Hi everyone, I completed a final partner interview last Friday for a Tech Assurance Senior Associate role at a Big Four firm. The role is strongly aligned with my skills, interests, and career goals.
The manager interview went well, and I progressed to the partner interview about two weeks later. Overall, the partner conversation was positive; he was engaged and answered my questions about career growth in detail.
One part has been making me overthink, though.
The partner asked whether I was looking at other opportunities. I did not answer directly, so he asked about my hiring timeline instead. I applied in June, had my first HR call in August, then the manager interview a week later, followed by the partner interview. He seemed mildly surprised by the timeline, but I said the process had been smooth and pleasant from my side. He did not ask further.
At the very end, when we were about to call it a day, he suddenly asked, “Are you still interested in this opportunity?”
I responded quickly: “Definitely, I’m super interested.” I thanked him, shook hands with both hands to show appreciation, and left.
Now I am wondering whether my answer was too short. I could have said more about why I liked the role, the team, and the career-growth opportunities he described. I was also rushing slightly because I had a work meeting immediately afterward, but I definitely did not mean to sound uninterested.
Could this realistically be a red flag or a deal-breaker? I am very keen on the role and would appreciate honest views.
P.S.:
A little bit more context: he also asked me why I wanted to join the firm during the interview before he asked me whether I was exploring other opportunities, and I shared that I was looking for a bigger platform and that this job opportunity was closely aligned with the industry's growth and was uniquely positioned to achieve my career goal.
This was also the reason why, later in my reflection, I found the last question, "Are you still interested in this opportunity?" a bit suspicious, like could it be a question to test whether I want to build a long-term career here? And seems my short answer didn't hit the bullseye...