Read Part One: How to prepare and what to expect here.
Read Part Three: Question and answer game plan here.

Now that you’re prepped and rested, you’re ready for the big day!

First thing’s first
Not to sound like your mother, but  – even if you’re not a breakfast person (like me) – make sure to eat something before you start your day. You will likely have a chance to refuel at a lunch interview, but it’s important to be at your best during the morning sessions. Being hungry and anxious for lunchtime can distract you from your interviews and affect your performance.

For all you coffee drinkers (myself included), be mindful about how much caffeine you have. I find that if I need to do a presentation or something similar, the more coffee I have – the more anxious I get, and it impacts my confidence level.

Transportation & arrival
For those of you who haven’t visited the Puget Sound area and aren’t familiar with our campuses here… we have a few. There are over 40,000 employees in over 100 buildings in four cities. Our Redmond campus is the largest and, even for me, can sometimes be difficult to navigate (I heart my Garmin). Fear not, however. Your interview scheduler will send you a link to Bing Maps for you to plan your route.
 
For those of you interviewing in Redmond, your interview day will probably start in our recruiting building. Please plan to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time to account for traffic, getting lost and checking in with reception. If you are early – we have a new candidate experience lobby for you to explore while you wait for your interview time to roll around. Be sure to get your picture taken and tell us about yourself on the HP computers… You’ll end up as part of a video mural on our wall!

Meet your recruiter
Your recruiter will come down to get you and take you to their office or one of our many focus rooms for your first interview. Each of us recruiters is a bit different in our approach, so not every candidate will end up with the same experience.

I’ve typically had phone interviews with my candidates before a decision is made to bring them in to interview. That being the case, I only ask a few questions of my candidates. The rest of the time, I walk candidates through their schedule, explain what to expect from the day, discuss compensation and benefits and answer their questions. Before I end the interview, I schedule a call with candidates one to two days after the interview to go over feedback.

Where to go
Most interviews take place in only two buildings: the recruiting building and the site of the group with which you are interviewing. You won’t have to worry about trying to find your way though. We have a shuttle service on campus to get you from place to place. Your recruiter will fill you in on how to use them.
   
As you ride in the shuttle on your way to your next interview, take the time to gather your thoughts, review your resume and your talking points, jot down some questions you want to ask the group, etc. When you arrive, let the receptionist know you’re there to meet with your interviewer and relax.

Let the fun begin
When your interviewer comes down to get you for your interview, bear in mind that they don’t interview people as often as your recruiter. If you need something to drink (we have a variety of beverages available in all our kitchens), or need to hit the restroom – don’t be shy: ASK! They might not think to offer. This applies to both on your way to your interviews and on the way back to the lobby in between interviews. The reason I mention this is that unlike our recruiting lobby, most of our buildings do not have access to restrooms or refreshments unless you have a badge (access card).

In between each interview, you will be taken back to the lobby where you will have five or ten minutes until your next interview – unless you need to travel to another building, in which case your schedule will give you 15–30 minutes of travel time. Our interviewers understand it is a long day and they want you to be able to be at your best. If you find you need a bit longer of a break, please ask.

I’ll tell on myself here. I’m a diabetic and during one of my interviews (either for the position I have now, or my contract role, I don’t remember), my sugar started to drop. It’s an odd feeling… imagine having consumed 10 cups of coffee. The person I was meeting with was one of the big decision makers and, as I was on a roll, I didn’t want to jinx anything so I kept going. I made it through the interview, grabbed a soda, and headed on my way home. I immediate begin to develop concerns that my low blood sugar came across as being nervous or anxious and that I might not have won him over. Obviously, I got the job, but if I had it to do over again, a simple, “I’m so sorry, do you mind if I grab a soda. My sugar’s a little low,” would not have impacted the situation or influenced his decision. Not to mention save me some of the stress I experienced while waiting to find out if I got the job. Moral of the story – if you need something: ask.

On some occasions, due to scheduling issues, you can have up to an hour break in between your interviews. While this can extend your day, it can be a welcome break for you and a chance to reflect on your prior interviews. When assessing your performance, look back and see which questions (or coding problems, for technical folks) you could have answered better. Interviewers share feedback with their peers and, often times, if you didn’t hit the nail on the head the first go around, another interviewer may ask you a similar question. Showing that you are self-aware and can have a new answer/solution to the question/problem can go a long way when the team makes a hiring decision.

