How to ace your second interview

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You’ve got through the first job interview and have been invited back for another. You’re well in the frame for the role and now is the time for confidence – but not complacency or arrogance.

“You have to assume that every remaining candidate ticks all the required boxes and things are close,” says Jon Gregory, career coach and editor of win-that-job.com. The second round of interviews will be different to the first. Your interviewer(s) will aim to address any question marks that arose as a result of your first interview. Because as Gregory points out, if there weren’t any concerns, you’d likely already have the job.

“They’ll target your weakest areas to see whether or not they would reduce your ability to do an effective job,” he adds. “Be honest with yourself about where you struggled in your first interview and then prepare thoroughly in anticipation of that likely probing.”

The second interview shows that the selectors really liked you and decided to give you a chance to land that job but it also requires you to prepare so much more than for the previous round, adds Dasha Amron. The founder and managing director of Career Coaching Ventures explains: “This time, it is more likely to be competency-based questions that will be asked of you. I also often encounter various short tests and essays during the second round.”

So what will the interviewer ultimately be looking for in a second interview? In short, they want you to solve their recruitment problem. The good news is, if you’ve made it to the second round they’ve been impressed by what they’ve seen so far. “They’ll be looking for you to confirm their judgment and show them how you’re most definitely the one they want,” says Gregory.

The people on the other side of the desk will be hoping you can show full commitment to winning the job, genuine insight into the challenges and real enthusiasm to attack the role, should you get it.

Here are three top tips for succeeding in a second interview:

Use your first interview intel
Think carefully about what you learned about the organisation and its people from the first interview. Do your research again and use intelligence gained for that first interview to inform it. “The interviewer will feel comforted if they see you’ve learned from your previous meeting and have already stepped up your game,” says Gregory.

As part of your research, you should also try to establish who is going to be on the interviewing panel during the second round and find out as much about these people as possible, adds Amron. Follow them on Twitter, study their LinkedIn profiles, and read their articles and blogs if they publish. “In other words, make sure you understand their career history and their viewpoints,” she explains.

Reinforce the positives
Define the challenges that the successful candidate will face and plan to show how you could take up the reins and make real progress, says Gregory. Build on the previous examples of what makes you the best candidate and try to hit home the positives.

If you’ve made it this far it is likely you managed to connect with the interviewer on a human level before, this is your chance to establish a rapport that will leave them really feeling you could be part of the team. “Be enthusiastic, likeable and smile,” says Amron. “Nothing can impress more than a nice smile and a positive attitude.”

Articulate your edge and prepare questions 
Identify what added-value you might bring, especially in comparison to the likely profile of other applicants. “This is hard,” admits Gregory, “but dig deep as it can be a real deal-swinger for you if things are close.”

Be careful not to let this stray into unconstructive territory. Remember that all candidates have different strengths and weaknesses, so try not to obsess or worry too much about comparing yourself to others. “Instead, concentrate on showing the best of yourself and how you’re the very best choice,” Gregory says.

Finally, don’t neglect to prepare thoughtful and original questions to ask at the end of the interview, Amron points out. “Notable events within the company would require a question on your behalf,” she explains. This will really demonstrate you are imagining working at the company.

“Make sure you think about the financial performance of the company you are applying to and can tailor the questions accordingly,” she adds. Has there been a recent restructure? It would probably make sense to ask something about this as well.

Hopefully this article will set your second interview on the track to success, but why not find out how to structure your answers to interview questions using the STAR technique?

By Kirstie BrewerPublished: 09 Mar 2016

Ref:- https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/how-to-ace-your-second-interview-/

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A Guardian Jobs guide to the top ten interview questions – and how to answer them

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Wouldn’t it be great if you knew in advance what your interviewer was going to ask you? Unfortunately it is difficult to know precisely, but the following questions are more than likely to crop up in some shape or form. Here, interview experts give their advice on how best to answer them.

Tell me about yourself
Yes, it’s a very open question, but the interviewer isn’t looking for a long and rambling story of your life, warns Jon Gregory, editor of win-that-job.com. “What the interviewer most wants to hear is what you’ve got about you that makes you relevant and potentially a great choice,” he explains. Summarise your early career in as few words as possible to cover your background and then cut straight to your most recent and relevant experiences.

