A company in Robert's Future?
About two weeks after the beginning of on-campus recruiting, Robert was getting to be a mailbox watcher. Every day, Robert checked for letters from any of the firms with which he had interviewed. A very impressive business envelope was there one Wednesday. Robert opened it quickly, with equal amounts of fear and expectation. The letter invited Robert to a site visit at the Omaha office of Sam Sanderson & Company, a major public accounting firm. After Robert calmed down and returned from the ceiling, he had to decide what to do next.
What's in a Name?
Robert was invited to a Site Visit, Gabrielle went to an Office Visit, and Alice went on a Second Interview. These are three different names for the same thing: an invitation to visit a potential employer's place of work, usually an office or factory, for an in-depth interview process that may last an entire day.
Robert called me to share the good news. After congratulating him, I suggested that Robert call the firm immediately to set up a date for his Site Visit. I had two reasons for my urgency:
- I wanted Robert to have his Site Visit as soon as possible. Unfortunately, when students pick a late date for their Site Visit, they sometimes find that all the positions have been closed before the day of their visit.
- I wanted Robert to arrange a date that would least interfere with his course work.
Before ending our phone conversation, I suggested that Robert come to see me, to review some basic strategy for his Site Visit.
The first thing I wanted him to know was that there are similarities and dissimilarities between a first interview and a Site Visit.
The three key similarities are:
- It's still an interview process. People you have never met will ask you questions, and you will ask them questions.
- It's still a business meeting between equals. The firm will evaluate you as a potential employee; you will evaluate the firm as a potential employer.
- It's still necessary to try to convince the firm that it should hire you. The people from the firm will want you to feel that their firm is the right place for you to start your career.
- The Site Visit structure;
- The Site Visit questions;
- Your recent research;
- Your fine-tuned questions;
- The Site Visit logistics.
Structure of the Site Visit
Typically, a Site Visit will last for the better part of a workday. You will interview with three to five people; each of them will have input into the decision to make you an offer. Your first interview may have been only 30 minutes, but during Site Visits each interview may take 45 minutes to an hour.
Some New Site Visit Questions
By the day of a Site Visit, you will have had more time to think about what you want from a job in general and from working for that firm in particular. Therefore, you can expect to be asked questions like 'How will you evaluate your job offers to determine which one you will accept?'
In a way, this question is flattering because it assumes you will have two or more offers. But that is not the point of the question.
Its real point is 'What are your important values, which will be critical in evaluating a job offer?' This is a more sophisticated version of "Why do you want to work for us?' which you were probably asked at your initial interview.
Who Else Are You Seeing?
Another new question you may be asked at your Site Visit is 'Where else are you interviewing?' or 'How are your other Site Visits going?'
Firms ask this question to find out who their competition is and to see whether there is any focus to your interview process.
Let's assume that Robert has more than one Site Visit scheduled. Robert could say, 'I'm scheduled to visit with several other public accounting firms, for example, X and Y'; or, 'I am very fortunate to have been invited to several other Site Visits. The visits I've had so far seem to have gone well.'
There is no need to make a long response to this question. Robert has let his interviewer know that other firms are interested in him. If you are pressed to name the other firms, I would name them in a matter-of-fact way. However, if the question makes you feel uncomfortable or put-upon, you could say, 'I'm very glad to be here today. As you know, I'm very interested in your firm. It's not clear to me why you're asking about these other firms.' Remember, an interview is a business meeting between equals. You have every right to let the other person know when you feel that a question is too intrusive.
What if Robert has been invited to only one Site Visit? (Remember, always be honest--never lie and never shade the truth.) Robert could say, 'This is my first Site Visit, and I'm very excited because your firm is my number-one choice'; or, "This is my first Site Visit; I'm waiting to hear from several more firms.' In all likelihood, the number of Site Visit invitations you receive overall will not influence any particular firm's decisions in your regard. There is no need to be worried about this question, but you should be prepared for it.
At a Site Visit, you are likely to be asked 'what-if' questions. These are designed to see how you think through situations and problems.
What-lf Questions
Sometimes, at an interview, you are asked to deal with situational questions. These questions are often, but not always, framed in a 'what-if' mode:
What would you do if an employee whom you are managing is performing up to standard but not up to his or her abilities?
