Perhaps surprisingly, the second interview is often a very different experience from that of the first. The question you now have to ask is

“How do you achieve success at the second interview and ensure that the desired job becomes yours”?

In my experience it can be a bit daunting, but pat yourself on the back - if you’ve made it this far, you are now being seriously considered for the role and you won’t be in there just making up the numbers!
A well know saying which is worth remembering for a second interview:

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Your success, to a large degree will be determined by your preparation.

Once you have negotiated the first interview, its now time to achieve success at the second stage to be offered the job. Competition will be HOT! - but the good news is that you’re a definite front runner. What else can you do to tip the scales in your favour?

Preparation – Preparation – Preparation.

The first interview lays the foundations: it involves checking out your academic background, skills base and experience to ensure that they tie in with your CV and match the job specification.

The second interview goes to the next stage and can take on different formats – meeting several staff members (panel interview) or a series of one-to-one interviews. Alternatively, it could take the form of an all-day assessment centre; some have even been known to last even longer.

Whatever the format, the questions asked will probe two particular areas:

• Do you meet the core competencies of the job?
• Is your personal profile the right match for the company?

My number ONE rule - Find out beforehand the format for the second interview, as there are several possibilities. You may be meeting with one person, perhaps your prospective manager, or with several staff members in a panel interview or a series of one to one interviews. Whatever the format, the questions being asked are specifically exploring two particular areas:

Are you competent to do the job? This question focuses on examining your skills and experience, perhaps probing for knowledge learnt during your previous employment experiences.

Are you going to fit in with the company and work well with others? Your personality and the personal impact you make is what will really land you the job; this is far more important than any qualifications or perhaps even your previous experiences. Future potential is often as important. So be yourself and let your personality shine through. Be enthusiastic, positive and honest.

There are many practical aspects to a second interview that you need to pay specific attention to and focusing on the detail could help to put you ahead of the competition:

• Find out the names and titles of the interviewers beforehand.
• Take with you a copy of your CV together with a pen and paper.
• Make sure you pick up business cards of those interviewing you so that you can drop them a thank-you email.

Contact the employer for clarification on expenses (if required) as most employers pay all reasonable expenses incurred on second visits. Keep records and receipts for transportation, lodging and food.

The questions are likely to be more searching and probing so you’ll need to give fuller and more detailed answers to a variety of questions. Remember to be consistent with any answers you gave during the first meeting and please be honest and open. It essential it is the right job for the right reasons.
Another on of my golden rules:

Build on the information you researched first time around about the industry, the company and your potential role.

By looking at industry publications, news articles about recent happenings, the company’s web site and annual report, get to know the business including its missions, goals, business philosophy and management style. Learn your employer’s needs for your potential role so you can relate your skills, interests and experiences in a way that meets those needs.

The opportunity should present itself to let the interviewer know more about you; rather than simply talking about you skills and experience as you did in the first interview, be fresh - think of new examples and information when talking about your achievements. Have confidence, remain calm, be brief, succinct, positive and enthusiastic, know your skills and strengths and express them with confidence.

At some point in time during the interview you will be given the opportunity to ask your deep and searching questions!
This is were all your hard work and preparation will pay off.

Ask good, pertinent and relevant questions, it shows initiative, enthusiasm and that you are interested in the position and company. Here are my favourite questions to start the ball rolling:

• What am I expected to accomplish in my first six months?
• How would you define your company culture?
• How has this vacancy come about?
• Where do the company see themselves in two years and how do you view your competition?
• What support will I receive for my professional development?

Also, have prepared some questions that relate directly to information you were given at the first interview. If you’re able to ask, say, ‘When I met Mr. X last week, he mentioned such-a-such-a project - what would my team’s involvement be in that area?’ It not only shows enthusiasm but also that you’re capable of listening. Be sure also to clarify any of your doubts about the organisation, their training, salary or potential locations.

Remember this is a two way process. They may like you, but what’s your opinion of them? Use this opportunity to meet individuals, view facilities, review company philosophies and ask any additional questions. Do the employees seem happy, bored, overworked? Essentially, do you like them? These are people you will have to spend much of your time with so it is best to find out now.

As mentioned earlier, second interviews can be a daunting experience but with undertaking the correct level of preparation and applying yourself in the right manner, you’re halfway there.

Telephone interviews are quite common in today’s job market. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone! They are offered for a variety of reasons including cost savings, screening of candidates and out-of-town applicants. To successfully navigate the phone interview, it is important to have a solid game plan in place for preparation. Many job hunters still get that adrenalin rush even with the phone interviews. But following the tips and advice in this article will help you master the phone interview and get you to the next step - the face to face interview

1. RESEARCH

Find out as much as you can about the company and the job description. If your telephone interview has been arranged by a third party, you should receive much of this information from them. But in any case, do your own researches - company websites are one of the best sources of information. Find out about the size and structure of the company, its products and its markets.

Try to find out who will be interviewing you. Will there be multiple people on the call? If possible get their names and titles. Become familiar with these before the call and you will have one less thing to worry about during the call. Try and get some background on the interviewer. Any insight you can gain about him/her will allow you to better tailor your responses to make the best possible impression.

