Chances of getting a job with second round interview?

walkinggold

Hi guys,

I was wondering what everyone's experience of second round interviews is.

Does is generally mean you have a good chance of getting the job?

Anyone have any idea how many people are brought in for second round interviews over one position?

amtc

My last job I had eight interviews. Boss couldn't figure out between me and a guy. I got it, but the whole process took five months. I kind of got the feeling boss was doing it to justify his own job.

T-K-O

I secured my current job after 2 interviews. The second interview was basically just a chat with snr management.

I guess it depends on the company

gallifreya

Depends on how many tiers of interviews are being held. If the second interview is the final interview, then you have a very good chance. Either way, well done. You have already made it through screening and first round. If it is indeed a final interview, you are now only competing with a vastly reduced number of people i.e. the other shortlisted applicants. At this point, you are usually in front of the person you will directly report to, or who is in charge of the department. In my experience their judgement can have a huge influence on who is hired and they will be considering candidates not only on skill-sets and performance but also on how a candidate will 'fit in' both with them and any existing team. I would generally put no more that 4-6 people through for final interview but this can depend on the company, the position and the quality of the candidates. Best of luck.

UDP

Making it to the second round means you have a better chance of getting the job as candidates have been shortlisted. My current job was hr & manager round 1 then manager & another manager from the same department round 2. You could be facing anyone though but if your potential manager was not at the first interview then he/she will be probably at the second one. You can ask beforehand who will be at the second interview - hr normally let you know this information. Then Google their names which will hopefully give you photos of what they look like and possibly more information.

Phoebas

walkinggold wrote: »

Hi guys,

I was wondering what everyone's experience of second round interviews is.

Does is generally mean you have a good chance of getting the job?

Anyone have any idea how many people are brought in for second round interviews over one position?

Is it the final interview?

If it is, then you stand a great chance. In my experience (and this will vary by the type of position) the final interview is often about fit - letting someone else, usually more senior, kick your wheels. Here may be a few other candidates in the mix, but the 'likeabilty' factor is very important here.

However, if you stumbled over some of the questions in the first interview, they might want to cover some of those areas again.

BobBobBobBob

I had two interviews for my current job. First was a phone interview (was working aboard) and the second was a face to face and I knew I had a very good chance after the phone interview.

Best of luck.

seamus

Really does depend on the company in question.

In many cases the first interview is just the sh1t filter. Especially if the first interview is a phone interview, then they're just filtering out the bull****ters and making sure that what you've put down on your CV somewhat accurately reflects you.

The second interview then may be the "real" interview.

You can generally tell what stage you're at in terms of how detailed the interview was. If the first interview was short and just a brief discussion about you and what you do, then it's probably just a filter. But if it was a long interview which went into quite a detailed/technical discussion about your field, then that's probably the "main" interview.

Also, if they tell you, you can figure out what stage you're at by looking at who's interviewing you. Being interviewed by your potential boss and/or colleagues and they're probably strongly considering you for the position. If you're being interviewed by someone much higher up like a CEO or CFO then you're probably going to be offered the job, and the CEO is just doing a QA check on you.

Sadderday

I've made it to the second round interview stage twice (two different jobs & companies) in the last few weeks.

Both second rounds were the final interviews and both included senior management.

However, I haven't got a new job yet and I can't identify what I am doing wrong as the agencies are not very informative.

I had gotten the impression that I was getting the last job. The HR manager told me on the spot she wanted me back for round two.

I'm no wiser as to how I actually performed in round two or why I hadn't been chosen.
If I am offered a first round interview I go along not expecting a job out of it because I know there are various stages you need to go through to actually be successful therefore I am relaxed. I always get nervous before a second round because I have no idea what to expect and obviously I keep falling down at this point. I am desperate to move on and will certainly work hard, how do you get this across in a second round? It's alot of energy to keep getting to this stage and hearing bad news after waiting a week.

Any advice?

seamus

Sadderday wrote: »

I'm no wiser as to how I actually performed in round two or why I hadn't been chosen.

It sounds very American, but ask for feedback. When they tell you that you didn't get the job, as for some specific pointers on what would have made you a more attractive candidate. Things like, "we felt you didn't fit the role" is fluff and doesn't help you discover what it was that you fell down on.
Sometimes they may offer constructive help such as, "You came across as timid in the interview" or , "We felt you had insufficient knowledge of X" and sometimes they may continue with fluff language, "The other candidate was just a better fit", but if you don't ask, you won't know.

I always get nervous before a second round because I have no idea what to expect and obviously I keep falling down at this point. I am desperate to move on and will certainly work hard, how do you get this across in a second round?

I think a lot of the problem people have with the interview process is that they treat the potential employer like someone holding out a gold bar and asking you to beg to get it. People are afraid to ask questions or appear troublesome lest they get shot down at the first hurdle.
Try to get this notion out of your head and treat it as a negotiation. You want to get a good job. They have it. They want a good employee. That's you. It's then a negotiation for each to convince the other to take them on.

Prepare for the main interview. Try to get as much information as you can - who am I meeting? what are they going to talk about? How long will it last? Are there multiple meetings? Is there anything specific they would like to talk to me about? Many companies tell you this on the day, but then you have no chance to prepare. Ask them straight out for this information when they call you for an interview. Even knowing simple things such as the length of the interview and whether there are one or two interviews in the day, will help put you at ease.

When you start working for the company your day isn't going to consist of people trying to catch you out and ask you difficult questions you weren't expecting, so there's no reason why the interview should be in that format.

If you seem like you've read up on the topics they're asking you about and have had a think about them in the preceding days, then you'll come across as eager and enthusiastic.

Sadderday

seamus wrote: »

It sounds very American, but ask for feedback. When they tell you that you didn't get the job, as for some specific pointers on what would have made you a more attractive candidate. Things like, "we felt you didn't fit the role" is fluff and doesn't help you discover what it was that you fell down on.
Sometimes they may offer constructive help such as, "You came across as timid in the interview" or , "We felt you had insufficient knowledge of X" and sometimes they may continue with fluff language, "The other candidate was just a better fit", but if you don't ask, you won't know.
I think a lot of the problem people have with the interview process is that they treat the potential employer like someone holding out a gold bar and asking you to beg to get it. People are afraid to ask questions or appear troublesome lest they get shot down at the first hurdle.
Try to get this notion out of your head and treat it as a negotiation. You want to get a good job. They have it. They want a good employee. That's you. It's then a negotiation for each to convince the other to take them on.

Prepare for the main interview. Try to get as much information as you can - who am I meeting? what are they going to talk about? How long will it last? Are there multiple meetings? Is there anything specific they would like to talk to me about? Many companies tell you this on the day, but then you have no chance to prepare. Ask them straight out for this information when they call you for an interview.

When you start working for the company your day isn't going to consist of people trying to catch you out and ask you difficult questions you weren't expected, so there's no reason why the interview should be in that format.

If you seem like you've read up on the topics they're asking you about and have had a think about them in the preceding days, then you'll come across as eager and enthusiastic.

It does make alot of sense to ask for feedback but when dealing with an agency I find you are very limited to what you recieve.

For example, yesterday I was told by an agent 'they are very keen on another candidate so if you don't hear from me you didn't get the job' when I asked for feedback and explained I was unsure she said 'you did well round 1, not so much round 2, the other candidate would have more experience'.

So frustrating I am at a loss. Emailed HR that interviewed me for feedback and never got a reply.