Employers are requiring a second job interview more and more frequently. This is an opportunity for you to present yourself in more depth and ask your nagging questions. Here are our five tips to make the most of this second meeting.
Be glad
Being called to a second interview is excellent news, and it means that you made a very good first impression. Smile!
Get ready for a four-way conversation
To assess your application better from different perspectives, the recruiter will generally be accompanied by two or three colleagues at the second interview. The immediate superior could participate, for example. This allows the team to check if you really fit their needs – the perspectives of the different managers may vary – as well as to observe your interactions with several people. Your social qualities will be particularly scrutinized. The interview can sometimes even take place in a friendly environment, such as a restaurant.
Be prepared to go deeper
While the first interview is generally more superficial, the second can be used to ask more technical questions, submit you to specific situations or have you go through a battery of tests. To prepare yourself better for all this, try to find out in advance what form the interview will take. Questions from the first interview may also be asked again, and they will need to be answered in more detail. Therefore, it is advisable to take notes at the end of the first interview and review them before going to the second interview.
Some of the specific skills you require for the position will be gone into more thoroughly. A word of advice is to review the list of the position’s tasks and be ready to demonstrate how your experience prepares you for it.
Now is the time to talk about the company
The recruiters will be interested in your perception of the organization. Learn as much as you can about the company and its future projects to be able to talk intelligently about it and provide your personal perspective.
Ask your own questions too
The second interview is more conversational than the first – you are expected to ask a lot of questions. Find out about the major challenges in your future position, ask questions about future colleagues or the hierarchical structure and ask for details about the company culture and the planned evolution of the company. Remember that in the current environment of labour scarcity, this interview will also be used by the employer to attract you.
You can also talk about salary. It is usually during the second interview that the employer will ask you to specify your salary expectations. It’s not taboo to discuss it at this stage. This is more good news!