Tips for a Successful Second Interview

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business team sitting around table and communicating in office While some hiring managers only require one interview, other positions will require that you participate in a second interview after successfully passing through the first. This second interview will be a deeper exploration of you as a person and as a potential member of the company. Though you feel that getting a second interview means that the position is a “sure thing,” this interview is just as much a part of the hiring process as your first.

The way that you conduct yourself at the second interview may actually be more telling to the hiring manager than how you interacted during the first interview or any other steps of the hiring process. This is because the way that you behave in this interview will be a better demonstration of your true personality and habits. If it seems as though you were “faking” during the first interview, or were trying to put on airs to impress the hiring manager but have now relaxed because you feel that you have, the job it will come across as though you are not genuine. This can cause a loss of trust and a souring of any good feelings that may have been developed.

Here are a few tips for handling your second interview effectively:

  • Make it well known that you are not in search of a job, but of a career. There is a difference between just being employed and getting paid, and maintaining a career. Show your dedication and your desire to grow with the company.
  • Demonstrate that you want to be a part of the company culture and wish to truly integrate yourself as a member of the team. Show that you want to provide support and that you won’t “run away” if things at the company hit a rough patch.
  • Reinforce your understanding of the company’s history, culture, operating policies, marketing campaigns, and its use of social media platforms for customer interaction.
  • Let the hiring manager know that you aren’t just trying to impress him/her with your knowledge, but that you are demonstrating your desire to be a part of the family that is the company, and that you want to get to know your “family members.”
  • Ask what about you was intriguing enough to inspire the hiring manager to call you for a second interview. Find out what about you is exciting or pleasing so that you can continue to highlight these qualities.
  • Take the notes that they gave you and further emphasize these qualities, as well as lessening the emphasis on qualities that were not mentioned.
  • If you are being interviewed by a different recruiter or hiring manager than performed your first interview, make sure that you take the time to get to know that interviewer as well. Demonstrate that you want to create relationships within the company and highlight the qualities that you feel the first interviewer was impressed by so you can create the same impression on the new interviewer.

By Marie Larsen