Third-round

Use third-round interview questions to find super qualified candidates for the final interview.

How third-round interviews work

So you’ve done your initial candidate screening, conducted your second-round interview and now you’re onto your third. Congrats!

But what next?

The third-round interview is usually where you’ll use a combo of competency-based and situational interview questions to figure out how your candidates deal with complex situations. 

At this stage your ideal candidate will take creative approaches, be a proactive, motivated, holistic-thinker and share your company values.

Third-round interview questions

  • What is your ideal work day?
  • What resources/training would you love to have?
  • Have you ever dealt with an emergency task out of your regular job duties? What happened and how did you manage it?
  • Delivering an average project on time or delivering a perfect project late: What’s best?
  • How can you help us increase revenues, reach more customers and build new products?
  • What do you hope to learn in your first five months here?
  • What’s the most challenging project you’ve worked on so far? Why was it challenging and how did you ace it?

Candidates to look for

  • They really want it: Look for enthusiastic candidates who will stick it out long-term.‍
  • They’re respectful: Your ideal candidate needs to fit in with your team. Look for great team players who respect your policies and can adjust to your way of working.‍
  • They can take feedback: Look for flexible candidates who are open to criticism. Future high-performers should want to learn from their mistakes.‍
  • They’re motivated: Look for candidates who understand the scope of responsibilities—even if they aren’t keen on every part of the job, they need to be motivated and willing to learn.‍
  • They’re not perfect: Combine info from all previous interview stages to make your decision. Don’t look for perfect candidates, prioritize the most important criteria according to the role.

Candidates to avoid: 

  • They’re unprepared: At this stage, candidates should have some solid questions about your company. Candidates who have done their research show they care.‍
  • They lack team spirit: If they take credit for their team’s achievements or struggle to give credit where it’s due, they probably aren’t going to fit in easily.‍
  • Contradictory answers: Avoid candidates who say they’re organized and also describe situations where they’ve been rushed for time. Instead, look for candidates who show steady behavior. ‍
  • They’re passive: Look for boredom or lack of interest and note if they don’t ask any questions. You’re looking for a candidate who is enthusiastic about your company.‍
  • They present last-minute requests: Candidates who mention potential deal breakers at the last minute are probably irresponsible and lack the pro attitude you need.  

Start optimizing your recruiting process today.

Start optimizing your recruiting process today.

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