Closing the final interview: How to avoid “We’ll be in touch...”

The higher the stakes, the more nerve-racking the recruitment process. It’s painful to make it through every round of interviews for your dream procurement role and then fall at the final hurdle.

There are of course reasons beyond your control why you may wind up as second choice, rather than the person selected for the role - they may just have the edge in experience and skill set.

But if it’s a close call between two procurement candidates, it can also come down to cultural fit and interview performance. Fundamentally, most candidates interviewed can do the job - some better than others which give them an edge, but if a manager is passionate about someone on a personal level, they’ll get hired.

In my experience, if a manager likes a candidate then they find a way of offering or modifying the role. Roles are always fluid, they can hire someone a little junior or a little more senior if they have the right person - meaning the right cultural fit.

So, what can you do to clinch the deal, show you’re the right fit for the company and avoid the dreaded words ‘we’ll be in touch’?

The main reasons that candidates fall down at final interviews:

• Complacency - never assume you have the job! You need to show you’re still hungry, not coasting because you think it’s in the bag.
• Relying on the same answers and examples from previous rounds - you may get the same or similar questions, but interviewers will be looking for different qualities and examples. In earlier rounds they may have been checking your hard skills or technical knowledge: now they want to know what you’ll bring to the table in terms of softer skills like leadership, communication and how well you work in a team.
• Overlooking the softer side - the final round interview often will be assessing different skills and have different interviewers. Often final round interviews will be more cultural fit based, so you need to be ready to ace these questions as well.
• Not asking for feedback - reservations may have been created at previous stages of the interview process but haven’t been covered properly so there is a doubt about something in the client’s mind. Ask them if they would like you to elaborate on any points or whether they have any reservations.

How to get from a maybe to a yes.

As you move into the latter stages of the interview process, you will have met all the requirements in terms of skill set and experience. Now they’ll be looking both for a cultural ‘fit’ and for any reasons why you won’t suit the role.

This is where you really need to both sell your suitability and your cultural fit and demonstrate just how much you want the job.

1.     Preparation, preparation, preparation….

• Make sure you have answers for any areas where you aren’t 100% or where you stumbled in previous interviews. They’ll be following up on any points they’re still uncertain of. You can even ask if they have any concerns, so you can address them.
• Ensure you have received detailed feedback from your previous interviews, what you did well and where there may still be a concern. Then focus on building on the positives and covering the concerns. A good recruiter can help you here.
• Do your own due-diligence and ask your recruiter about typical questions the interviewer likes to ask, what type of people they are and want to hire etc.

2.     Don’t be difficult! Make it easy to schedule your final interview where possible, don’t play hard to get.

3.     A common question at final round interviews is: “what would you do in your first 90 days in the job”. Have a think about this before, maybe jot a few ideas down so if asked you have something to reference. This shows you’re thinking about more than just landing the role – you’ve considered what you could achieve once you’re there. This also helps you to formulate smart medium to long term questions.

4.     Emphasize that your personality is the right fit for the organisation and find common ground with the interviewer. Check out the LinkedIn pages of the people interviewing you beforehand, so you are armed with knowledge about their work for the firm, their interests and experience. People hire people like them, whatever they say and people they like and feel comfortable with so find commonality.

5.     Make sure the interviewers know that you are keen - tell them how keen you are, not in a desperate way but people like people who like them and want to join them, so make sure that you tick this box.

6.     Positive body language and terminology is also key. Make sure you have a firm handshake, good eye contact, smile and sit upright and if appropriate, subtly mirror match the interviewer’s body language, tone and vocabulary.

7.     Final round interviews often include drinks with the team or a dinner with the team, so are dressed up as an informal setting, not an interview. IT IS AN INTERVIEW. Make sure you still dress appropriately, don’t swear, don’t drink too much and generally approach it professionally.

Top tips of how you can stand out at final round

• Make sure that you answer questions giving examples of what you have done personally, not what the team did – this is a very common mistake. What did you personally save? What level of stakeholders did you work with?
• Think beyond short-term answers. If they ask why you want to work at the company in particular, show you see yourself there long-term – talk about the opportunities for career progression, learning and development.
• Answer all questions by giving specific and concise examples to back up your points (study the STAR technique for a guide to answering competency-based interview questions).
• Have a solid list of prepared questions – and if it’s appropriate, ask the interviewer about their background, why they joined and why they stay at the firm. By definition, if they are interviewing you, they must be doing well and people like to tell others why they are doing well. In turn, they’ll feel good about you because you are showing an interest in them. You can then also use the interviewer as a live case study of what it could be like to work for this firm and how you could progress.
• Don’t be afraid to highlight your accomplishments! One study showed that narcissists (who tend to be enthusiastic and open about their achievements) actually did better in job interviews.

Procurement interview tips

CIPS list of key competencies: https://www.cips.org/en-gb/knowledge/global-standard-for-procurement-and-supply/

Interview questions for buyers: https://www.cips.org/en-GB/supply-management/opinion/2013/march/10-interview-questions-every-buyer-should-know/

If you would like any further advice on interview techniques, or simply want to find out more about current procurement and supply chain vacancies then get in touch now at d.mcelroy@bramwithconsulting.co.uk or call 0207 138 4100