gone well, they are likely to invite you back for a
second interview. Second interviews can differ hugely
in terms of what the employer is looking to get out of
them, so you need to make sure you're ready for
anything. The good news is that, what you said and
did in the first meeting has obviously impressed the
employer enough that they want to speak to you
again, and it has significantly increased your
chances of getting the job. So whatever the recruiter
has planned for your second interview, here are some
tips to help make sure you are fully prepared, and give
a performance that shows you're the right person for
the job.
Basic information you need to find out
When you're invited to a second interview you want
guarantee that you make the right impression, so
there are a few things you need to ask before you start
your preparation to make sure you have the right
focus:
Find out if this will be the last stage - While the
second interview is usually the final stage in a typical
interview process, it's always best to be sure. You
should always aim to give 100% in every meeting
with a potential employer, so finding this out
shouldn't change the way you approach a second
interview, but it's always good to know if the recruiter
is likely to make their decision after this meeting.
Find out the format for your meeting - If your
first meeting with your potential new employer was
quite brief, you can expect the second interview to be
a lot more rigorous. It may even be a series of
interviews and exercises, so the recruiter can put all
the candidates through their paces to make sure they
end up hiring the best one. However, if your initial
interview was quite in-depth, the second meeting
may actually be a lot more informal and laid back,
particularly if you impressed them so much in the
first meeting that the second interview is more about
them trying to convince you to join the company.
Either way, it's important that you find out the format
for the meeting, so you know what to expect, and if
there's a presentation or anything else you'll need to
prepare.
Find out who you'll be meeting - If you haven't
been told already, you should ask who you will be
meeting in your second interview. This is useful to
understand so you can get an idea of the kind of
questions you're likely to face, and what you need to
think about when you're preparing. For example, a
senior executive is likely to probe your understanding
of the role and the organization, and exactly what
value you can add to the business. But an HR
manager will probably be much more interested in
examining your competencies, and comparing them
to those that have been identified as essential for this
particular role. If you find out you are meeting senior
personnel within the organization, knowing who
they are will also give you the opportunity to do a
little bit of research on them before the meeting, to
see if there is any useful information you can
uncover.
There's no such thing as being over-prepared
Once you know what you're going to be facing, it's
time to start getting prepared. You might think that
you did all your preparation when you were getting
ready for your first meeting, but second interviews
usually mean more detailed questions, and lots of
them, so it's time for some more research.
Research the company in greater detail: In
your initial meeting, knowing a bit about what the
company does, their turnover and their share price,
might have been enough to show them that you had
done some research. But in order to be successful in
a second interview, it's likely that you'll have to
demonstrate a much more detailed understanding
of their business. As well as what they do, look into
the market they're in, what their major challenges
are, and which companies are their biggest
competitors. Setting up Google News Alerts to get
all this information automatically delivered to your
inbox is a great way to find out all the details you
need to impress the recruiters and make sure that
this is an organization you want to join.
Review your first interview performance: A
second interview is often a chance for the recruiter
to further examine the skills and abilities they need
to see in the ideal candidate, as well as address any
weaknesses that might have ben identified in the
first meeting. Were there any particular areas of
your experience the interviewer seemed very
interested in? Did they give the impression that you
might be lacking any particular skills? Was there
anything else you wished you'd mentioned?
Looking back at your performance in the first
meeting can help you to understand what skills you
need to provide more evidence of, and any
weaknesses the interviewer might focus on in this
next meeting that you will need to address.
Review your first interview performance: A
second interview is often a chance for the recruiter
to further examine the skills and abilities they need
to see in the ideal candidate, as well as address any
weaknesses that might have ben identified in the
first meeting. Were there any particular areas of
your experience the interviewer seemed very
interested in? Did they give the impression that you
might be lacking any particular skills? Was there
anything else you wished you'd mentioned?
Looking back at your performance in the first
meeting can help you to understand what skills you
need to provide more evidence of, and any
weaknesses the interviewer might focus on in this
next meeting that you will need to address.
What do you need to know? The final meeting
isn't just about you convincing the employer that
you're the right person for the job, it's also about
you making sure that the job and the employer are
right for you. In the first meeting, you should have
asked some questions about the organization, to
show that you're interested and to also get some
more details about the business you might be
joining. In a second interview, this could be the last
chance you get to have any questions answered
before you have to decide whether to accept the job
or not.
The interview itself
Whether your second interview is quite relaxed and
informal, or fairly rigorous and in-depth, you need to
remember that you wouldn't be there unless the
company thought that you had something to offer.
Whatever direction the meeting takes, make sure you
maintain your professionalism and composure.
Don't be complacent and too laid back because all
the signs look good, and don't lose confidence under
the pressure of more demanding questions.
Second interviews could be the last chance you have
to show the recruiter that you're the best candidate
for the job, so make sure you don't leave the meeting
wishing you'd said something that could have
strengthened your case, or with any of the
interviewers' concerns left unanswered. It's usually a
good idea to ask if the recruiter has any reservations
about your ability to do the job. If they don't, it helps
to reinforce in their mind that you are a strong
candidate. If they do, it gives you the chance to
address these concerns by providing additional
information to help them realize they won't be an
issue.
If your second interview is the final stage of the
recruitment process, there's a good chance that the
subject of salary will come up at some point. The
interviewer should hopefully know what salary you're
on and after two meetings with you, they should have
a good idea of the value they would place on your
experience and expertise, but they will want to know
what you think you're worth. If the salary question
comes up, the best thing to do is deal with it
confidently - there's nothing worse than coming
across as a professional and capable candidate, and
then falling apart as soon as the conversation turns
to money. It's always a good idea to have a figure in
mind before you go into the meeting. A reasonable
increase will be in the region of 10-20%, but what
you will accept may depend on how well the meeting
goes, and how much you want the job. Whatever the
figure, if asked about salary, explain what you're
looking for, but be prepared to justify any increase
based on what you can offer the company.
Finally, one of the most important things you should
do in any second interview, which is often
overlooked, is ask for the job. A lot of candidates
assume that it will be obvious to the employer that
they want the position, because they have shown up
to the interview. However, reinforcing why you feel
you are right for this job, and why it's a role that you
want, sends a strong message to the recruiter that
can significantly improve your chances of being
offered the position.
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those of the comment writers alone and does not
reflect or represent the views of Somayina.
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