what to expect at an onsite interview

[obake1]

Last week I applied for an awesome job and within a week I've gone through two phone interviews. The first one was with the recruiter and then the day after, the second phone interview was with the person who this position would report to. Both interviews consisted of pretty standard questions (lasted about 30 minutes each), i.e., tell me about yourself, your current job duties, why you're leaving, etc. I got the feeling that the supervisor had a good impression of me after our conversation.

Just last night, I found out I got a third interview, except this time it's at their office for about an hour and I believe it'll be a face to face with the supervisor of the position as well as maybe one or two other people from the department. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I have a feeling that it'll be a "will you fit in" type of interview. I've never gone through one of those types of interviews before, so I have no idea what they might ask. Anyone able to give me some tips on what type of questions to expect?

Also, I'm not really sure what to wear to it either. The company consists of pretty much, well, all gamers...so I definitely won't be showing up in a suit. I was thinking I'd just wear a dress shirt, some black khakis, and black shoes.

[Kev111]

Khaki's, a collared shirt, and your most comfortable shoes.

The majority of questions will be along the lines of "why do you want to work here?" and "what kind of past experiences have you had that would influence your work ethic?" etc etc. I just had an interview a week ago, and the majority of questions were along those lines, and ones like "give us an example of a time . . . and how people reacted to it."

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

Last week I applied for an awesome job and within a week I've gone through two phone interviews. The first one was with the recruiter and then the day after, the second phone interview was with the person who this position would report to. Both interviews consisted of pretty standard questions (lasted about 30 minutes each), i.e., tell me about yourself, your current job duties, why you're leaving, etc. I got the feeling that the supervisor had a good impression of me after our conversation.

Just last night, I found out I got a third interview, except this time it's at their office for about an hour and I believe it'll be a face to face with the supervisor of the position as well as maybe one or two other people from the department. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I have a feeling that it'll be a "will you fit in" type of interview. I've never gone through one of those types of interviews before, so I have no idea what they might ask. Anyone able to give me some tips on what type of questions to expect?

Also, I'm not really sure what to wear to it either. The company consists of pretty much, well, all gamers...so I definitely won't be showing up in a suit. I was thinking I'd just wear a dress shirt, some black khakis, and black shoes.

I'd probably just go ahead and invest in a pair of actual dress pants and dress shoes.

If you're on the 3rd interview, chances are they like you so far, and now you're going into the final round, where you'll really be competing against their other top picks, so you need to give off the best impression possible. Don't dress half assed just because they happen to be gamers.

[Rec]

I'd probably just go ahead and invest in a pair of actual dress pants and dress shoes.

If you're on the 3rd interview, chances are they like you so far, and now you're going into the final round, where you'll really be competing against their other top picks, so you need to give off the best impression possible. Don't dress half assed just because they happen to be gamers.

They're also looking for someone that's going to fit in with the culture of the company.

Wear khakis and a nice shirt (collared, of course). Make sure you're comfortable.

GL!

Edit: And don't wear black shoes with khakis, unless they miraculously match your shift, you'll look sily.

[Palmatum]

Just wear formal but tone it down a bit. Smart shoes, trousers and shirt tucked in, make sure you wear a belt and roll the sleeves up on the shirt, don't bother with a tie.

Should be fine.

[Deleted]

Not really sure where you're applying for so hard to tell.

But shirt, tie, trousers and shoes are necessary. Even Apple expect prospective employees to dress in a shirt and tie for interviews. Nobody dresses like that once they're employed there of course, it's just standard in the industry.

[Silhouette of Seraphim]

They're also looking for someone that's going to fit in with the culture of the company.

Looking a small touch better than the standard is good for an interview.

There are far more telling things they'll go over in the interview to decide if he's going to fit in with the culture.

[Roose]

Be yourself. That is what they want to check now, to see how well you will fit in to their company. By this point they are already well aware of your credentials and ability to answer questions. It is now down to who will fit in best, and sometimes that is out of your control.

Take comfort in that you made it this far. Relax, but do not get sloppy.

[obake1]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. In terms of the questions, from Kev111 experience, they seem to be similar to what I've already been asked, so if I just go over what I talked about in my phone interviews, I should be ok if they're going to ask them again. Should I expect any other commonly asked questions that might be more in depth?

[Cthulhu 2020]

Just wear formal but tone it down a bit. Smart shoes, trousers and shirt tucked in, make sure you wear a belt and roll the sleeves up on the shirt, don't bother with a tie.

Should be fine.

Pretty much this, don't bother with a tie.

[Rukentuts]

Not really sure where you're applying for so hard to tell.

But shirt, tie, trousers and shoes are necessary. Even Apple expect prospective employees to dress in a shirt and tie for interviews. Nobody dresses like that once they're employed there of course, it's just standard in the industry.

Agreed. I went with suit jacket + tie, even though we wear jeans + polo shirts on a normal workday.

