Now it is important for you to convince your potential future employer of your qualities in the second interview. Because if you think that after the first round the job is already as good as in the bag, you overestimate yourself, the second round of the application is not a self-runner.
In the first interview, the main focus was on deciding whether the applicant seemed suitable for the position at all. In the first interview, the interview partners make a pre-selection of possible suitable applicants. In principle, questions are asked in the first interview about specialist and industry knowledge, willingness to travel on business and language skills. In addition, an initial personality check is carried out to determine your strengths. Does the applicant fit the advertised position, the company and the department? The salary expectations are also roughly compared.
In the second round of interviews, you generally only have to assert yourself against one to four applicants. If you have answered the questions particularly convincingly, you may also be the only candidate in the second round. In any case, continue your confident performance from the first round of the interview during the second interview.
Show your unconditional willingness to fully contribute your competence and professional experience to the new job.
Assume that new people unknown to you will be present in the second round of interviews and prepare yourself for a new self-presentation. There is a high probability that the content of the first interview will overlap with the content of the second interview. Questions about your professional career and the company will then be asked. You can answer the following questions for yourself in preparation for the second interview:
How do you see the market development of the company with regard to ...?
How do you assess the future development of our company?
What challenges you most about your new area of responsibility?
When you think of your current position and your new position: Where do you lack experience?
Why should we choose you?
You should also be well prepared for control questions regarding the first interview. When preparing for the first interview, go through the interview in detail again so that you do not fall into the trap of giving contradictory answers.
Our tips:
Prepare yourself in detail for your own introduction, try to add additional aspects to your previous career so that the person you are talking to can gain new and additional impressions of you from the initial interview. And always remember, everyone involved in the decision-making process must be convinced anew. In particular, you should present your attitude arguments one more time. When asked why they should choose you, underline your skills and qualifications. Some applicants waste too much energy in clarifying salary and vacation issues. Instead, repeat key arguments from your self-presentation, go back to the job advertisement and give one or two concrete examples of professional success.
Gather information about the market and the industry in which the company operates. Identify the main competitors and their advantages and disadvantages, and work out possible approaches for your future task. Do not trump as a know-it-all with this knowledge, but discreetly score points by incorporating these facts into your answers.
Several constellations are possible here. As a rule, a representative of the specialist and personnel departments conducts the first interview, the second interview is conducted by the next higher-level specialist superior and the same personnel manager acts as the other interview partner. If the company has commissioned a personnel consultant to select personnel for the vacant position, the consultant will probably be present at the first interview as well as the second interview.
Our tips:
After your application and receipt of the invitation to the second interview, ask for the names of the interview partners and especially their names when accepting the offer. This will help you to better prepare for the interview.
At the latest during the second interview, the subject of salary will be discussed. State your clear salary expectations when asked. Holidays, working hours, commissions, use of company cars and company pensions will also be clarified in the second interview. At the end of the interview, you may be shown around the company, introduced to the team you will be working with in the future and perhaps you will be shown your future workplace. Consider this gesture a good sign!
Our tips:
Do not clarify all the facts about salary, holidays etc. until the last third of the interview and not at the beginning. Wait for the questions of your counterpart. Before you say goodbye, the further procedure of the application should be clarified. Who contacts whom, when and in what form (by telephone or e-mail). Usually you will be asked to think again carefully whether the job is suitable for you and then get in touch a day or two later. Don't take too long, but contact the person you were told at the agreed time. After all, you didn't want to be left in the dark for days on end, but rather to finally have the job secured.
If you no longer want to wait for the company to respond to your application, you can send a short thank you e-mail.
Your goal: Concretely point out previous professional successes and convince all participants
Your answers: Respond confidently to control questions and refer to your self-presentation. Ask critical questions that show that you are dealing with the company, its current situation and above all with the position you have applied for..
Your arguments: Repeat key statements from your personal vision and show overlaps from the last job to the new tasks.
Your appearance: Show confidently and patiently that the offered job fits you perfectly.
Are you still in doubt whether the job change is the right one? We have compiled the opportunities and risks of a job change for you in another article. read more
