the best part of your work that you enjoy doing every day?

How to assess answers in a third round interview?

• Candidates making it to the third round of interviews are already assessed for the essential skills. Use this round to find out if they are keen to work with your company. Candidates who show interest when talking about their objectives and responsibilities are more likely to be associated with your company for a long time.
• Check how well the candidates can fit into your company culture. You need hard skills and knowledge to carry out daily duties, but also look for candidates who can work well in a team, respect the code of conduct and can adjust to your working style.
• Third round interviews are generally complicated. So, don’t reject candidates on the basis of their answers. Look for signs of adaptability and respecting other’s opinions. Look for candidates who can take responsibility for their mistakes and learn from them.
• Make sure the candidates understand their responsibilities well. It is important to show enthusiasm and desire to learn. If they don’t look motivated and excited about joining your team then this is not a positive sign.

Third Round Interview Green Flags

• Open to feedback: Look for candidates who are open to criticism and feedback and don’t have a defensive attitude.
• Shows strong motivation: In most cases, candidates who are enthusiastic, showcase a strong interest in your company and understand the job responsibilities well, are likely to be around for a longer period of time.
• Well prepared: The candidate has a good understanding of your company and its offerings. He/She is able to provide well-thought answers to difficult questions you might pose.
• Asks thoughtful questions: Evaluating questions candidates ask are also a good indicator of their interest in your company. Thoughtful third round interview questions show that the candidate wants to understand your company and the role well, so he/she can perform to the best of his/her abilities.

Third Round Interview Red Flags

• Last minute requests/limitations: Candidates who make special requests at this point, show irresponsible and unprofessional behavior and might create same issues during work.
• No questions for you: Candidates who ask follow-up questions about the further steps or working culture are looking forward to being a part of your team.
• Unpredictable behavior: If interviewers have different experiences with a candidate and have different opinions about their behaviors and skills, this can be a red flag.
• No team spirit: Hypothetical scenarios and previous experiences are good signs of candidates’ behavior in a team. If they don’t understand the importance of working in a team or don’t give credit to their team members for the success of a project, they may not be good team players.
• They are not prepared: Later stages of the recruitment process generally involve more complicated questions. Candidates who are keen to work with your company will have researched your services/products and competition.