Change in the interview process

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the progress in the application process with the consulting firm thus far!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• I would advise you to reach out to the recruiter for clarification. It’s completely understandable to seek confirmation about the interview stages, especially when there has been an unexpected change. Just keep your inquiry polite and straightforward, mentioning that you want to ensure you're fully prepared for any additional steps in the process.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

1) Is it common for companies to schedule additional interviews after indicating that a previous one was the final?

It is not common, but sometimes it happens if (i) they realize that you might better fit a certain division, (ii) they understand they need the opinion of an additional person (most likely, your case) or (iii) they have some doubts about your performance after the last interviews. 

2) How should I approach confirming this with HR without seeming unprofessional or overly concerned? 

If they require another interview, there isn't much you can do besides following the process and completing the interview. The possible way to accelerate the process in these cases is by getting another offer and leveraging it with the original firm, but it probably won't work in this case, as they need to wait for the new head of data analytics to join.

3) Additionally, how should I best prepare for an interview with the head of the data analytics department?

First of all, I would recommend clarifying with HR what the format of the last interview will be. Based on that, you should hopefully be able to find some information to prepare for that format (you can also post a new Q&A here if needed, explaining the format required for more feedback).

Good luck!

Francesco

Looks like in the meantime they decided to hire a new head of data analytics and don't want to step on his/her toes and give him/her the final decision.

This is not unprofessional. It's how business life is. Things change, and when they changed they updated you on the information.

Now it's up to you to decide on whether you are willing or not to wait another month to have another interview and still not know if you're going to have an offer.

Hi there,

This sounds like a matter of internal politics. If they already know that a new department head will be joining who is seemingly going to interact a lot with the person who is getting hired for the position you are applying to, then it is only natural to let the new department head give their blessings before extending an offer. So it is essentially up to you to decide if you are willing to wait for another month - or if you already have a competing offer you are content with.

Best

Hi there,

I would not worry about this!

It seems that some organizational changes are occurring in the background with the hiring of a new head.

They would likely just want to give this person a say in the upcoming hiring decisions, hence the change of plans.

Cheers,

Florian