Lunch
As I mentioned in my prior post, you will likely get lunch. The lunch interview can be a bit more casual and relaxed than your other interviews. Additionally, it tends to be longer – usually 90 minutes, though sometimes it will only be an hour. Your interviewer will take you to one of our 39 cafes. There are a variety of food choices and local restaurant choices available in each of our cafes. We offer Vietnamese, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Egyptian, Chinese food and more throughout all of their locations (choices vary by location). All of the cafes tend to have a grill (burgers, etc), salad bar, sandwich bar, pizza bar, soups, entrée bar, and an espresso stand serving Starbucks© Coffee. It is cafeteria style, so if you’re like me, make a full loop around the café and see what looks the best before making a choice. Once you load up your tray, find your interviewer so they can pay for your lunch. Grab a free soda out of the coolers and head off to find a table.

Most interviewers will primarily talk about their team, projects, technologies, etc. for the first half hour or so. This gives you time to eat without having to worry about answering a lot of questions in between bites. Now, I will give a disclaimer and say, again, most interviewers do this. If you get one that dives right into some tough questions, do your best! One strategy you could try is to ask a very vague, open ended question so they do the talking and you can start shoveling in that food.

After you’re done eating, expect the intensity to increase a bit as they will dig in with some of the tougher interview questions. Some interviewers will even take you back to their office for additional questions if they have time to do so.

How long will the day last?
I know that some people have asked, “Is it true the longer the interview day goes, the better I am doing?” In the words of our Legal and Corporate Affairs attorneys, “It depends.” There are several reasons that can impact how long your day goes, including some of the following:

•    They may decide you’d be a better fit on a different team or in a different job discipline and bring in other interviewers.
•    You’re doing well and they want you to meet with more senior members of the team.
•    There are contrasting opinions for the interviewers you’ve met with and they’re looking for others to give their opinions as well.
•    You may have demonstrated an unanticipated strength in an area someone on the loop is not familiar with, so they may add someone who is.

And, yes, if the team decides you’re not a good fit, your interview day may tie up after a few interviews. However, there are other reasons this could happen such as scheduling issues with people on the team or an urgent problem that requires the team’s attention. In some cases, we may have to reschedule some of your interviews for another day.
 
I want to stress that a decision not to move forward with a hire is not necessarily a bad thing. As I mentioned previously, I did not get hired after my first interview. And frankly, I’m glad I didn’t... for a couple reasons. I learned a lot about what it was like to go through an interview here, and was able to better prepare for my next interview. Secondly, after a person was hired in the role I didn’t get, and I saw what she ended up doing – I realized I wasn’t as qualified as I thought I was and likely would have struggled in the role. I’m much more successful in the role I have today, and, as I’ve grown, I’ve been able to take on some projects and responsibilities that role has – but at a pace where I can be set up for success.

The conclusion
When you are finished for the day, your last interviewer will let you know that you are free to go. Hop in a shuttle and return to the recruiting building. You will not need to meet with your recruiter – just find your car and head on your way. Whether you’re off to the airport, a hotel, or home, treat yourself to a great dinner – you’ve earned it.

Now comes the worst part, at least it is has been for me: the wait. Depending on the number of candidates being considered for the position, it can take anywhere from a day to two weeks before you hear anything. Give your recruiter at least two days before you check in – frequently, we need to talk with the hiring manager who is often waiting to circle back with all of your interviewers.

As I mentioned, I schedule calls with my candidates to go over feedback one to two days after their interviews. Even if I don’t have a final decision, I like to at least touch base and try to set expectations as to when I might have a definitive answer. I’d encourage you to make a point of asking your recruiter to setup a similar call if they don’t offer. If I don’t have a final decision the day of my follow-up call, I like to use email to keep people updated and do my best to call you once I know the final decision. There have been times I’ve emailed people when I had a decision and didn’t have the time to call. I suspect that most of peers work the same way.

I understand that some of you are, no doubt, curious about what kinds of questions are asked during the interviews and what hints, tips or suggestions may be available. Well, you’re just going to have to wait for Part Three! Look for it on JobsBlog late next week.

–Ryan