After two previous interviews today I got this like email:
“I spoke with {} recently and he shared that he’d like to invite you to a final round of interviews for the Mobile Software Engineer role onsite in {} – congrats! What does your availability look like on the following dates to come onsite to {} for your interviews (July 21 – 25, 2025 or July 28 – August 1, 2025)? The interviews will be about a half day. When I receive confirmation of your availability, I’ll begin scheduling your final round of interviews and will send you final confirmation details via email when that’s complete.”
— I’ve never had a real job besides research in University and entry level stuff like sign spinning; what should I expect when I go in? What should/shouldn’t I do?
— does this mostly mean they’re checking to see if I’m not a psycho? But if I’m not I’ve got the job?
— it might just be reading into it but they said interviews plural— am I going in multiple days? Or does this mean there are other people interviewing?
Thanks! Crazy excited after hundreds of applications. I know I can knock there socks off if I get a chance— I really don’t want to mess this up.
At many companies you talk to more than one person in a single visit, so when that person writes about interviews, the plural, it’s likely that they’re planning to have you speak with multiple people.
Everything depends on the company, but if you’re going in for a multi-hour session, you’re probably on the short list of candidates. So you should feel good about where you are, but you don’t have the job yet.
Ahh that makes sense didn’t consider that— would def be a long single interview otherwise. Thanks!
Especially with it taking 'half a day" I’d assume talking to 3-5 people. Recruiter, manager, knowledge checker, possible peer, etc.
The state of the job market is such bullshit. It’s one thing to go through this if you’re a final choice but often times you’re still just in the running. Wasting half a day with an on site trip to just get passed over is such bullshit…
But that’s the rats race. Welcome to the game.
You’re not necessarily wrong, but the company is at least invested enough in this candidate to make it worth spending a bunch of engineers’ time on it. That’s why they do the offsite screening interviews in advance. I’ve interviewed plenty of great candidates, but also plenty of mediocre ones and a few surprisingly poor ones. And in the end it’s still a bit of a gamble about how a strong candidate will perform in the job. Hiring the wrong person sucks all around, and the half day onsite interview is merely the least bad method used in the software industry.