Informal Interview (offered to be conducted by phone if I wished)

LegacyUser

Hi,

I have a job interview on Tuesday for a research assistant role in a university.

It is an informal interview. What does this mean exactly in the context of the job I'm going for? What kind of outfit should I wear? The interviewer offered for the interview to be conducted over the phone as I live a fair bit away. I can't figure out if this is a good or bad thing. I said no, anyway. I much prefer the face to face interview terrifying as it is.

I guess I just need to get a handle on what to expect.

Thank you!

Eoin

Did they say the interview would be informal? Were those the words they used? I don't know if that means just don't wear a suit, or it's just the first round of a process before a more formal meeting.

I conduct phone interviews in my place - but it's not to replace the face-to-face interview; it's just to filter the candidates I do want to ask in for a full interview. If they're the same, then they'd have just asked you in for a full interview if the phone one had gone well anyway.

LegacyUser

Hiya, the exact wording was:

"Thank you for your application and for your interest in this position. I was wondering if you would be available for an informal interview sometime next week?"

and then in the next email, once I had confirmed:

"We could meet on <day and time here> if that suits for you. If you are in <my location here> at the moment, I’m happy to speak over the phone to save you a long trip up to <their location>."

Eoin

OK, I'd probably go with business casual then. For a bloke that would be trousers and a shirt, not 100% sure what that is for a woman - not jeans anyway.

I don't know enough about the area to know what it means in context of the job itself - whether it's the first step in a process or whatever.

LegacyUser

Well, had the interview, it was indeed informal. I'm a bit underwhelmed.

It went pretty OK, I got a lab tour, which is a good sign, but then got told at the end of the interview that it would be a few weeks because there was a fair few more to interview. Not a good sign. :-/

Eoin

Did they say whether the next step would be making an offer to someone, or just that there might be a formal interview then?

LegacyUser

Let me think... his words were "Well, I have a fair few people to interview over the next few weeks" and then "How soon would you be able to start if you get it?"

Eoin

OK, so maybe that was the full thing then.

I'm kind of surprised that anyone would be willing to do the full interview over the phone and not want a face-to-face one at all.

LegacyUser

Yeah, it's a weird one, I really don't know what to make of it at all at all.

Eoin

It all sounds very casual!

Bandana boy

Sounds to me like this guy is not the guy who will make the final decision.He is probably being used to weed the candidates down for a final interview with the actual person responsible for making the hire.
Although it sounds like he has very little experience doing this.

LegacyUser

Bandana boy wrote: »

Sounds to me like this guy is not the guy who will make the final decision.He is probably being used to weed the candidates down for a final interview with the actual person responsible for making the hire.
Although it sounds like he has very little experience doing this.

Believe it or not, he's the head honcho, the principal investigator of the lab!

LegacyUser

What's the feeling on sending a thank you/please consider me email to the interviewer? Good idea/timescale etc.? Need advice as I can be a tad socially inept at time.

cgc5483

Miss Apprehensive wrote: »

What's the feeling on sending a thank you/please consider me email to the interviewer? Good idea/timescale etc.? Need advice as I can be a tad socially inept at time.

Your interview format would have been pretty standard for the role you applied for. I would have conducted several interviews for such a position in a similar manner (and no it wasn't me you interviewed with ).

I think there is nothing wrong with sending an email thanking the PI for the interview and tour of the lab and that you were very impressed with role and facilities etc and would be very interested in the position.

After that if they said a few weeks would just leave it at that and follow up in 3 weeks or so if you haven't heard back. It is more than likely as they said that they have a lot of applicants for research positions at this time.

LegacyUser

cgc5483 wrote: »

Your interview format would have been pretty standard for the role you applied for. I would have conducted several interviews for such a position in a similar manner (and no it wasn't me you interviewed with ).

I think there is nothing wrong with sending an email thanking the PI for the interview and tour of the lab and that you were very impressed with role and facilities etc and would be very interested in the position.

After that if they said a few weeks would just leave it at that and follow up in 3 weeks or so if you haven't heard back. It is more than likely as they said that they have a lot of applicants for research positions at this time.

Thank you for your insight.

Tell me, what does it say if you're called for an interview for a funded Masters, three weeks before the closing date for same?

cgc5483

Miss Apprehensive wrote: »

Thank you for your insight.

Tell me, what does it say if you're called for an interview for a funded Masters, three weeks before the closing date for same?

Basically that they were probbaly impressed with your CV and you had it in well before offical closing date. The PI might often meet potential candidates before closing date.

LegacyUser

cgc5483 wrote: »

Basically that they were probbaly impressed with your CV and you had it in well before offical closing date. The PI might often meet potential candidates before closing date.

Huzzah!

LegacyUser

Sent a "What's my application status?" email today, ten days after the interview, got this response:

"Dear Miss Apprehensive,

Thanks for your e-mail. I've had a lot of good applications and interviews for this positions and am now just waiting for references to come in. I hope to be able to make a decision soon.

Best regards,

Prospective Boss"

I don't think that's good.

Eoin

It doesn't sound promising

LegacyUser

Eoin wrote: »

It doesn't sound promising

No indeed.

My boyfriend insists it's just a generic email but I don't think they'd be telling a candidate they are excited about that there are other good applicants. :-/ I have already moved the folder for that job on my laptop to the unsuccessful folder. It's just very dispiriting, the whole job-hunting thing. Emigration looms sadly, and I didn't fare well at that the last time. :-/

cgc5483

Miss Apprehensive wrote: »

No indeed.

My boyfriend insists it's just a generic email but I don't think they'd be telling a candidate they are excited about that there are other good applicants. :-/ I have already moved the folder for that job on my laptop to the unsuccessful folder. It's just very dispiriting, the whole job-hunting thing. Emigration looms sadly, and I didn't fare well at that the last time. :-/

To be honest i think your reading far too much into that email. I would take it literally as the boss has said. Lots of applications for these positions and the fact that they are looking for references would be good. If wasn't interested in the candidate I wouldn't look for their references!

Eoin

cgc5483 wrote: »

To be honest i think your reading far too much into that email. I would take it literally as the boss has said. Lots of applications for these positions and the fact that they are looking for references would be good. If wasn't interested in the candidate I wouldn't look for their references!

Yeah, but is it usual to get references before an offer has been made? I wouldn't give out those details unless it was along with an offer, but I don't work in the same industry.

Bandana boy

I have found my industry that used to do the reference check after a job offer is now doing it before/during.
I have also found companies letting the recruiter do the reference check and this is an indication of you being the candidate they are going to offer the job too.

They do not ref check everybody only the candidate being offered the job but they are completing the ref check before a concrete offer

LegacyUser

He never said it was my references he was checking though. In fact, I'd say the e-mail was very carefully worded in that way. :pac: