If you’re reading this article, it means you were invited to a second interview. Congratulations! In this guide, we will give you our recommendations for preparing for this important meeting. Follow our tips and have good luck with your second interview!
Most Common Questions for a Second Interview
In the first interview, an applicant is answering questions about his/her experience and skills. And in the second interview, the interviewer asks questions to see you in a particular role. We provide the most common 10 questions with short descriptions of how to answer:
1. Tell me about your greatest weakness.
Many managers ask this question but their goal isn’t to find something negative. They just want to see if you’re honest and how you overcome your weakness. We suggest being honest and tell the manager about your weak sides. Don’t forget to add that you’re fighting with them to overcome.
2. Can you describe your current/past job in detail?
When you hear this question, it means the manager wants to hear about your duties, responsibilities, and other things. Tell these details but be careful: you shouldn’t bring anything negative from your past job experience.
3. What was the most difficult decision for you on your job?
The main goal of this question is to understand how good and effective you can make decisions. Find an answer and make sure it fits a particular company’s culture.
4. Do you have something to add from our first interview?
Be careful here! The answer “Not really” isn’t good in this case. After the first interview, you should prepare a list of things you’d like to tell about in your second interview.
5. Do you like to work with people or alone?
A good answer here is “both” because, in various positions, people are required to work both with others and alone, so you will never guess why the manager is asking this question. This may be checking your communication skills or preparedness to work in a team.
6. Tell me what things your past company could do better?
With this question, a manager is checking how good you understand the company’s goals and how well you work with improving them in your mind.
7. Have you ever been asked to do some unethical things at your previous job?
Here you need to give a specific answer. Of course, nobody would say it’s OK to do unethical things. The manager is not looking straight on your answer but checking your reaction and ability to answer difficult and unexpected questions.
8. What salary do you want in this position?
The answer may be straight only if you’ve discussed the amount of salary before. During your interview, don’t forget to discuss other benefits like flexible work hours, opportunities for growth, and paid time off.
9. Please describe your typical working day at your past job.
The interviewer wants to see if your daily routine at the past job compares with the current company. Of course, it may be a concern if you were working the night shift but looking for a job with traditional working hours. But you can explain that you are in need to change your daily routine and habits.
10. Describe the best achievement at your job.
This question is testing your professional and personal skills. Answer honestly and explain why you feel proud of your achievement.
How to Get Prepared for a Second Interview?
Follow our simple tips on how to prepare for your second interview successfully:
- Be ready for unexpected questions. Some managers like to ask questions like “Imagine you are alone on an unknown island, what’s the one thing you’d take with you, and why?”. With these questions, they want to see your problem-solving skills and the ability to make decisions.
- Come back to the previous interview. Maybe you still remember you didn’t answer some questions completely? Prepare to come back to your first interview and give full answers.
- Provide examples of your success. Don’t just tell stories you’re good at everything you do but tell specific examples of what you did at your past job to reach goals.
- Ask questions during the facility tour. If the employer proposed you to get a tour of the facility, this is your chance to express your interest and ask questions about the company.
- Discuss the next steps. When the second interview is ended, the manager will tell you what happens next (some companies require the third meeting). Or they may offer you a particular position. Unless you’re 100% sure you want this job, don’t decide right away and ask some time to think. If a company didn’t mention anything about the next steps, make sure you’ve asked them about it.
Questions You Can Ask During Interview
During the interview, you can ask questions to show your interest and make things clearer. Here are some examples of what to ask in general:
- How would you describe your ideal worker?
- Can you tell me about the next steps in the hiring process?
- How do you measure the productivity of your workers?
- What do you like the most about this company?
Conclusion / Final Tips
When you’re applying for a job, creating a professional resume and cover letter is quite important. If you need qualified help in making these papers, don’t hesitate to ask our experts for assistance! We have the most skilled authors who can make a successful resume for your needs.