Chemistry sessions: finding your perfect employer

Employers increasingly want to know how you work, not only what you have done, so many hiring processes now include a chemistry session. This is a less formal conversation that tests whether you and the organisation are a good fit on working style, values, and personality. 

A chemistry session is an informal conversation between you and a potential employer that focuses on working style, values, and personality rather than technical skill. It helps both sides judge whether you would work well together and fit the team and culture. It sits alongside skills-based interviews rather than replacing them, and many employers treat it as a form of culture fit interview. 

A chemistry session can take place at any stage of the interview process. Some employers use it early, as part of screening, to decide who moves forward. Others use it as a final step, once the employer has confirmed your skills, to settle a decision between strong applicants. It may happen on site, over a video call, or informally over coffee, and it is usually a two-way conversation led by the hiring manager or a future colleague. 

A competency interview tests what you can do, while a chemistry session tests how you work and who you are. Competency questions ask for evidence of past performance against the role, often in a structured format. Chemistry questions are more open, and sometimes hypothetical, exploring your approach, motivations, and personality. Expect fewer right-or-wrong answers and more room to show your thinking and character. 

Chemistry questions are usually open-ended and fall into a few themes: how you like to work and be managed, how you handle pressure, what drives you, and the occasional unexpected question to see how you think on your feet. The table below shows common examples by theme and what each one aims to reveal. 

Theme	Example questions	What it assesses
Leadership and teamwork	How do you like to be managed? What is your leadership style?	How you work with and lead others
Working style and resilience	How do you handle pressure? How do you respond to feedback?	How you cope with stress and fit the team’s pace
Motivations and aspirations	Where do you see yourself in a few years? What drives you outside work?	Whether your goals align with the role
Unexpected or hypothetical	Which emoji sums you up? Which three people would you invite to dinner?	How you think on your feet, and your personality

Preparation is about self-awareness as much as research.

• Reflect on how you work, what you value, and what you want from your next role, so you can speak about these clearly.
• Research the company culture through its website, employee reviews, and anyone you know there, then think about how your style fits.
• Prepare a few honest examples that show your personality and approach, and be ready to think aloud on an unexpected question rather than freeze.
• Stay authentic, since rehearsed or exaggerated answers tend to show. An AI career coach can help you rehearse your answers before the meeting. 

A chemistry session works both ways: while the employer judges your fit, you are deciding whether the organisation suits you. Use the conversation to ask how the team works, how decisions get made, and how the company supports development and wellbeing. Notice how the interviewer responds and how the exchange feels, since that often reveals the culture better than any careers page. Prepare two or three questions of your own to bring. 

Yes. Although it feels informal, a chemistry session forms part of the hiring decision. Treat it as seriously as a competency interview, while letting your personality come through. 

Most chemistry sessions run for around 30 minutes to an hour. They tend to be shorter and more conversational than a formal interview, though the exact length depends on the employer and the stage. 

Match your dress to the company culture and the setting. When in doubt, lean slightly smarter than the everyday dress code, especially for a first meeting or a video call. 

The two overlap. A chemistry session is often a less structured version of a culture fit interview, focused on rapport and working style. Both assess whether you and the organisation align beyond skills.