What are the Different Steps in an Interview Process?
Every interview you ever have is going to be a little different, depending on the company, the job you’re applying for, and of course, the individual interviewer. In other words, no matter how much you prepare for an interview, there will probably always be at least one or two questions that surprise you or one or two tests you didn’t quite expect. However, nearly every company relies on a few common types of interview formats and questions, and preparing for those common types of interviews will give you a much better chance of acing that interview and landing the job.
STEPS OF THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
- The Phone Screen
The phone screen is typically the first step in the interview process. A hiring manager (or a member of their team) has reviewed your application materials, and based on those documents they think that you have the potential to add strength to their team. However, they haven’t met you yet; they’ve only met the version of you shown on a computer screen. The phone screen is their chance to speak to you as a person, to spot red flags, and to determine if they think you could be a good fit. - The Take Home Project
The take-home exam is used to assess your comfort with more difficult tasks, and to assess domain-specific knowledge. You will be asked to build a project within a strict deadline (typically 24–48 hours) and will be given a set of specifications to meet. You will then likely be asked to present your code during a subsequent interview, walking your interviewer(s) verbally through your solutions. - The Technical Interview(s)
The technical interview is often onsite for office jobs, but may also take place online or even during a second phone interview. Although you’ve probably already been asked a few simple technical questions at this point, the technical interview will go into much more detail about your technical experience, and you’ll be asked to work on problems related to data structures, algorithms, and the company’s preferred stack. - The Behavioral Interview
Some companies combine interviews, so you may have the behavioral interview and the technical interview on the same day (or, for local jobs, on the same onsite visit), or you may attend one interview that assesses both behavioral fit and cultural fit at the same time. In the behavioral interview, you will be asked several questions designed to give the interviewer an understanding of how you deal with challenges, conflicts, failures, and opportunities. - The Culture Fit Interview
Culture fit interviews are often combined with other interviews. In fact, you may not even realize that you’re currently being assessed for culture fit at all. However, culture fit is incredibly important, and while your interviewer probably won’t say “this is a culture fit interview,” you will almost certainly be asked questions that will give the interviewer an idea of how you would fit into their workplace culture. Your interviewer will ask questions to figure out how you’ll treat others on the team, how you’ll respond to clients, and how you might interact with those with different personalities. - The Pair-Programming Interview
In a typical pair-programming interviewer, you will be matched with a current member of the team and given a basic problem or task to work on alongside another programmer. You will receive a list of requirements or guidelines and will be expected to walk your partner verbally through your process and solution. You will be able to ask your partner questions, and may be able to use online resources as a supplement.
Now that you know the different interview steps to prepare for, doing as much research as you can about a company’s interview process would be worth noting. Good luck!