What would you do if a proposal you have worked on for over a month is severely criticized by your manager?
It is often a good idea to frame some 'what-if' questions for yourself as you prepare for an interview. Think about situations that might arise in the profession you are aspiring to enter. Here are some examples:
- Conflict or confrontation between manager and subordinates--What would you do if a subordinate with many years of experience told you a decision you made was simply wrong? What if he or she says the decision was foolish and lame-brained? What if these things are said in the presence of other employees?
- Conflicting demands on your time--What would you do if you are scheduled to meet with a prospective new account that has limited business potential and your largest existing account calls and demands to meet with you at the very same time?
- An erroneous report--Assume that you have given your manager a report on revenue projections for your division, to be used in a presentation to the board of directors. You then discover that you have made an error that affects the amount of the revenue projected but not the direction of revenue growth. Your manager calls you 15 minutes before the board of directors' meeting, to see how things are going in the office. Do you tell your manager about the error you discovered?
Sometimes you will be asked at a Site Visit about your research since your initial interview. The question might be phrased: 'Robert, can you tell me
Answering What-lf Questions
Answer in terms of the process you would follow to solve the problem:
- What would you need to know?
- What would be your priorities?
- What external interests would you have to consider?
Bill (after pausing to collect his thoughts): There are several things I would need to know to solve this conflict. First, can I get either client to change appointment times without risking the loss of their business? If not, my own priorities would be to satisfy the existing, large client because it's important to be pragmatic. I assume I'm being paid on total business, not new customers. However, I have to take the firm's interest into account. Is there any reason why the potential client is more important than I think? Perhaps we need to gain exposure with clients in their field of business.
What you have learned about our firm since your first interview?' If you have done some additional research since the first interview, you have shown serious interest in the firm. If not, perhaps you are not serious, or perhaps you go to meetings without being up-to-date in your preparation. Make sure that you have researched current articles in the press about the firm and/or its industry.
Fine-Tuning Your Questions
Remember how you prepared questions you wanted to ask at your initial interview? You will need to utilize that same process to prepare questions for your Site Visit. However, at a Site Visit, your questions must be more finely tuned, to address the areas of interest and the responsibility of the person interviewing you.
Sample Questions to Ask at a Site Visit
At a second interview, you will typically meet with three to five people. They are likely to hold different levels of positions in the firm or may come from different functional areas. It is important, as you interview with each individual, to ask questions relating to that person's area of professional interest.
David's Dilemma
David had mixed emotions when he came to see me. He had done everything we had recommended in the Job Search Club and had succeeded in being invited to three Site Visits. He was happy about two of them, but concerned about the third.
"Schlockco just isn't for me," he said. "The more I think about it, neither the firm nor the industry is for me. But I convinced them at the on-campus interview that I really want the job, so I don't want to feel like a liar now. And I'd love to visit San Diego. What should I do?"
I told David that he had raised an important issue and that students struggle with the same question every year. Only he could decide whether to go, but I gave him my guidelines for deciding whether to decline a Site Visit invitation.
- "No Way!" "Really?" If you are 100 percent sure, positively and absolutely, that there is no way you would accept a job from that firm if offered, then don't go. If there is the slightest possibility that you might want the job, then go to the site visit.
- Remove needless concerns. David, for example, had told the firm at his initial interview that he wanted the job. In the context of that interview, David was telling the truth. Now he has a different perspective. At this stage of the process, it is not unethical to change your mind.
- Don't count birds in the bushes. I told David not to turn down the visit to Schlockco on the assumption that one of the other firms he had interviewed with would make him an offer. There is no job offer until the firm has explicitly made it to you. Praise for your character, capabilities, and potential with the firm is not a substitute.
- The interviewer is not the firm. Don't reject a Site Visit because you didn't like your interviewer. A half-hour experience with a single individual is no basis for closing out a potential career opportunity.
The logistics for your Site Visit are usually more involved than for an on-campus interview. On campus, you probably went to your friendly Placement Office, signed up for an interview time that was arranged around your class schedule, and then interviewed in a cozy interview room in a familiar college building.
