You successfully presented yourself in your initial interview, and you receive a phone call or a letter inviting you to a second interview (also known as the office visit, on-site interview, or plant interview). You now know that an employer is very interested in you and you are one of the finalists in the selection process! You may ask what the structure of the second interview will be when you call to confirm your interview. During your second interview, a variety of things may happen. You could be answering and asking questions for two hours or all day. You might interview on a one-to-one basis with three or more different individuals. You could have a panel of interviewers, two interviewers at once, aptitude testing, role-playing, a plant or office tour, reception, and a meal.
When invited to a second interview, verify the time, date, and location of the interview, along with the name and titles of the people who will interview you. Be sure you know where you are going if the interview is in town. Verify travel arrangements, hotel accommodations, and how expenses will be covered for interviews held out of town.
Review what you researched about the employer prior to your first interview, and see if you need to conduct more in-depth research. Also, review what was discussed about you and the job in the first interview. Practice describing situations in which you demonstrated your strongest skills and best accomplishments. (Don't use all of the same examples from your first interview.) Practice answering questions you expect to be asked. Prepare questions you will ask about the job and the employer.
The people conducting the interviews could be human resources representatives, department managers, potential supervisors, and partners or owners of the business. Whether you interview with one person or ten, you must "sell yourself" to every person you meet. Maintain your enthusiasm as you answer some of the same questions repeatedly.
If lunch or dinner is included, remember that you are still in an interview situation and the employer may be evaluating your social graces and etiquette. Practice your best table manners: order something easy to eat, keep your elbows off the table, pass to the right, cut one bite at a time, keep your napkin in your lap until you leave the table, and avoid controversial topics in your conversation.
The second interview provides an opportunity for you to present your qualifications and evaluate the employer. What do you need to know to decide if you want to work for this employer? Does the employer meet your criteria? Make it easy for each interviewer to see why you are the best match for the job.
It is common for an employer to interview all the finalists before extending job offers. If offered a job during the final interview, ask when the employer needs to know your decision. If a job is not offered at the time of the interview, ask when they will make their decision, and when you can expect to hear from them.
Close each interview well by summarizing your qualifications, stating your desire for the job, and thanking the interviewer. Send a thank-you letter to everyone you interviewed with, or to the one person who seemed to be most in charge of hiring.
Keep in mind the skills and qualifications that the employer is looking for in a candidate. Every time you talk in an interview, you are selling yourself. It is important to communicate why you believe you are the best match for the available position. Practice talking about yourself so you will be able to articulate your skills, accomplishments, and career goals concisely and effectively in an interview.
Behavioral based interviews are very popular with employers. These involve questions where you will be asked for examples of past situations which demonstrate you have the job skills and work behaviors the employer wants. The questions are unpredictable. It is easier to answer behavioral based questions if you analyze the job description and know what skills are required. Then you can identify situations where you have demonstrated the required skills and work behaviors. Give specific examples in three part story-like form, describing the situation/challenge, your actions/behavior, and the results or outcome. The types of behaviors and skills evaluated in behavioral interviews include: teambuilding, solving problems, flexibility, resolving conflicts, time management, accepting feedback, communication, learning from mistakes, showing nitiative, learning new things quickly, leadership, learning from successes, decision-making, working under stress, achievement orientation, and analytical reasoning.
Examples of behavioral interview questions:
- Describe a time when you put a lot of effort into a project. What did you learn?
- Tell me about a time when you performed well in a crisis. What did you do?
- Would you approach that problem in the same way today?
- Describe a time when you did not get along with a co-worker. What did you learn?
- Describe a time when you had to think on your feet to solve a difficult problem.
- Tell me about a time when you were not satisfied with your performance.
- Provide a recent example of when you exceeded expectations.
- Describe an accomplishment. What did you do to make that happen? Be specific.
- Describe a situation when you dealt with rapid changes. How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time when you were responsible for directing other people.
- Describe a time when you were really motivated to do your best.