[someotherguy]

They might ask your some really tough question, that you won't be able to answer, to see how you deal with it.

let us know how it goes.

[TheBeardedOne]

If you have time go scope the place out first and look at what employees entering are wearing, also make sure you study up on the company so when asked anything about it you can respond with interest. They will more than likely ask some random and irrelevant questions or ask your opinions on things, be honest unless you are a good lair (or they will sense you are just telling them what you think they want to hear)

[Sunshine]

Don't dress up too much; otherwise, you'll seem like a bad fit for the position. If you know it's a company which has a casual dress code, go ahead with khakis and a dress shirt. When I interviewed where I work now, I knew standard dress was jeans and a t-shirt; I wore jeans and a collared shirt and got the job.

If your position is customer-facing, you might want to dress up a bit more to prove that you're professional to them. If it's not and they're really that concerned about what you're wearing for an interview more than what you say and do, it might not be somewhere you want to work.


As far as what they'll ask, it highly depends on what kind of company you're working for. If it's a technical position, expect technical questions of the sort that you might solve on a daily basis. Talk through all of your answers; a lot of times they're trying to see your thought process more than whether you get the question right in the end. Don't be afraid to ask for a hint if you get really stuck; they'd rather see you progress and finish than just get stuck on a silly detail.


If you're really not sure about either of these, just ask the recruiter you've been in contact with; most recruiters are very helpful with everything including dress code and other expectations.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Put on a suit, take a picture of yourself, print picture, wear what you think you'll be wearing to work there, then go to the interview. When you get there, explain to the interviewer that you came in what you expected to wear if you got the job so they could better judge how you'd fit in to the workplace, but you have a picture of yourself in your suit if they'd like to see.

Note that I just made up this approach in like 10 seconds so I don't really advocate you actually doing it, it just sounds amusing.

[obake1]

Don't dress up too much; otherwise, you'll seem like a bad fit for the position. If you know it's a company which has a casual dress code, go ahead with khakis and a dress shirt. When I interviewed where I work now, I knew standard dress was jeans and a t-shirt; I wore jeans and a collared shirt and got the job.

If your position is customer-facing, you might want to dress up a bit more to prove that you're professional to them. If it's not and they're really that concerned about what you're wearing for an interview more than what you say and do, it might not be somewhere you want to work.


As far as what they'll ask, it highly depends on what kind of company you're working for. If it's a technical position, expect technical questions of the sort that you might solve on a daily basis. Talk through all of your answers; a lot of times they're trying to see your thought process more than whether you get the question right in the end. Don't be afraid to ask for a hint if you get really stuck; they'd rather see you progress and finish than just get stuck on a silly detail.


If you're really not sure about either of these, just ask the recruiter you've been in contact with; most recruiters are very helpful with everything including dress code and other expectations.

Oh, I definitely know that the dress code is pretty much t-shirt & jeans, but to be on the safer side, I'm just going to wear a collared shirt, khakis, and a pair of casual shoes. It's for a finance position so I don't imagine I'll encounter anything I wouldn't know at all.

On an unrelated note, I see you're in SF too :P

[Kuniku]

IMO dressing oversmart isn't a bad thing - I did my interview for my current job in my best suit, I'm now at my desk in a company polo shirt!

First impressions count, I heard an advert for a radio program saying that often employers decide within the first minute if you tick the boxes or not.

Going all out shows that your serious about the job IMO, but others may disagree. (of course if you're expected to get hands on with whatever you're doing at said interview you should dress appropriately - but at a gaming job i doubt you'd need to change your dress code)

Regarding the interview itself, stay calm and try to be friendly with everyone.

[ifrah]

Do you know who will be present in the interview? If there will be some sort of recruitment/HR consultant of any type or shape, be prepared to encounter a truckload of seemingly retarded and pointless questions.

[Jetstream]

Put on a suit, take a picture of yourself, print picture, wear what you think you'll be wearing to work there, then go to the interview. When you get there, explain to the interviewer that you came in what you expected to wear if you got the job so they could better judge how you'd fit in to the workplace, but you have a picture of yourself in your suit if they'd like to see.

Note that I just made up this approach in like 10 seconds so I don't really advocate you actually doing it, it just sounds amusing.

Yeah. Never do this.

And last time I checked employers still wanted to see people in ties. I hate the things too, but I've worn one to every interview I've ever gone to.

Unless the place you're working at is so casual that ties are INAPPROPRIATE, you should probably wear a tie.

[Auloria]

You want to go a couple tiers over what the someone in your position would be wearing. It's not too bad to be overdressed, they'll notice that you are, but will take it that you are serious about the position.

Come up with some good questions about the work and the projects. Do your homework. It also helps to have a nice list of anecdotes handy that highlight your leadership, problem-solving, etc that you can casually inject into the conversation.

Be professional, but be yourself. This interview is also useful for you to determine whether it's a good fit.