Job interview - What is an "informal interview/chat"?

[DucksInARowingBoat]

I applied for a job and have been invited for an informal interview/chat.

Does that just mean an interview but no need to wear a suit (although I'll wear something smart)? Or is it something else?

A friend also applied and they've been invited to one too so it's not a case of having got the job and just going over t&cs.

This could mean anything. I tend to go prepared for a full interview just in case.

I have had these before and you just chat through your experience and they tell you a bit about the job but best to go prepared for anything.

I would still wear interview clothes. You can never be to smart for an interview

There is no such thing as an informal chat
They are thinking of offering someone a job and paying a salary
Treat this 100% as a formal interview
Do not get lulled into thinking is a cosy little chat they will be judging you every second you are there

Almost every time I’ve been told this it has ended up being an hour-long affair with a request to hear about my experience and why I’m looking for a job, a spiel about the company and role, some more targeted questions and then an opportunity to ask them questions.

So unless it’s meeting one person in a cafe without formal invitations, which I’ve also had, I’d assume it’s a bog-standard standard interview.

So it's just an interview then? I'm glad I asked.
Thanks for your help.

When we do these it’s a meet you, get to know you and assess if you could be a good fit.
Yes we ask interview style questions (why x company, why this role, what are you looking for etc) but not full competency based.
Dress as if interview. Prep as if interview.

We used to do a formal interview, followed by an informal interview. The latter was with a few members of the team or teams you'd be working with. It was more of a chat, not asking specific interview questions, letting you ask your own questions. It was mainly to see if you'd fit in to the team, and to let you ask about the role. But definitely we were reporting back to the interview panel and it was common for people to be off their guard and slip-up in a way which showed they were unsuitable.
It was also useful because in a formal interview we had to ask the same limited set of questions to everyone, whereas I the informal one there weren't set questions (but we we still wouldn't ask anything inappropriate).
What came across best was smiling, enthusiasm, nodding along as if you were part of the team.

It’s a soft work for an interview. Treat it like one.

It's basically an interview but usually more of a conversation than formal q&a with scored answers. Good opportunity to build a connection, show a bit of personality and ask any questions you have.

Yeah, it’s an interview in all but name they’re just trying to make it sound more relaxed. It also allows them to cut it short if they can tell a few minutes in that you’re not a good fit for the organisation/team.

Dress and prepare as if it’s a formal interview but expect a more chatty approach, at least initially (small talk type of stuff) before they ask about experience etc.

Good luck - remember it’s as much for your benefit to see if you like them and the organisation and still want the role after finding out more.

Also, when it’s ’just a chat’ it makes it harder for people to claim they’ve been discriminated against at interview stage. A formal interview needs a paper trail and justification for unsuccessful candidates whereas ‘a chat’ doesn’t.

What kind of company is it though! Is it casual or do how do they dress there?

id check that and match that !

i did work for a company that was very into their culture - it was super important to them! Very very casual and had this whole self management thing - no formal managers concept !

and when people would come super dressed up (suits and stuff) they didn’t like it as felt they hadn’t don’t any research about the company and didn’t know the culture very well and that it wasn’t that sort of place etc

I've always been told to dress up one level. So if for instance, in your example, I'd wear some nice trousers (or even smart jeans depending on the actual role) but not a suit.

So difficult to know how to dress though. I've worked somewhere where some people in the same team dressed in torn tracksuits and others wore a shirt and tie. In that team soneone turned up to the interview in a suit and basically got the job based on that alone!

This is a zoom call so I guess instantly downgraded from a suit to a nice/smart top?

In my industry (law) recruitment for senior positions almost always starts with an informal interview. It's a chance to get to know a bit about the applicant, what they're looking for and assess if their "face fits" and fire the applicant to find out more about the firm's business model and what the role might involve before either side commits to a formal application and interview process.

After the formal bit and making an offer but before acceptance there is often another informal interview to discuss more detail of t&cs, answer any questions and possibly negotiate over terms/renumeration.

I would treat every stage as a formal interview as you always need to be giving the best impression of yourself.

Although if you're industry is totally different I might be talking rubbish.

In my experience as an applicant and a recruiter - it's just a more informal interview. I'd still dress for interview but instead of being grilled, it will be a more casual chat about you, your experience, what you're looking for etc, find out more about the role.

That’s not true. I informal chat almost every candidate before an interview because it’s quite a bespoke niche that I recruit into and I want people to properly understand before we go through a full interview process. It’s usually me understanding their CV and experience informally - so no competency or structured questions, and me explaining the role and the firm that I’m recruiting for.

It’s usually done in a public place over coffee, and usually if we don’t progress to interview from there it’s because the candidate pulls out rather than us having screened them out at informal stage.

It literally is just an informal chat.

We say this in our workplace, we like to call it an informal chat/ or informal interview and it’s usually just said that way to relax people a bit more, we find that people are way more honest and open when they are relaxed and you can get a better feel for the type of person that they are and the type of worker that they are. There’s nothing worse than being someone who has 100% pre prepped answers we want to get to know them get a feel for the type of drive that they have and whether they will be a match for the team.

so essentially, yes, it is an interview.

I have done this before both as applicant and on the hiring panel. It is basically a first round interview… so informal compared to the next interview but not informal as in casual. I’d still dress formally and expect a more open ended conversation about your work history, rather than set questions. And probably just with 1 or 2 people rather than a full panel and no presentation or assessment task that you might get in the main interview. Still worth preparing for standard interview Qs just in case and dressing professionally (whatever is suitable for your industry)

It's an interview

Just in the form of a conversation rather than a panel

So prep in the same way, and turn on the charm

It's not necs just first round, in my industry these are pretty much the only interview you will get

In fact, now I think about it more, I have had informal chats with potential candidates when there isn’t even a role - and that’s happened both ways. But I work in a relatively small market with lots of head hunting so it’s common to know people at other companies, and jobs are often created when someone gets in touch and says they want to move to our company, rather than necessarily waiting for there to be a vacancy to apply for.

They’re all relatively informal, done in normal casual office wear (jeans, jumpers etc) and sometimes are just an actual catch up about the sector and personal lives. But networking is a big part of my industry. I know the decision makers at most of my competitors through these chats and if I was looking for a job it’d be these people that I approached. But appreciate that might be bespoke to my sector.

This, its a first stage sift interview to see who is worth inviting to a proper interview. Lots of people can look good on paper (cv and cover letter) but fail to be able to discuss relevant knowledge and skills in reality, from possibly exaggerating. Treat it like a proper interview and prep like mad.