“Deliver the facts, rather than a sales pitch and try to relax,” says Gregory. “Smile, be enthusiastic and engage with the interviewer because this is your opportunity to help steer a positive tone to the whole proceedings.”

Why do you want to work here?
Find out as much as you can about the organisation and its competitors – this should help inform your answer.“This is your chance to demonstrate that you have done your research into the organisation’s unique selling points and core values”, says David Cairncross, director at Hays.

“Try to avoid saying things that suggest a short-term interest in the role,” advises Cairncross. For example, avoid saying that the role may be a stepping stone to your future goals or, perhaps for a UK-based role, that you are interested in the prospect of international work, as this will suggest you are looking to move on quickly.

What are your strengths?
For this question, Jonathan Burston, founder of the Interview Expert Academy, advises candidates to prepare in advance by following the ‘rule of 3’:

Rule 1: Make a list of what you think you’re good at, what you enjoy doing and what others say you’re good at.

Rule 2: Take that list a step further and ask yourself why you consider each strength to be a strength – list three reasons per strength.

Rule 3: For each strength listed, detail three examples of where you’ve showcased that strength.

What are your weaknesses?
Interviewers ask this question to see how self aware candidates are, according to Sarah Archer ofCareerTree. “They don’t want you to start listing all your weaknesses and provide them with a reason not to give you the job – remember they want you to do well,” she explains. “But you must prepare for the question because answering off the top of your head could be fatal.”

Think of a weakness that you have – that is preferably not a crucial requirement of the job – and show the interviewer you have a strategy for managing it. For example: “When under pressure my attention to detail can be less than I like so I build in extra time for checking my work or ask a colleague to do a final proof read for me.”

Why should we employ you?
This question isn’t simply about whether you meet the criteria of the job specifications, you need to demonstrate you can deliver what is required, says Victoria McLean, founder of CityCV. Start by reiterating the role outcomes (“My understanding is that the business requires an individual who can expand the client base and …”), then illustrate the skills you have to achieve those outcomes with some tangible examples.

Next give them your “differentiator”, says McLean – what sets you apart from your peers, what is your USP? “Use emotive language and wrap up with something super positive and memorable,” she advises. “Reiterate again how excited you are about the opportunity and to close your answer on a really positive note.”

What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
Use this question as an opportunity to showcase your strengths, says Cairncross. “Think of where you have personally made a difference, but avoid overselling yourself,” he adds. Use the STAR technique to tell a compelling story, outline the situation you were in, the task you had to accomplish, the action you took and then the positive results.

Using the STAR technique should ensure your answer has a clear structure and doesn’t miss out any key details. Cairncross also advises that the candidate highlights the obstacles they overcame to reach the achievement.

Describe a time something went wrong and how you dealt with it
“We all have experiences where something went wrong and employers want to learn how you deal with it,” says Burston. He recommends making a list of examples of projects or goals that didn’t go according to plan and then listing what happened and why. Next, review the reasons it failed, how you felt about it and, most importantly, what you learned from the experience and what you’d do differently next time. Once you’ve got a clear example in your head, you can structure your answer using the STAR technique, in the same way as question 6.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
This is tricky. “You don’t want to be under ambitious, but equally you need to avoid having unrealistic or mismatched expectations,” says Gregory. What does work, according to Gregory, is to say that you would hope to develop and be trusted with increasing responsibility over this next five years. “This shows that first and foremost you want to be recognised as someone who does an excellent job, and that this would underpin any career development and promotional opportunities,” he explains.

What motivates you?
This is a broad question designed to understand a person in the round, according to Kelly Roberts, head of HR consultancy at accountancy firm Kreston Reeves. Perhaps you might like a challenge? Or you want a job that pays enough for interesting foreign travel? “There is no right or wrong, but honesty, enthusiasm and self-belief are qualities a recruiter will hope to see reflected in the answers,” she says.

Have you got any questions?
Remember that interviews are a two-way process. “Interviewers will want to know if you’re interested in them and their organisation, so you should never go to an interview without a list of pre-prepared questions,” says Burston. Ask about the company and the opportunities for personal development and, of course, ask more about the role, its challenges and the team. Questions directed at the interviewer themselves are a good move too, says Burston. What do they like about their job, the company, the culture?

Image: © Christopher Scott / Alamy Stock Photo

By Kirstie Brewer

Published: 17 Dec 2015

Ref: https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/the-top-ten-interview-questions-and-how-to-answer-them/