Multiple interviews can be a telling sign of a high-potential candidate, but how you handle the question about them can either strengthen your position or put your chances at risk during the recruitment process.

Let me explain a few intricate details about the recruitment process. It is not just the question-and-answer sessions or a series of professional conversations, but it has various additional facets to it. 

A talent acquisition leader from one of the largest MNCs mentioned that by the time the potential candidate enters the interview room, we want to know two key things about him/her– (a) Is he/she likable? and (b) Is he/she the right fit for the job? 

Did you get the point?

It clearly means that your CV/Resume has already given a lot of information about you during the shortlisting process and basis that the interviewer/panel must have created your profile in his/her mind. Now, if that profile matches with the job description, the interviewer will move to the next round in the recruitment process i.e., an interview round. 

So, interviewers’ now will resort to a variety of questions to validate your profile, trying to figure out if you are the best fit for the role, or your skills, characters and experiences will add values to the organization. 

Today, we will take a specific question and it is a tricky question that has a potential to de-rail your interview to a large extent, unless you figure out a way to deal with it or smartly articulate your answer. In this blog-post I will help you get to that – How to answer this question or how to avoid getting into a trap. 

“Do you have other/more interviews lined up?’ 

Asking this specific question is a part of an assessment process. The interviewer wants to learn whether you are a high potential candidate with other job options with competing organizations. And that’s fair because with ever changing dynamic market conditions and surging demand for high potential candidates, stability & longevity has become one of the primary focus areas for all the organizations. Every organization wants the new hires to stay for at least two to three years with them and if they figure out during the interview process that you would not stay for long with them given that you have got multiple offers in hand, they would consider moving to hiring more stable candidates. 

But here is another perspective, 180 degrees from the earlier one.

Let me bring another perspective. Employers may also be curious to know if their competition is hiring better talent. And basis your answer, an interviewer may decide to move swiftly through the hiring process. Also, if your answer is Yes, it may indicate to the interviewer that you are a desirable candidate with the right skills and therefore being sought out by competition too. 

Can you notice what I am trying to get to? 

There are two sides of the coin and at times there are no straight binary answers. Like in this case, the answer to the question may not be as straight forward as you may be thinking i.e., either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. 

Let’s stay on this point for a moment. 

Let’s say, if you choose to say ‘Yes, I have other interviews lined up with the competition or I am contemplating accepting an offer’ it would give a message to the interviewer that you may not be very serious about this organization or the job in discussion. On the contrary, if you say ‘No, I don’t have any other interview lined up with other organizations,’ it may end up giving away your negotiation power, since the interview may draw a conclusion that either you are non-competitive or you may be desperate for the job in discussion. 

You see, it is a double-edged sword and there is a strong need to find out a common ground between these two extremes. The simple straight answer is this:

“I am keeping my options open, but at this point in time, I am focused on this conversation and the esteemed organization. I would like to explore how this job could be a win-win situation for both the organization and my long-term career aspirations.”

It is a great answer because it neither says Yes or a No, and at the same time, it comes across as a well-thought-through answer, not rushed, not blurted out. The tone of the words, if politely expressed, is quite affirmative. 

Having said that, here are a few tips you should keep in mind while framing your answer. 

1. Honesty: Try to be as honest as possible without driving the interview into the wrong direction. Try to close it with a simple assertive answer. The pit-fall to avoid here is to appear too manipulative or hyper-competitive giving an indication that you are already on the negotiation table with the interviewer. That will go negative. 
2. Keenness to Join them: This is a great landing spot to talk about why you are so keen in joining this organization. If qualified, desirable candidates show interest in the organization, employers might be eager to hire them before the competition. For example, try explaining what you like about the organization’s specific values, culture, or product or services etc.
3. Focus on the role: Once you have articulated your answer, quickly shift the conversation to focus on what you are looking for in the role. Explain what you are expecting and hoping to accomplish in the role and how the employer can help you achieve that creating a win-win situation. Shifting that focus of the conversation can help discuss your reason for applying for the role/job.

Every word spoken during the interview, helps the interviewer assess if you are the right fit for the role and if you can be hired for it. So, the best way is to spend adequate time preparing for these softer questions, as they can help you get the job.

Now, before I close this blog post, let’s say that you genuinely have got an offer in your hand, but still you have decided to go for the interview perhaps just for the experience or to negotiate a better salary package or may be some other reasons for it. In such cases, I would strongly suggest that give utmost importance and respect to any interview you are considering to give. Take a call later if you would like to accept an offer or not, but give a very sincere effort to it, as if you had no offers and this one is the only one you need to crack to get to the offer.

Happy Job Hunting!