Questions To Prepare for When You Have a Second Interview
When you have a second job interview, you need to be on top of your game. Here’s how to succeed in your second interview.
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Second Interview Questions
Are Second Interview Questions Different From First Interview Questions?
After the first round of interview questions, the interviewer has narrowed down the pool to a number of people that have shown clear signs of being the best person for the job. That means the company is now looking for the absolute best candidate, and you’ll need to provide specific, persuasive answers that prove the best candidate is you.
Second Interview Questions to Prepare For
- Is there anything you want to follow up on from the first interview?
- What is your management style?
- How have you been able to implement problem-solving skills in previous jobs?
- What would you change at your current job?
- What are your short-term and long-term goals for your career?
- Have you ever received negative feedback on your performance?
These are all questions that help the interviewer understand how you’ll behave in a work environment. They’re intended to find out if you’re going to be a great team player, and they screen for any red flag answers that may indicate you’re not prepared for this new job. Additionally, the second interview is when you may get questions about salary expectations, although some interviewers wait until the job offer process to ask about salary.
How to Prepare for Anything the Interviewer Asks in a Second Interview
Before you go into the second interview, you want to do all the things you did the first time you went in for an interview. Remember, your job search is ongoing until you get the notification that you’ve gotten the job. The interview tips that prevailed in the previous interview will also be important in this interview, including these:
- Review the job description
- Research the company culture in more detail
- Check the company’s social media pages for more information on goals and challenges
- Review your first interview and put together questions for anything that wasn’t addressed
- Review your resume and cover letter again
It’s also important that you have a few example answers prepared for the most common interview questions that you’ll likely get. Remember to follow the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Be prepared with a specific example of a time when you utilized your skill set, and then showcase how your skill set was able to help you in solving that problem.
FAQ: Second Interview
Q: Is it a good idea to make small talk at the second interview?
If your second interview is done by the same person who did the first interview, you may want to catch up with them a bit, as long as they don’t seem hurried. This showcases that you care about the interviewer and you’re not so caught up with career goals that you tend to ignore people. It’s a great way to indicate that you’re a people-focused person.
Q: What should I wear to the second interview?
The second interview outfit should be the same as the first interview. Wear something professional, or that fits with the company culture. Be familiar with the dress code for the company, whether it’s extremely formal, semi-formal, business casual, or casual. If there didn’t seem to be any problem with your first outfit, you can dress in a similar manner.
Q: How many rounds of interviews will there be?
It depends on the job. For most jobs, two rounds of interviews is enough, and you’ll likely get a notification regarding whether or not you’ve received the job after that. However, for some jobs, you may have a third round of interviews or even more. If you want to know how many rounds of interviews you likely have to look forward to, ask the interviewer for more information.