Job-Hunt Intelligence - How to Ace a Speed Interview

Published: Tue, 08/29/17

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By Laura DeCarlo

First, there was speed dating, and now there is speed interviewing. This may be the first interview the candidate has for a job with an employer, and typically, it takes place at that employer's location.

When the interview is scheduled, ask for details about the interview, like the names and job titles of the people who will be interviewing you. This should help you in your preparation.

The goal of speed interviews is to save everyone's time, and to interview as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. It also gives employers a chance to see how the candidates respond to pressure and competition.

What is a Speed Interview?

A typical speed interview meeting could include up to 10 to 15 job seekers and sometimes the same number of interviewers. Each candidate moves along to a new interviewer at the commencement of a bell in a series of mini-interviews:

  • Several candidates are interviewed for the same job with the same employer.
  • Each mini-interview is one-on-one with a single candidate and interviewer.
  • Each mini-interview usually lasts a maximum of 15 minutes; some are as short as 5 or 10 minutes.
  • When one mini-interview ends, another begins with a different interviewer.

Often, the candidate moves from table to table or room to room where different people conduct brief interviews. Or, the job candidate remains seated at a table and different interviewers take turns sitting opposite the candidate.

When the speed interview is over, each candidate has been briefly interviewed by each interviewer. In total, these interviews may take up several hours of everyone's time.

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By Susan P. Joyce

Rats! You've received the dreaded "thank-you-for-your-interest-but..." letter, and you are very surprised. The interviews went really well! You liked all (or most) of the people you met there, and it seemed that they liked you, too.

But, you were the number 2 or number 3 candidate. Close, but no cigar... Dang!

What now? Move on to the next opportunity, right? Of course. But first...

If you really liked the people, the location, and the organization, try turning that rejection letter on its head! Convert it into an opportunity. Maybe. It happens more often than you think!

Send a Thank You Note

Hopefully, you wrote thank you notes to the interviewers after the job interviews. (Right?)

Ask yourself: Would I want to be considered when another opportunity opens there?

IF you really did like the people you met and if it seemed like a place you would be happy working, send a nice thank you note to the hiring manager, the recruiter, and everyone else who was in the interview process.

If you did NOT like them, and don't really want to work there, don't bother.

In 2014, I posted a version of this article on LinkedIn with this headline: The Biggest Mistake After a Job Rejection. If you think the thank-you-for-rejecting-me note is a crazy idea, read all the comments from people for whom this strategy worked!

 
Whether you are in a job search or managing your career, you'll want to grab your free copy of the latest version of Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi's 15 Minute Guide to Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn. This ebook will help you to use LinkedIn more effectively and also to improve your understanding of personal branding.
 

Newest Job-Hunt Quick Guide: 
Smart Personal Branding with LinkedIn, 3rd edition
  By Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi 

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 Make LinkedIn work better for your career with Meg's help in this ebook.
 
 
Recommended Reading...

Networking is the most effective method of finding a job, beating job applications by 4 to 1 according to recent studies. If you hate face-to-face networking, you're not alone. If the top-of-the-list most-feared activity is speaking in front of people, how can launching a conversation with a stranger be far behind? Networking with strangers can be lively and fun, or it can be a shoot-me-now experience. Liz Ryan offers 10 solid tips for easing the strain.
The elevator pitch isn’t just for entrepreneurs looking to raise capital. It’s also an incredibly useful tool for you as you look for a new job, explore opportunities in a new industry, or just consider your next move. And while there’s been plenty written about that 30-second spiel and how to master it, the truth is, most of us still get it wrong. The biggest mistake people make is this: We lead off with what we’ve done in the past, instead of focusing on what we want to do in the future.

 

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