I've been through 6 interview rounds, and have been told I'm in the final 3. The team lead now wants to meet up for a 'casual coffee chat' before he makes his decision.
I have no idea how to prep for this kind of thing, any tips on what to do?

likehelpful
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Quite a few execs I worked for invite potential hires for these informal chats over coffee and dinner often; they want to see what you’re like outside of the office setting (which is also a great way for you to determine whether this person is an amazing human being or a jerk, ie you’ll see how they treat people around them). There’s nothing really you need to prepare for it. Think of this as getting to know one another; ask great questions to keep the convo engaging so it does not feel like an interview, maintain great eye contact/body language, etc. But under any circumstances forget that it is indeed an interview.

Good luck! ❤️

likehelpfulsmart

I was invited to an "casual coffee chat" after one online interview. I found it awkward to prepare for e.g. should I dress casually or interview-y? It was with 2 people--the person I would be reporting to and her manager. The coffee chat turned out to be a "blessing in disguise" because my would-be manager was very cold and unfriendly, traits that hadn't come out in the online interview. I was one of two people left in the running, and I got the sense her manager preferred me but she preferred the other candidate. I pulled myself from consideration after the coffee chat, and didn't regret it a bit!

I also agree with the others that 6 rounds is too many unless you are interviewing for CEO. Possibly even too many for CEO too!!

likesmart
Recent IconRecent

A bit of a late update, but for those wondering: I got the role, and love it! It's a senior role and well paying role at a highly regarded tech company. (Not the company I'm posting as)
The team is nice, small and close knit, so wanted to make sure I fit socially.
The interview process was a bit arduous but i beat out ~250 people and am very happy with how it turned out.

Thank you all for the advice

Congratulations!! We don't often get updates here :) I have to ask, now that you are in the role, did it need the 6 interviews ?

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