If you are moving onto a second interview with the same company, congratulations! You have passed through the gatekeepers and are now poised to refine your presentation and move one step closer to getting the job.
So what changes in the second round and how should you prepare yourself differently than for the first interview?
Often companies use further interviews to introduce you to more people, ferret out any concerns, check for consistency (from one interview to the next) and gauge your overall energy level, interest in and fit for the job. They may also present you with new challenges, such as behavioral questions (e.g., “Tell me about a time when…”).
Here are some of the key ways I suggest you prepare for a second interview:
- Research any concepts, other companies, approaches or themes presented in the first interview you did not understand or with which you were not familiar.
For example:
– a business line, product or service that is new to you
– a partner or competitor that is significant to the company
– a type of organizational structure (e.g., matrixed organizations)
– a certain leadership approach or management style
- Reread the job description and make sure you can address all aspects of it.
Job seekers often have a tendency to focus on certain aspects of a role – the ones that they find more interesting – and assume that the rest will fall into place. You do not need to know every aspect of the job before you even start – and in some cases there will be considerable ramp-up or stretch goals – but you do need to be able to formulate a plan of how you will learn what you don’t know.
For example, if the job description indicates that you will interact with the Board of Directors or manage a team of 100 direct reports, and you are lacking one or both of these skills in your background, be ready to explain (without sounding defensive) what you have done that is analogous or prepares you for it. In the absence of any related background, you can also build out from what you have learned.
For example:
“As you know, I have managed teams of 20, and a good portion of my day is already spent on leadership-building, evaluating and mentoring team members. I’ve spoken with a few of the senior managers in my network, and they have told me that some of the adjustments between managing 20 and 100 are [fill in with some wisdom you have learned]….”
Half of the battle is to sound upbeat and ready to rise to the task and suffer any growing pains gracefully. Yes, this may nonetheless be a breaking point for your candidacy, but you cannot create experience that doesn’t exist. You can only give it your best shot.
- Learn more about management and any interviewers you expect to meet.
You have likely done some of this diligence before the first interview, but it is good to refresh yourself for the second time around and also check whether what you see presented online matches your view of a company based on what you have learned in the interview and through your additional research and connections.
LinkedIn® and other online sources provide a great deal of information, as many company CEOs and marketing and recruiting leaders have released videos or articles discussing their goals for the company and talent acquisition. Find out what you can from these sources.
In addition, become a “mini-expert” on the people who will interview you. You don’t need to know their shoe size or most recent vacation spot – of course! – but you should find out basic information to understand their perspective of the world and what they may want from a candidate.
For example:
Do their values match with yours?How do they see the firm’s culture and do they participate in creating it?
What is their leadership or management style?
What or whom might you have in common?What topics should you avoid discussing?
How can you build a bond?
As an example of the above, I worked with a job candidate on interview prep, and we discovered that her interviewer placed a strong value on diversity. We crafted her “tell me about yourself” story – which was entirely authentic, or it would not have been appropriate – to include the fact that (1) she had moved to the U.S. from Europe at a young age and (2) she was looking for an environment where there were people from many different backgrounds and perspectives. (Yes, she got the job!)This candidate had not initially thought of herself as “diverse” but we reframed her perspective, and I believe she will take this larger point of view with her into the job and life going forward.
- Be ready for multiple interviewers simultaneously (the panel interview.)
Another common strategy companies employ in a second interview is to engage you with multiple interviewers at the same time. Some keys here are:– Remember it’s a conversation, even if it feels like a panel inquiry
– Show that you are able to relate to multiple people at once
– Address and show respect for everyone in the room, even if only one person is asking questions (especially if the person leading the meeting is the “boss” and the others will be your colleagues; you don’t want to give the impression that their opinions are not important)– Pay extra attention to your body language, as the second or third person may be watching you closely (i.e., facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact)
– Give consistent answers and don’t falter if challenged (which is different than thoughtfully revising an answer based on new information)
- Prepare follow-up questions to decide whether the job is a fit for you.
At this second interview, you want to ask what I sometimes call “stage- appropriate” questions to understand fit. That means you can ask more in-depth questions on some aspects of the job than the first stage, but tread lightly on other topics.
Example:
I worked recently with a candidate who was encouraged to hear that the office closes early on Fridays but discouraged to note that there seems to be a “difficult person” with whom she will be working closely. We formulated a plan to address the latter but determined that she should save any questions about the workday – do they actually leave at lunchtime every Friday? – until a later stage or (possibly) after the offer.
On word of a difficult colleague or other negative aspect of the job, I suggest approaching it from a place of curiosity rather than negativity.
So if Kendra says Lisa is difficult, ask Tomas if he knows more about how you’ll be working with Kendra and what he knows about her rather than seeking confirmation if she is difficult as Kendra would have you believe.
You also will want to understand – if it hasn’t been explained already – how your group relates to each other and the rest of the company, what success will look like in this role and what you’ll be expected to complete on a daily and long-term basis.
- Plan how you’ll clarify any “loose ends” from the prior interview.
If your first interview generally went well except that you floundered on a certain answer, be ready to circle that topic back into the conversation in a positive way.
You may, for example, say that you were reflecting on your earlier conversation and have more to add about a certain question. It could be how you would approach a certain situation or whether you have experience in a certain area.Make sure your additional information puts you in a confident light, rather than sounding worried or apologetic. You do not wish to dwell on the point, only supplement and clarify. In addition, address this topic at an appropriate point so you don’t break the flow of the new conversation. For example, if the interviewer asks if you have any questions, you might say, “Do you mind if I expand on something we discussed last time…?” If you have already addressed the topic in a thank you note, you don’t need to revisit it again.
- Rehearse situational or behavioral questions.
As I mentioned above, you may be asked hypotheticals about how you would approach a certain situation or prompted to tell the interviewer “about a time when” you rose to a certain challenge, faced an ethical concern, needed to break bad news or otherwise.
I discuss how to approach behavioral questions in this podcast, if you have time to review that before your meeting. If not, keep in mind a few key points:
– Choose situations that speak to the call of the job
– Have your top accomplishments in mind and pull from those where possible
– Do not betray confidences of your current or former company
– Remember that every interview question is a version of “why should I hire you?” and speak to that
- Drive home your value proposition.
If you do nothing else, have a clear statement of value proposition and be ready to work it into the meeting.
What are the three or four key reasons you are the one to hire? What do you offer that they need – in terms of soft and hard skills, knowledge and talents?
Turn back to the preparation you have done for the points above. What does the company need – more generally and from someone in this role – and how can you deliver it?
If you need more help formulating a personal value proposition, please refer to my worksheets here.
The second interview is an exciting time! Best of luck!
Anne Marie Segal is an executive coach, resume writer, Forbes Coaches Council member, former practicing attorney and author of two highly-praised books on interviewing and career development.
Image credit: Adobe Stock.
Segal Coaching LLC 
Great advice!
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