The Interview Loop

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The interview loop is the series of conversations and tests a company designs to assess a candidate’s fitness for a role. Interview loops are most effective when they are standardized—to the extent possible, the process puts every candidate for a role through the same loop. This practice helps to calibrate expectations of candidates, interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers.*

At the outset of an interview process, the company may change some specifics of the interview loop after the first couple of candidates to account for unforeseen gaps or to adjust expectations based on how the first round of candidates perform. When hiring for roles that no one at the company has held before—for example, hiring the company’s first QA engineer—the loop may need multiple rounds of adjustments.

A company’s style and priorities inform the structure of interviews. To balance candidate experience with the signal you need to gather, traditional interview loops likely include one or two phone screens and an onsite interview. Effective interview processes increase time and effort demands on the candidate as they progress rather than being front-loaded with “hoop-jumping” exercises, and they also avoid any surprises for the candidate, which the hiring manager or recruiter can facilitate by telling the candidate what to expect from the process.

A sample interview loop might include:

1. Recruiter screening call or meeting. The recruiter screens for general role fit, and fact-finds to prepare the rest of the loop. (This could instead be done by a hiring manager, especially if the company doesn’t have recruiters.)

2. Technical phone screen. A phone conversation tests for core skills, typically basic programming or technical concepts. (Some companies may conduct two phone screens to gather more signal, or so a second interviewer can offer perspective.)

3. Take-home evaluation. This is a variant of the basic skills screen that may take the form of an online challenge or simpler take-home test. (Many companies skip this.)

4. Onsite interviews. These typically extend half or most of a day and include three to six interviews in several formats, covering:

   a. in-person coding questions

   b. non-coding technical questions

   c. behavioral questions

   d. wrap-up conversation with the hiring manager that includes questions, concerns, or loose ends, and sets expectations on next steps

   e. some kind of social event, like lunch with the team.

5. Interviewer feedback. Each interviewer offers written feedback on the candidate, and/or discussion among the interviewing panel.

6. Post-interview follow-ups. Calls, meetings, and possibly second onsite visits allow the hiring team to assess anything not yet covered or to gather more signal on something interviewers disagree about.

7. Reference checks. The hiring manager or interviewers call past employers and colleagues to verify aspects of the candidate’s experience.

8. Decision and negotiation. The company gives either a rejection or an offer. An offer leads to negotiation and acceptance or rejection by the candidate.

​important​Note that this is one of many possible paths. In particular, outbound candidates or senior candidates may necessitate a more selling-focused, organic process that begins with conversations rather than skills assessments and moves more quickly to onsite interviews.

Figure: Example Interview Loop With Targets

Source: Kevin Morrill

A company may offer trial employment, in which the candidate joins the company for a short probationary period while the employer decides whether to offer them a full-time position. During the trial employment period, the candidate may occupy an internship or contractor position, and both the candidate and the company have the opportunity to get a more complete feel for whether there’s a fit. However, many candidates cannot accommodate trial employment requests, especially if they have existing jobs or other commitments.*