For your Site Visit, the logistics will be different in three main ways:
- You will arrange for your interview date through a corporate person whom you've probably never met.
- You will probably have to travel and stay overnight, perhaps in a strange city.
- You may incur expenses, most of which will probably be reimbursed.
- Contact the firm to arrange your visit as soon as you receive your letter of invitation. In that way, you'll have the best chance of scheduling a date that is least disruptive to your regular agenda.
- Clarify the nitty-gritty arrangements when you schedule your visit. If travel is necessary, does the firm plan to make the arrangements (e.g., send you a prepaid ticket) or will you need to arrange your own travel? If you will be staying overnight, has the firm prearranged a hotel accommodation or should you make your own reservation? Will transportation from your hotel to the firm on the interview day be provided by the firm? If you need to make any of these arrangements yourself, how will reimbursement be made?
- Three days before you leave for your Site Visit, confirm your date and review your travel and overnight accommodation plans with the person the firm has designated as its liaison.
- Establish a wake-up assurance system for the day of your interview: Ask the hotel to give you a wake-up call that allows you plenty of time. Set the hotel alarm clock and/or bring your own travel alarm. Have a trusted friend or relative call you.
The Job Search Club's Questions
I reviewed these simple guidelines with our Job Search Club and, as always, invited questions.
Gabrtelle: My Site Visit is in Lincoln City, which is only two hours away.
Do you think it's really important for me to stay in a hotel the night before?
Richard: Yes, I do. Let me tell you why:
- It's good for your peace of mind. It's best to wake up in the city where your interview will be held. You'll feel more corporate and less like a student. You don't have to worry the night before about travel glitches like flat tires or snowstorms. You can take a walk or do something else to relax yourself before your long day of interviewing begins.
- It's good for your body. You don't have to wear yourself out traveling at the start of your interview day.
- Because you don't have to travel far, you can review your twin peaks of interviewing before your day-long business meeting between equals begins.
Richard: Remember the Plowman's Principle? Identify your goal, and then say 'How do I achieve it?" You want to stay overnight in Lincoln City. Call your contact at the firm and say something like this: "Denise (or whoever), I'm really looking forward to my visit to your firm next week. One thing we didn't discuss was hotel accommodations. I'll need to stay in Lincoln City the night before we interview. Can you help me with the cost of the hotel?"
Almost always, the firm will say "yes." They want your interview to be a success and they don't want to appear cheap. The key is for you to ask.
Gabrielle seemed satisfied, so we continued on with Bill.
Bill: I'm going to be interviewing with some sales managers in San Francisco. I've never been there. Do you have any special advice for me?
Richard: Yes, you have raised an important point. I would do some re-search on San Francisco, for two reasons. First, you'll feel more comfortable when you get there. Second, you want your interviewers to know that you're serious about the job. Researching a location will tell them you are serious enough to learn about the living realities in a new city.
Site Visit Travel List
Clothing (for dressing without distress)
- Travel in one suit, pack another. You may be taken to dinner with someone from the firm the night before the interview- directly from the airport. If you're afraid of spilling something, pack two suits.
- Dress shoes; for women, comfortable medium-heel pumps;
- Several clean shirts or blouses; minimal and tasteful daytime jewelry;
- Socks and underwear; for women, un-patterned, neutral-color hosiery;
- Belt, several ties; for women, a manageable size purse--not the one you've hauled to class all year;
- Handkerchief.
- Shaving equipment; for women, daytime makeup;
- Deodorant (unscented);
- Toothbrush, dentifrice, mouthwash;
- Shampoo and hairdryer.
Accessories
- Travel alarm clock;
- Folder or briefcase (to hold materials you bring with you and materials firms may give you). Resume and transcript (in case someone on your interview schedule doesn't have them readily available).
Bill: How should I do this research?
Richard: Let me suggest several sources:
- The Chamber of Commerce of the place you are visiting;
- 'Job Search Guides to (wherever)' usually have a section about the business and social environment of the city--we have some in our career library and they are available in many article stores.
- Local newspapers (e.g., The San Francisco Chronicle) can give you a good feel for current news in that city--our college library periodicals room gets newspapers from all over the country.
