How to Conduct the Second Round of a Job Interview

What if the first interview is not enough to find the right hire? The second interview will allow you to take a much closer look at any prospective employee. You will be able to see how the applicant adapts to the second interview as they'll need to prepare differently.

Here's a guide that interviewers can use to conduct a successful second interview.

Narrowing down the candidates

In the first interview, you had to interview a lot of applicants. But in the second interview, you will get to narrow down your selection to a maximum of maybe two or three candidates. Any more than that and you will need another interview, which is not recommended.

First, you should set up the interview with both candidates in a short time span. If you leave too long between the interviews, you are likely to forget something about the prior candidates, which will make it harder for you to make a clear choice. The best scenario is to interview the candidates on consecutive days.

As you arrange the interviews, you should explain to the candidates what the second interview will entail and who’ll be participating, as well as reminding them to bring any essential portfolios in order to prove their expertise and competencies.

Ensure the candidate is at ease for round two.

Involve more interviewers

You should also have another colleague to be another interviewer so you will be able to get a broader spread of opinion about a candidate's suitability. For example, get other managers and supervisors who are likely to interact with the future employee daily.

Planning for the interview

Before the second round starts, you need to review all the notes from the first interviews. Share these notes with any other interviewers and explain your findings and thoughts from the interviews. Even though the other interviewers should know about the previous interview, let them know that they should come to their own conclusions.

It’s a good idea to begin the second interview process by asking a series of predetermined questions you have chosen between you to highlight the core competencies of the interviewee. These questions should be more in-depth than basic job-related questions, as you are trying to find out what makes each candidate tick. This may seem like an obvious point, but make sure that you ask all the interviewees the same questions.

Put the candidate at ease

The aim of the second interview is to get a better idea of a potential hire's personality and skills. You will need to try and make the candidate as comfortable as possible. As they're at ease, they will be able to be the best version of themselves.

You can start with simple things such as asking about their commute or offering them a drink. Don't drive straight into the interview as it will seem more like an interrogation to them.

Give a quick rundown of the previous interview

You should let the candidate know how they did in the first interview and your impressions of them. State the areas you want to explore with them this time around, such as their specific skills.

Keep in mind that more often than not, the aim of a second interview is to focus on the candidate's specific qualifications or re-examine areas of specific interest to the company.

Recap the previous interview with the candidate and tell them where they are in the hiring process.

Get down to basics

Since the second interview is where you'll make the hiring decision, you should ensure that all bases are properly covered. For instance, ask when the candidate would be able to start the job and make sure the salary expectations are not too far away with what you're offering.

Leaver no stone unturned at this point. You can move forward as quickly as possible once you have understood all these important pieces of information.

Q & A time

The second interview is not just for you, it's also the best chance for a candidate to really understand your company. Give these candidates the chance to ask questions and answer these questions in as much depth as possible. Especially if you are selling the position and want to give the impression that the company embraces the concept of transparency.

No loose ends

The candidate will want to know where they are in the hiring process and their chances of getting hired, you should at least let them know where they stand. It is understandable if you wish to make a conditional offer at the end of the interview, but you should see other candidates first.

Tell the candidate if you are still interviewing other candidates and how much longer will it be before you'll be able to contact them. You should also invite the candidate to email you with any other questions in the coming days before you make a decision.

Conclude the interview by restating your company's interest in the candidate and thanking them for their time.

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Source: Challenge Consulting