How to Ace a Second Interview (Questions & Example Answers)

Congratulations! You aced your first interview, and now you’ve been called for a second one. This is yet another excellent opportunity for you to sell yourself and convince the hiring manager that you are the ideal candidate for the role.

The hiring process consists of several stages which start from candidate screening to getting the perfect hire. The first step involves establishing a shortlist of qualified applicants and assessing how they fit into the company’s culture. The second interview aims to carry out an in-depth assessment to determine whether your skills, experiences, accomplishments, values or career goals align with the role and the company’s mission, and how they will contribute to the achievement of future objectives.

While some prior interview preparation is vital and typical interview questions may be repeated, be assured that there will be some slight differences in the types of questions asked and the answers expected. Typically, recruiters go for questions that assist them in identifying candidates whose values align with those of the company’s mission and vision.

To successfully make it through this stage, you will need to prepare for standard interview questions, curve-ball questions while paying keen attention to role-specific skills questions that are bound to come up during your interview. Expect specific questions about the position, the organization, your ability to perform, and achieve results, and how your skills, accomplishments, and experiences are relevant to what the company is looking for from potential employees.

So, which questions should you expect during a second interview? Read on to find out.

Sample questions to expect during your second interview

Depending on the position you’re interviewing for, second interview questions require detailed answers. It’s essential to craft your responses to reflect the company’s values, mission, products, and services.

1. Competency-based questions/ Behavioral interview questions
In these type of questions, recruiters focus on your past work-related experiences to determine whether you have the right skills needed for the role. The questions primarily focus on how you dealt with various work-related situations in the past. The responses you provide will give some insight about your skills, abilities and personality type.

The rationality behind this interview technique lies in the fact that your behavior in the past reflects and predicts how you’ll behave in the future. The trick to effectively respond to such questions is using quantifiable examples of how you previously handled a similar situation in your past work environment. Use the star technique where you provide a situation, the task involved, the action you took and the results you achieved. Examples of behavioral interview questions include:

Describe one of the most significant challenges you’ve faced in your current/previous role and how you dealt with it?
Describe a time when you had to implement a new work procedure or an unpopular decision and how you handled the situation?
Have you ever taken any risks? Explain how you handled the situation?
How do you handle stress and pressure?
Describe an instance when you had to be highly decisive at work?
How have you coped with difficult situations-changing processes/circumstances or difficult employees at work?
Describe what you would do if you were assigned several tasks with competing deadlines?
Have you ever gone above and beyond in a task, if so, how?
Why are you the ideal candidate for this role?
Tell me about an instance when you were asked to do something you had no experience in whatsoever. How did you handle it and what was the outcome?
Describe an instance when you had to work with a problematic employee-somebody hard to get along with. How did you handle it?

2. General interview questions
These type of questions can focus on anything from soft skills to technical skills to situational interview questions or informational interview questions. Such second interview questions aim to establish whether your vision and career goals align with the company’s mission and values.

Recruiters use questions that require detailed answers to determine and gauge the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. These questions aim to assess the candidates’ ability to collaborate with other team members and their emotional intelligence. Recruiters are interested in candidates who demonstrate the urge to form a long-term partnership and increase the company’s retention rates. Therefore, your long-term career goals will determine whether you are the best fit or not. Examples of these questions include:

Can you tell me about a time when you worked as part of a team?
What is your management style?
How do you delegate tasks?
Why do you want to work here?
Where do you see yourself in X years?
What are your career goals?
Are you a leader or follower?
What are your salary expectations?
What is the organization’s mission?
What skills do you think are relevant for this role?
If hired what would you change about the company?
What do you know about this company?
What are the most important things for you in a job?

Essential tips to consider during your second interview

1. Be prepared with detailed answersSecond interviews are an excellent opportunity to market and sell yourself once more. Therefore, be prepared with all the relevant documents, well-tailored answers, and a portfolio or any work samples that are relevant to the job.

During the second interview, you may be interviewed by a panel or a group of people such as team members or other employees who will work with you on a daily basis. You’ll want to be prepared and give an elevator speech, demonstrating your skills and abilities effectively and sufficiently to catch them up on who you are and why you are the ideal candidate for the role. Focus on selling yourself to everyone you interview with because all these people play an integral role in the hiring process.

2. Match your skills to the job requirements
Review the job descriptions of the role you are applying for as well as other job listings of the company you have applied for. This will give you a general idea of the candidates the company is looking for. Remember your goal is to convince the hiring team that you are the right candidate, who can add instant value to the company, and help achieve the company’s goals. Therefore, focus on providing actionable information in your responses especially in behavioral interview questions.

3. Plan a strategy in advance
Okay, so you’ve been called for a second interview? What do you need to do to make sure you seal the deal and land your dream job? Plan and prepare in advance is the answer.

The best way to prepare for an interview is to do research and learn as much as you can about the job or company you’ve applied for. The more information you have about the company, the easier it will be for you to relate your skills to the role and the company’s needs. Go through the company’s social media platforms or any other platforms and look for relevant information about the company.

Consider the job as a partnership, which means not only do you benefit from the company but also, you get an opportunity to obtain new skills, experiences and work in a team of brilliant people. Think of this as an opportunity to achieve your goals and dominate your industry of passion. Therefore, go for the interview well-prepared and ready.

4. Be consistent with your responses
Consistency is vital, especially since this is your second interview. The hiring team will compare notes. It’s crucial to ensure that the information or answers you give one interviewer are similar to the information you provide other interviewers in the hiring team with.

During your preparation, take time to go through your resume and consider the answers you provided during the first interview. This will help you remember what you said and help you remain consistent in the answers you provide.

Also, being truthful will help you a great deal, but this does not mean talking ill about your former employer or colleagues, regardless of how terrible they were, No! Focus on the reason for being in the interview, to sell yourself and land the job, be positive. Being truthful will help you maintain consistency in your responses.

Second interview questions to ask employers

It’s crucial to always go to an interview prepared with questions to ask the hiring manager. During your second interview, refrain from repeating questions you had asked in the initial meeting. Below are examples of questions you can ask during your second interview:

What is the one thing you like about the company culture?
How would an employee bring impact to the company?
How do you measure performance in this role?
What are the daily duties and responsibilities for this role?
What is a typical work day look like?
Is there potential for professional growth with the company?

Remember that, just because you’ve been invited for a second interview doesn’t mean that you’ve got the job. There are hundreds of qualified candidates who’ve probably applied for the job, and the hiring team is merely trying to pinpoint the best of the best. Therefore, a second interview is an opportunity to determine if you have the qualities the company is looking for. Moreover, due to the competitive job market, don’t be surprised to have more than three interviews for a position.

Be prepared for the interview and remember everything you had said in prior discussions. Most importantly, don’t panic if you can’t remember everything you said in previous interviews, word for word. Focus on the key points you discussed and you’ll be good to go.