Second Interviews
Sometimes you may be asked to come back for a second interview. For a smaller company this could be because the president will have the final say, or - with a larger organization like a corporation or government - it could be because they are conducting the first interviews as ‘screening’ interviews and will meet with senior HR people or Division managers before taking the next step. Sometimes the same person from the first interview will be there for the second, or you might find yourself being interviewed by a new person. Other times it may be a group or panel interview that you are facing.
Look back at the Traditional and Behavioral questions.
- How might you answer them different the second time?
- What might you learn from the first interview?
Examples of basic/traditional interview questions:
- What are your strengths?
- What do you do on your day off?
- Tell me a little about yourself?
- What kind of boss do you like?
- Describe yourself in three words.
- What were your favorite subjects in school?
- What are you not good at?
- What kind of people do you like to work with?
Examples of behavioral interview questions:
- Describe a situation where you had to deal with a customer complaint.
- Tell us about a time that you were in charge of a team of people
- Did you ever find yourself in a situation where you had idea and someone else took credit for it?
Group / Panel Interviews
This is by far the most intimidating kind of interview. By group we mean at least three or more people. Usually different people in the group are there for different reasons, and will ask specific questions, and might even take on a specific role (aggressive, unfriendly, intellectual, etc.) to see how you react. Sometimes, one person might not even say anything.
Upon entering a group interview take special care during the introductions. Get name cards if you can and try and determine who the real power in the group is. For example, you might meet an HR person, a VP of sales, and a sales Manager. Though HR does the hiring, and you will be working with the sales manager, this ultimate decision is probably up to the VP. So, though you should look at everyone when you talk, make sure your BEST points are made with the VP being present and attentive.
As a class, discuss the differences between one-to-one and group interviews
Final Thoughts: 3 Feet From the Gold
It was over 100 years ago when the uncle of a young Mr. Darby went 2,500 km west to make money at the great Colorado gold rush. Sure enough, shortly after he arrived with his pick and shovel he struck gold. He quietly covered it up, traveled back east to Maine, where he proceeded to raise money to buy equipment to drill for gold. So, loaded with equipment the uncle and Mr. Darby headed back to Colorado.
They set up the equipment and started to drill. Sure enough, they found more gold and then more. They thought they were rich for life. But after only a few weeks they could not find any more gold. They drilled and drilled and drilled. Eventually they became discouraged and gave up. They sold the claim and equipment to a junk dealer.
The dealer was a smart man. He researched about gold mines and then hired some engineers to come look at the mine. After studying the land, they said he would find lots more gold. So he started to drill again. Sure enough, he found a huge amount of gold only three feet (one meter) from where Mr. Darby and his uncle had stopped drilling.
A few years later, Mr. Darby heard the story of his uncle’s gold mine and was very depressed. “Three feet from the gold!” “Three feet from the gold!” He kept saying over and over. But then he too realized he had a decision to make. He could stay depressed and never try anything else, or he could learn from this and move on. Well, almost 80 years ago, Mr. Darby became one of the first millionaire salesmen in the U.S.A. How? Not by gold, but he went on to get involved in life insurance. Every time someone said “no” to him, he thought to himself, “Three feet from the gold!” and went on to make another sale. What can you learn from this story?
- The junk dealer found the gold because he researched and was prepared before he went searching.
- Mr. Darby did not give up. He may have heard 50 “No’s”, but he kept going, knowing that the next person might be a yes!
So you may hear 50 “No, thank you,” but research and prepare because you never know what the next job application or interview might bring. Don’t stop 3 feet from the gold!