Richard: (I had to chuckle. If we could only get the interviewer's size down to 5'H", we'd have it made.) I know what you mean, but the same realities of life apply to people at headquarters and to Melanie. They're people who brush their teeth, have headaches at work, and eat hot dogs at home. Some of them just hold more important corporate positions. Remember, at some point in the past, they were in your shoes, coming out of college looking for a job. In the future, you may be in their shoes.
David: What should we bring with us to the Site Visit? For example, how many suits?
Richard: That's a good question. You might want to use our Site Visit Travel List so that you don't forget anything. If you're visiting a part of the country that has a different climate, check national weather maps a week or so before your interview, for an idea of the temperature range there.
Expenses
Hector: Richard, what about expenses? Who pays for what, and what records do we need to keep?
Richard: That's a good question, Hector. Remember, you should be thinking about yourself as a professional. Professionals are reimbursed for their reasonable, legitimate professional expenses--and they're not shy about asking for it. Let's look at some major categories.
Transportation: In your case, Hector, Manufacturco is sending you plane tickets for the round trip. Some firms will tell you to arrange your own transportation and give them the bill. If you're going by plane,
Hitches and Glitches
Thank-you letters: Unlike the on-campus interview, a Site Visit should be followed up with a thank-you letter. Remember:
- The offer/no-offer decision takes a while, and your written, courteous statement of interest may influence a decision in your favor;
- Your letter may be giving an impression of you to people who may be your future co-workers, mentors, and managers.
Lunch: If you are at the Site Visit for the whole day, the firm will take you to lunch as a guest (or invite you to the employee cafeteria).
- Order something you know you like and can eat easily. Dripping tomato sauce from spaghetti or launching airborne pieces of crab shell will not help your case.
- Put your food, not your foot, in your mouth.
Expenses: Make sure you are clear, before you leave for your Site Visit, what you'll need to pay for out-of-pocket. In that way, you won't be caught short of cash if you need to pay for a cab, a toll, parking, and so on. Be sure to collect and retain your receipts to present for reimbursement. You will avoid delay and needless friction over amounts to be reimbursed.
Love thy neighbor. The other people interviewing for the same job are future colleagues, not competitors. You will be evaluated on how you get along with your peers, not how you put them down. Be careful of your attitude and actions toward your peers.
You'll probably need to charge the tickets. Save your credit card slip and air ticket receipt for reimbursement. By the way, it's usually a good idea to have a travel agent arrange your flight. If you don't have a credit card, don't be reluctant to explain that to the firm and ask that the tickets be sent to you.
If you drive a long distance to the Site Visit, make a note of the mileage for the trip. You'll be reimbursed on a cents-per-mile basis. Save and present your toll and fuel receipts. The firm will pay for these costs because they are reasonable and legitimate. The firm would probably not reimburse you for oil or antifreeze you buy in connection with your trip.
Hotel or Motel: Some firms prearrange a hotel for you. If the firm you're visiting does not make the arrangement, choose a moderately priced accommodation near the site. Again, a travel agent can be helpful. Usually, incidental expenses like telephone calls and pay-TV are your responsibility, but the firm will pay for the room.
Meals: Most firms will reimburse you for meals associated with coming to or leaving the Site Visit. Save your receipts. You should order something reasonable--not a hot dog from a corner stand, but not a royal banquet either. The firm will pay directly for any meal at which you are a guest.
Same-Day Offers
Robert: Richard, should we expect to get a job offer at the end of the day?
Richard: That's a good point, Robert. Let's consider the possibilities. Probably, you won't. The logistics of the situation limit the possibility of getting a job offer on the spot. Each person who interviewed you will write an evaluation. Then all of those evaluations of all the candidates will need to be reviewed. There's usually not enough time while you're there to make a decision on a job offer for you. Many firms will not make their decisions until all the candidates can be interviewed. Don't worry if you don't get an offer at the end of the day. However, you should clarify when you can expect to hear from the firm about an offer.
In a minority of cases, you will get an offer at the end of your Site Visit. You can then jump for joy, shake the person's hand, and express your happiness. But do not accept the job on the spot.
In this article, you have learned how and why to arrange Site Visits; what about them is similar to an interview and what is different; how to prepare and succeed at your Site Visit.
