Meet the team - interviews

[Worriedmum40284]

Do you have any tips for how to handle 'meet the team' aspects of an interview?

I've got one later this week - meeting those the role manages, but no other details than that.

Would you be treat it less formally than the interview? Ask them questions/ask them if they want to ask you questions? Give an elevator pitch? Any advice gratefully received!

I've never heard of this and don't really understand what you're asking! But I'm intrigued - are you the employee or employer?

So it's essentially a trial day where you get to meet your team? I'm confused?

I did one not long ago. They asked me questions about by background what I thought of the companies goals and mission statement. Some technical questions and answered my questions

You are very close to getting the job to have one. Fit and culture is what they are looking for here.

Do these meet the team days mean meet the management team or your peers? Can someone explain please?

We do these where I work. We use it to check you are happy with the people you will be working with and to give you a chance to ask questions you might not ask more senior people. It gives the rest of the team a chance to say whether they want to work with you.

Be relaxed and yourself. Definitely don't do an elevator pitch! It is much more of an informal conversation.

We take them seriously and had got to a point where the three rounds of prior interviews with senior people were all saying yes to someone. They then met the junior staff they would have been working with. They didn't like him so we didn't offer the job. We are still trying to fill the vacancy nearly a year later! However, better that than them meet him on his first day and it not work out at that point.

I've done a few of these. The ones where you'd actually want the job are easy, you just have a nice comfortable chat, show lots of interest in people, their roles and experience.

The difficult ones just show you the job /company isn't a good fit.

Also you can find out if the official line you're being given about what the job is is true. E.g. I once went for a role where someone known to be difficult and who was doing part of the role that would become mine was "retiring at the end of the year". After "meeting the team" it was apparent that she probably planned to stay another 3 years! She's actually still there 5 years on.

It was known as trial by Buffett / Sausage roll in one place I worked.

If it's over lunch. Take small bites so that you can answer questions.

I've never heard of this before and I think it's a great idea! What if the team is fairly large - do you think it's still fair and in what capacity do you meet the team, say in a meeting room?

I once did a full day interview that involved coffee with the directors, lunch with the team and tea with service users. The panel interview part was the easy bit. I was exhausted. I can do small talk for a bit but find it tiring 😆

Had this 6 days before starting in job, it was meet the head of department, another key person and some of your group newbies.

7 out of 15 turned up turned up to the pre group evening meet. A lot of what got said that evening got repeated first day. (and it was one more ice breaker not to have to suffer lol!) they were like just expect a few!!! twice or three times daily since starting, it must waste a good hour and half’s training per day. How to set false hope when you are in an individual target lead job and certainly won’t be relying on colleagues to help in that type of set up.

My company does this as well. It's much more informal than the actual interview. They don't meet the entire team, maybe 2-3 of their peers who they will work with day to day. It's to give the peers a chance to give their opinion of the person, and the interviewee to get more of an unvarnished view of what it may be like to work for the company than they may have got from the manager.

Mine was over Zoom as I work remotely. I was interviewed by the CEO, and the meet the team was a half hour chat with the other two directors. It's a flat structure no junior staff.

I did ask overnight one years ago.

Wine & cheese evening the night before the interview with CEO, SMT and some Board members as well as other candidates... nightmare! (Does one drink or not???!)

Then tour of facilities and meeting with service users the next day. Followed by meeting the team that I would line manage. I was exhausted by the time I eventually got to the panel interview... got the job though!

Thanks all. This is the first stage of the interview process and is part of a wider day of activities (interview/presentationsetc.) I'm not sure if there will be a second or more stage after that.

Quite a lot to prepare for so appreciate the tips on how to handle this one!