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Following along : This Question, I have researched my panel interviewers on the company website as well as on LinkedIn. I am interviewing for a entry level position with a financial institution. Two of the five panelists are SVP level, one is a director level, and two are department / unit supervisors. As I understand, the supervisors will likely focus on the nitty gritty technical aspects of the job while the SVPs / directors take on a more expansive view in the types of information most meaningful to them.

What can I expect with regard to differences in the types of questions I will be asked by the differing managing levels?

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    I find it interesting that 2 senior VPs are involved when hiring for an entry level position. That seems a bit odd.
    – NotMe
    Dec 18, 2014 at 16:30
  • @ChrisLively The unit that I am interviewing in is very small, and fairly recent, so this could explain it
    – Anthony
    Dec 18, 2014 at 16:40
  • Hiring even an entry level employee is critical decision. Not just skills but company culture and company values. Good luck on the interview. My advice is don't guess why they are asking a question and try and frame it. Answer the question as stated.
    – paparazzo
    Dec 18, 2014 at 17:39
  • "We can't offer pay commensurate with your skills, but we can offer an impressive sounding job title." Dec 19, 2014 at 0:01

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This will vary based on the personality and experience of the people doing the interviewing, but in general, the people at the top are more concerened with your fit into the organziation and tend to ask more soft skills questions that demonstrate how well you work with people and solve problems. If the job will have client contact, they are particularly interested in how you will be perceived by a client, so they will be looking closely at your grooming, your eye contact, your handshake, your manners (especially if food is served during the interview), your word choices as well as the content of your answers. You are representing them to the client and they want to make sure you would not embarrass them.

I remember one interview we did where the person looked beautifully polished and professional and had a good written resume for an entry level person and she lost the job in less than a minute when she started talking because she couldn't say a sentence without using the word, "like". ("Like, you know, I would be the best candidate becasue..."). Since we had extensive client contact with senior level people, we passed on her.

The direct supervisors tend to concentrate more on technical skills. However, the soft skills are important to the immediate supervisor as well and at entry level, they may be far more important as there is not a high expectation of technical skills at that level.

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  • This position will have contact, but the interactions will almost entirely be intra-unit and internal within the company.
    – Anthony
    Dec 18, 2014 at 16:45

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