Congratulations! You have nailed your first interview and secured that illusive second interview. After months of searching and a few false starts, this is a job that you really want at a company you can absolutely imagine yourself working at. The first interview went smoothly and you were pleased with how you handled the questions. Now, how do you prepare yourself for Round 2. We have come up with a few sure-fire tricks to nail the 2nd interview.
Let’s Review Round 1
Ding ding! Your first task is to think back to the first interview, go over the questions asked and review your responses. The chances are you “could have answered question XYZ better” or “forgot to mention your success in ABC which would have better illustrated skills in this/that area.” Also your second interview may be with someone new with a totally different interview style, but this shouldn’t matter. You know what you have already told them, plus you now have greater insight into the company and its culture.
This is your opportunity to prepare more focused answers and shine a spotlight on the skills or qualities you think will seal the deal. Prepared a short list of the most important challenges you faced, examples of how you reacted and the successes you achieved. Use what you learnt from the first interview to focus on whats important.
Be Assertive
In this second interview you are likely to be grilled a little bit harder which is your perfect opportunity to be more assertive. Show conviction in your capabilities and that your experience is exactly what they are looking for. A good second interviewer will question the suitability of some of your experience for the role in question. For example in this position you will be responsible for managing a large team, but you only have experience managing up to 6 people. How will you rise to this challenge? Whether or not you have the necessary experience, the second interview is your chance to illustrate how you plan to approach this task.
Ask Your Own Questions
Now you have a better idea about the position and company you are interviewing for, you can be more assertive with your questions. Topics that you are unlikely to cover in your first interview such as compensation and benefits are important to bring up to make sure they meet your expectations. Also another good idea is to ask for a tour of the company so you can get an idea for the working conditions and the type of people you will end up working with. Ask for more information on the available training and development schemes or possible growth opportunities within the company.
Remember you have made it past the first interview! So you have already impressed them enough to secure a second. Therefore this is just as much you interviewing them as it is them interviewing you. You have to be sure that this role is everything you hoped it would be. But as ever, practice makes perfect!