How to Prepare for a Second Interview

It is commonplace for recruiters to call potential candidates for a second interview. Although many applicants are excited with the fact that the company is seriously considering them for the job, a bit of uncertainty also creeps in, owing to the prospect of facing a group of interviewers.

Applicants need to remember that being called for a second interview does not imply that they have been selected for the job. So, it is advisable to avoid complacency and prepare for the second interview with vigor and dedication.

The prospect of appearing for a second interview can be daunting for many applicants as they feel that they have exhausted all the information and ideas that they had, and may end up saying the same things once again to the interviewers. The applicants need to think that the first round of interview is more or less a screening, in which the interviewer gauges you by your interpersonal and presentation skills.

If he finds that the applicant is worth investing the time and effort, he recommends the candidate to his team, who are then responsible for finding whether the skills and attributes are in sync with what the company is looking for.

This may include asking the applicant technical questions or giving him a real-life scenario to know how he would deal with the situation.

The important thing that the candidate needs to remember is that performing well in the second interview can substantially increase the chances of getting hired. Let us take a look at some tips that can be helpful to candidates who have been called for a second interview.

• The second interview would focus around your ability to manage challenging situations. The interviewers would want to listen to some examples of how you handled different projects in your team and how you contributed to the overall progress of your previous company.

Some second interview questions that you can expect are:You mentioned that you were in-charge of the customer grievance department. How did you deal with irate customers whose demands were not genuine, or How did you deal with team members who were not motivated to do their job.

The interviewers do not want you to tell them the whole process in detail, but what they expect is an outline of how you dealt with situations like these.

• In the second interview, you are more likely to meet managers of different departments, who would then sit down to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of every candidate. It is important therefore, that you do some sort of research on the background of these managers.

If you are not sure, call up your point of contact, and ask them the names of the people you are expected to meet. You can see if you can get some details about these people online.

A bit of information about their professional and personal background will help you in building a rapport with your interviewers, which proves crucial in case they have to select between two equally talented candidates.

• Although the interviewers are expected to do most of the talking in an interview, asking some relevant questions will not hurt, and instead will project you as someone who has come prepared for the interview. This also gives the interviewers a feeling that this candidate is looking for a long-term association with the company.

You can ask the interviewers about the expansion plans or the short-term goals of the company. You have to be a bit careful with this because you do not want to appear as someone who is trying to poke his nose inside way too much.

These were some tips that you should remember while appearing for a second interview. It is important that you give it your best shot, as in most of the organizations, this round of interview determines whom the company is going to hire.

You put in a lot of effort to clear the first round of interview, and the interviewers think of you as a potential candidate, so it is important that you back yourself and appear confident about the second interview.