Do expect to be asked some of the same questions you were asked in
the first interview, but some new ones as well. Second-interview
questions may delve more into your personality, or they may be more
targeted toward specific technical skills -- or both. Plan to keep
your responses fresh yet consistent for each person you meet with
during the second-interview, and don't worry about repeating yourself
since you will likely have a different audience every time you give
roughly the same response. If you've followed the advice above to
obtain the full list of interviewers, a good way to keep your answers
fresh is to try to find out something about each interviewer and
tailor your response specifically to that person. You can also vary
your delivery to freshen your responses. Interviewing expert
Carole
Martin suggests that a good way for the
interviewer to get to know about your personality is through the
quotes of others; for example, tell the interviewer what your boss
would say about you if asked.
Do expect behavioral questions, which are commonly asked in second
interviews, even if they haven't been in asked in the first
interview. See this book’s previous chapters for how to handle these genres.
Do listen for clues that get at the heart of what the employer seeks
in the person hired for this position and key into the needs,
concerns, issues, and problems that you would be expected to handle.
Do prepare for as many kinds of questions as possible. You've already
interviewed with this employer, but it wouldn't hurt to do a mock
interview with a friend, family member, or career counselor/coach to
prepare for the second interview. You may also want to prep with our
Practice Interviews.
Don't be shocked if some of the people you meet with aren't very
competent interviewers. While managers trained in interviewing often
conduct first interviewers, the array of people who might talk with
you during the second-interview experience may include people lacking
skills and training in how to conduct an interview.
Do be prepared with lots of questions to ask. You will likely
have more opportunity to ask questions in the second interview and
will be expected to make more sophisticated inquiries than you did in
the first interview. Although these
questions are designed
for informational interviews, many of them also work in a
second-interview situation in which you are attempting to make a
personal connection.
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