'Casual' interview, following formal one...what does it mean?

[sheothebudworths]

My son is just at the end of an IT Technician apprenticeship and started looking for work for a couple of months ago.

He is (weirdly, imo ) fine with interviews, but is essentially a small fish in a relatively small pond.

Of the interviews he's secured so far, feedback has been 'a strong interview but not enough experience' (that was following a telephone interview and a face to face one), a second, down to a close choice between him and someone else, a no to a job advertised after a call back (when he didn't get an interview the first time around and where, afahcs, the one they invited him to interview for would still have seen him under experienced) but where someone called him back quickly to say that he hadn't got that position but they really liked him and are 'restructuring' / so they are keeping him in mind (and she said that they weren't just saying that, that that was genuine) and now another where they've called him back to have a 'casual' interview.

My Googling suggests that could be anything between him effectively having the job and seeing how he would fit into 'the team' to having concerns about his ability to fill the role - a chat needed (a second interview, really - but then can we call it was it is?), a genuine second interview - too many possible candidates to choose between, or positioning him for a new role, possibly lower paid (all fine with him - he's young).

I don't really know what I'm asking - maybe, how do you convince employers to take you on when lack of experience is an issue to start with, when you obvs won't get experience without employers taking that risk in the first place?

Also, wtf does 'restructuring' mean? Is it sacking off your *expensive* experienced employees in favour of cheaper ones, or is it a new business, or what?

 

[weltweit]

For the job I have now there was a formal interview suited and booted, then they called me back for a second meeting which wasn't billed as an interview but it was in fact just to offer me the role face to face. I treated it as a second interview.

Also the job before they asked me back for a second interview which was much less formal, they just wanted to spend more time with me to make sure they had made the right choice.

My view is that he should treat it as a second interview, i.e. dress for it, and then see what comes.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I guess it's a 'getting to know you' discussion to see how he'd fit with the skills he's learned on the apprenticeship.

I wish him well - it's not easy going for jobs when you're young and inexperienced.

But being fine with interviews - now that is weird.

 

[tommers]

We do it the other way round. Casual first and then something more formal if we get on.

When I got this job I got asked to go to the pub with them before my second interview - which was a bit weird but turned out OK. I treated it as another interview.

I think this will be something to see if he gets on with them. Bit more time spent. I would see it as a good sign. [emoji16]

 

[Mrs Miggins]

In my interviewing experience, I would have asked someone back for a "casual interview" if I was almost certain they were the right person but just wanted them to meet a few more people in the team to check if they'd fit in. I'd have already determined that they could actually do the job - I'd just want to check with the people the candidate would be working with to make sure they would like them.

It could well be that there is more than 1 person who can actually do the job and the "casual" stage is more a "who do we like best" and there is nothing you can do about that other than be your best self.

As a candidate, I would definitely treat it as a full on proper interview. You've still got to convince the employer that you are the right person for the job.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Thanks loads, all!
He was all meh 'unexpected but nice' about it, like it's no biggy (because I think he's expecting further disappointment and because neither of us knew what it meant).
He wasn't keen on that one cos they wear branded polo shirts and he likes wearing a shirt that has never seen an iron and a tie that clashes badly with the shirt (I think it makes him feel a bit important), so I will slightly piss myself if he gets this job - although PLEASE let him get it etc.

 

[Manter]

In my experience (as candidate and recruiter) it is what Mrs Miggins says- will we get on, are you a decent person beyond technical competence, Are you horrifically rude to the security guard when you are a bit more relaxed type thing.

 

[Looby]

I applied for a job recently but didn’t get it, I was then called back for an informal chat with a team manager. I basically had the job but she wanted to meet me and two other seniors.

It really was informal and I was offered the job the next day (then a better one three days in).

Sounds like a good sign sheo, fingers crossed.

 

[sheothebudworths]

To add to this, it turns out he'd actually had an email which did answer a few of the questions I had (me/many questions + him/omg too many words, mother = not enough info back via the medium of text )...

Heading is 'Invitation for second interview/chat' and the email was -

Firstly thank you for coming in on Wednesday for your interview, we’d certainly like to see you again for a more casual chat but this time just myself and my line manager.**

We were impressed by your confidence and content of your answers, awareness of the end users experience and the tinkering you are doing at home.

*blah blah details re holidays, to explain the delay/ask for confirmation for a date the week after next*

We expect it’ll be about an hour long.

**Not someone who was present for the original interview - the man who emailed was the IT support manager.

*crosses fingers*

 

[weltweit]

I think job hunting goes in stages, prep of CV, applying, response or not, interview or not etc

I can't imagine any case where being asked for a second interview wouldn't be a good thing.

 

[sheothebudworths]

I'm just worried that it might be more of the same - I think there's a fairly high number of people going for a relatively small number of jobs here, so employers can afford to take their time to pluck out the best and/or the cheapest.

 

[weltweit]

I'm just worried that it might be more of the same - I think there's a fairly high number of people going for a relatively small number of jobs here, so employers can afford to take their time to pluck out the best and/or the cheapest.

Well he will know soon enough.

I got to a few second interviews and excepting the last two which I won, I was also pipped at the post for a couple which were more ideal jobs for me.

It is just another hurdle to jump through.

 

[sheothebudworths]

I think job hunting goes in stages, prep of CV, applying, response or not, interview or not etc

I can't imagine any case where being asked for a second interview wouldn't be a good thing.

No, of course not - but see above.

 

[marshall]

obvs, it's a good sign. My eldest daughter went through 4 stages for her first job last year, the final stage was a Skype interview with the capo di tutti capi who fired off a load of shitty qs, one of which was, believe it or not, the who-would-you-invite-to-a-dinner party, alive or dead. ffs.

 

[Supine]

Good sign but worth treating it as a proper interview. They can be casual if they want.