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

Preparing for a job interview can be extremely difficult and fairly daunting. However, especially in many larger companies, you may find that the hiring manager actually goes through two rounds of interviews. This means you have a second round of questions to answer before you can get the job. With so much information out there about preparing for job interviews, it can feel difficult to prepare specifically for a second-round interview. Here are a few things that you’ll want to think about when it comes to the second job interview so you can stick the landing and get the job.

Are Second Interview Questions Different From First Interview Questions?

Second interview questions are typically going to focus on who you really are and how your skills can help with this specific job. This is different from the first-round interview questions, which will usually be trying to gauge how skilled you are in general. In a second interview, you’re usually going to see the interviewer focus on the specific needs of the job and run through some scenarios, including behavioral 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.

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Second Interview Questions to Prepare For

Getting ready for a list of questions that you might get in the second interview is a good way to make sure you can answer effectively and off your skill set. Here are a few common second interview questions a recruiter may ask you during this part of the interview process:

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.

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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.

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