---
title: "Wrap-up interview"
source: 18F Guides
source_url: https://github.com/18F/guides
licence: CC0-1.0
domain: engineering
subdomain: 18f-guides
date_added: 2026-04-25
---

The goal of the wrap-up interview is to address any concerns that may be outstanding in order to prepare for a hiring decision.

{% include 'eng-hiring/unconscious-bias-warning.html' %}

## Purpose

The interview should last roughly one hour, and include some segments in which the interviewers provide more detail about 18F to the candidate and openly share their experiences working at 18F — remember, interviewing is a two-way street!

{% include 'eng-hiring/interview-reminders.md' %}

## Before the interview

- Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the candidate’s resume and review [the good and bad signs](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oYmx_93-mq2QrqICCo8SNk8hHmnPPonPA1kg0vhy540/edit) for the questions you’ll be asking.

- Ask the other interviewers if there are any areas to probe (without asking *why* — that will bias your opinion of the candidate’s answers).

[View the notes template](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LM1Hpd_-prXu_phmXSrmuDYWNcRkm2v04Uy9MJC3MsY/edit#)

## Conversation outline

{% include 'eng-hiring/notes-reminder.html' %}

Begin by introducing yourself by saying this or something similar to it:

> Hello! My name is \_\_\_, my pronouns are \_\_\_, and my role at is \_\_\_.
>
> Thanks for interviewing with me today. This will be a behavioral interview, which means I’ll ask a series of questions about experiences you’ve had and how you handled them. There are no “right” answers; I’m interested in talking through these situations with you. I’ve got about [4-5 questions], and this will take us about an hour, perhaps a bit less. Don’t be surprised if others have asked the same questions in other interviews; that’s normal. Feel free to think for a moment before answering if that's your style - you won't be judged for it.
>
> There will be times when I ask for more information, or want to dig deeper into your answers. That’s normal, too: I want to make sure I understand what you did and why. I’ll be taking notes, please don’t let that distract you.
>
> My questions will take about 40 to 45 minutes or so, and then we’ll have the remaining time to answer any questions that you may have.
> 
> I’m excited that you’re here — any questions before we get started?


### Questions

#### Collaboration and team communication

* "Tell me about a time that you faced a challenge with a coworker or manager."
* "Can you describe a time or situation in which you saw or noted something that wasn’t working well and advocated for an improvement?"
* "Tell me about your experience working on teams that directly involved non-engineers. How did you approach working with others with different professional skills?"

#### Role-oriented questions

##### Customer-facing communication

* Have you worked directly with customers or clients before?
* What has your experience been with user-centered design or user research?

##### Learning and teaching

* As much as we like to rely on well-trod open source paths, engineers often encounter technical stacks that they have little or no familiarity with. What is your approach to tackling new or unknown software technologies?
* Your product owner is very excited about a proprietary subscription-based product which would cost twice what an open source solution would. How would you compare the two options and help direct the product owner?
* "Tell me about a security-related topic that you helped someone from a non-security background learn."

##### Cloud practices

* "Tell me about a specific continuous integration or continuous deployment pipeline you created or interacted with."
* "Tell me about a system you built or operated, or helped to build or operate, on top of an Infrastructure-as-a-Service or Platform-as-a-Service."

##### Security Practices

* "Tell me about an existing security practice or process that you helped improve."
* "Describe a situation where you disagreed with someone about a security issue."


#### Wrap-up

* "Is there anything that you feel we should have asked you relating to your personal or professional goals that we did not?"

### Conclusion

Make sure to leave time for the candidate to ask you any questions they might have — remember, interviewing is a two-way street!

> I’ve asked all of the questions on my list, and the rest of the time is yours. What questions can I answer for you?

## After the interview

**Thank you for your focus!** Use your notes to fill out the feedback form linked in the calendar invitation, which will prepare you for the [debrief meeting]({{ '../../debrief/' | url }}).
