How to Ace the Second Round Job Interview
While it is really great news to get called back for second round job interviews, many job seekers that I work with, get an extra dose of anxiety. Some of the common questions job seekers will ask me about how to prepare for the second round interview include - How do I prepare? How will this second round interview be different from the first? What should I expect to happen in the second round of interviews? For the most part, all the interview basics are the same. However, these are the 3 areas that require special attention from me in HR when I am scheduling second round interviews. Second round interview candidates really should prepare by paying attention to these things.
Know the schedule and the plan
Second round job interviews typically involve more of a time commitment from everyone involved including the candidate and the interview team. If you are being invited back for a second round job interview ask the interview planner to tell you the number of hours you need to be available. Knowing how long you will be there will help you plan even your eating schedule. If you are going to be on the employer's site for 3 to 4 hours. Which 3 to 4 hours is it? Right after breakfast, between lunch and dinner or mid-morning to mid-afternoon? Don't assume meals will be a part of your visit, even if you are on the company's site during lunch.
You have to consider the day's timeline and how to you pace yourself and prepare. For example, when I recruited college executive-level positions like Vice Presidents, the candidates who came for a second round job interview, knew to expect at least a half-day commitment. In the state university system where I worked we also had guidelines about how to spend money on food and so even if we wanted to, we would not be able to host a meal for some applicants.
Activities during these second round interviews on my campus usually involved meeting with search panels, a college campus tour, a presentation to diverse campus constituents and some type of open forum where university employees could ask questions. Believe it or not, knowing the schedule of activities can help a job seeker decide on simple things such as which shoes to wear to a job interview. For example: is it a walking tour of the college campus or a golf-cart trip around the campus?
Think through technology needs
I have seen many applicants on second round job interviews lose points because of their interaction with technology. Documents such as resumes, portfolios, presentation slides should be available and accessible online via email as well as on flash drives. You never know what can happen and you have to be prepared. I have seen applicants who were not able to do the presentation they prepared because they did not email a copy of their slides to themselves and turned up with a broken flash drive. Job seekers should ask ahead about what type of tech support will be available and bring materials in many formats. I was in one second round interview where the candidate pulled out 4 copies of her bound presentation slides, during a power failure in the building. The room was bright enough to continue the interview, but there was no technology. The applicant had planned to leave the bound copies with us anyway and so pulling them out was a definite plus.
Post-interview follow up
Second round interview follow up is just like any other job interview follow up. There is one particular area that demands more attention. Job seekers should really try to collect contact information for everyone they met on site. Our HR office was always willing to provide email information for candidate thank you notes. We only asked that the job seeker copy us on all the communication with panel members. Job seekers should be respectful of whatever protocols employers have in place for followup.
In conclusion, second round interviews are a critical hurdle in the job search process. The more information you have, the better prepared you will be.