3 Second Interview Mistakes

If you’re applying for a job then getting to the second interview stage is a real achievement. The job may have had hundreds of people apply for it and now here you are. One of a handful selected to be interviewed for the second and (most probably) the final time for the role.

You need to show your interviewers that you are the person for the job. The person who can hit the ground running and seamlessly fit into their organisation and help drive it forward.

To make your second interview a success, check out the top 3 second interview mistakes. Avoid these and you should be well on your way to being selected for the job.

1. Assuming the Job is Yours

Assuming that just because you have been given a second interview that the job is basically yours is a sure-fire way of ensuring you don’t get the job.

Confidence is a great thing in an interview but if this turns into arrogance then you will immediately turn interviewers against you. If you are so sure you have the job that you are are lacklustre and lazy during the interview is just as bad and will herald the same result. You should always try your very best in interviews, however much you think you have the job.

2. Lack of Preparation

To have got through to the second stage of interviews is impressive and you will have undoubtedly done your research on the the role itself, the company and its markets. But don’t assume that will be enough for your second interview.

Your second interview is the time to further impress your interviewers by expanding on what you know about the company in more detail. You may or may not be asked directly about this but it’s a great topic to bring up when asking questions at the end of the interview. You might do it in a way such as this: “What are your views on where the main opportunities are for the business in the next ten years? From my research I can see several possibilities…”

3. Being Too Nervous

Sometimes the closer you get to something you really want, the more nervous you get. It’s very common for some of the best candidates who have exuded confidence in their first interview to go to pieces in their second one because what they want is so very close.

But of course, succumbing to excess nerves is one of the best ways to ruin an interview. To avoid this, accept that you may be nervous and acknowledge how important this opportunity is to you but don’t make it the be-all-and-end-all. Just try to relax and ‘go with the flow’. The more relaxed you can be the better.