2. HAVE A CLEAR MIND.

Make a list of your accomplishments, goals and strengths. On another list write out your weaknesses and what you are doing to overcome them. On a third sheet write down why you are interested in the company. Think carefully about all of these items as they often come up in interviews.

3. TAKE TIME TO PRACTICE.

Never forget that a telephone interview is still an interview. Take time to practice interview questions with friends or family. Ask them to provide honest feedback so you can improve your responses. Mock interview questions can easily be found on the internet or the book store. If you get stuck on a question, sample answers to these questions are often provided as well. Telephone interviews can be tricky because you can’t see facial expressions or body language. So, the best thing to do is to make sure that you are very high energy, upbeat, you use a lot of inflection in voice, and, because that’s all you has to make that great first impression is your voice. So that really needs to sell you in a phone interview and also find out from the employer what again is it that they’re really looking for in terms of this position so that you can maximize the time you have with them on the telephone to really sell yourself to specifically what their objectives are.

4. SOUND CHECK.

During the mock interview, have your friend ask you questions both over the phone and in person. Make sure that he/she listens not only for content, but also tone, rate and clarity of your speech. If possible, record yourself speaking. Are you speaking slowly and

clearly? Can you easily be heard? Is your voice portraying you as a confident and enthusiastic candidate? If not continue to practice until you are comfortable.

5. FIND YOUR LOCATION

Stake out a quite space to occupy during your interview. Ideally, there should be a comfortable place to sit as well as a table to lay out your papers. Try and find a low traffic spot where members of the household are un-likely to disturb you.

6. PREPERATION.

Preparation for a telephone interview is as important as preparation before any other form of interview or meeting. The impression you create in the opening moments, and the manner with which you present yourself will determine whether or not you will be successful.

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Make a note of any questions you would like to ask. Ask about things if they are important to you, especially if your decision whether to proceed depends upon the answers (for example: will I have to relocate? (if that is something you don’t want to do!). Otherwise, ask broad questions such as ‘What training will be given?’, ‘What opportunities are the for advancement?’ Have these questions written down.

Prepare mentally, or better still in writing, a very brief ‘potted history’ to answer the demand ‘Tell me about yourself.’ Managers ask this not because they want the information (they already have your resume!), but because they want to listen to you, to find out how communicative you are, and how you sound.

Example: I left college and decided to get into sales within the Information Technology field, but I needed a job straight away, so I took a temporary job as a clerk in a local solicitor’s office. I hadn’t intended to stay so long, but there weren’t many opportunities in my area for the sort of job I was looking for. After about six months however, I got a chance to join X-Company as a telephone sales person, selling IT supplies, and I’m still there now. I wouldn’t be looking for a new job except that there are no opportunities in my company to progress into field sales. This is why I’m particularly interested in joining your company Mr. Jones.

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7. COLLECT YOUR PEN AND PAPER.

Place a notepad and several pens or pencils on the table. These will be helpful in writing down notes, questions and most importantly your interviewer’s names. Have a copy of your resume and cover letter close at hand. Take out those lists you made while organizing your thoughts. In addition keep any notes related to the company that you feel may be helpful during the call. Spread these items out across your table so they are easy to access. Only keep what is truly necessary. Too much paper can be a distraction

8. ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS

As the appointed hour draws near, make sure that the television and the radio are turned off. Exit your email and turn off your computer screen. If possible, disable your call-waiting. Let your family or roommates know about the timing of the interview so they do not accidentally disturb you. Place a do not disturb sign on your door as a gentle reminder.

9. MANAGING THE TELPHONE INTERVIEW.

Try to reschedule surprise interviews. Say that you have a conflict and suggest a time you can call back. When you call back, be prepared for the call just as you would for a full-dress interview.

Tone of voice. This is the most important aspect of this form of interview. The detail is of very little importance - the manager has your CV, so they know exactly what you’ve done, and in all probability wouldn’t be talking to you if they weren’t essentially interested.

The main rules are:

• Think about how you normally answer the phone at home. When you answer the phone, do so by announcing your name, in an enthusiastic style: ‘John Pickles, Good Morning!’ If this is not your natural style, change it!
• Sound interesting/interested, energetic and enthusiastic
• Be succinct (don’t waffle)
• Ask open-ended questions (beginning with whom, what, when, why, where, how: these all ask for information, and keep the ball in the other person’s court). Be prepared that they will do exactly the same!
• Don’t use jargon
• Don’t swear or use colloquialisms (local phrases: ‘I covered the whole of London on Shanks’ pony’)
• Be polite: speak to Ms (not Miss or Mrs. - even if you know their marital status), or Mr. Jones. If you are invited to use their first name, then use it. Use their title if you know they are for example, a doctor.
• Use the other person’s name regularly throughout the conversation (but not all the time). Also, use the company name a few times.

10. CLOSING THE TELEPHONE INTERVIEW.

Part of the purpose of the telephone interview (from the hiring manager’s perspective) is to find out how keen you are and (especially in the case of sales jobs) whether you have natural closing ability.

As soon as it seems appropriate during the conversation, ask for a date to meet for a face-to-face interview. Say something like ‘Well, this certainly sounds like just the job I’m looking for Mr. Jones. I’m sure I can contribute a lot to your company. I’d really like to visit you to show you what I can do for you. When can you meet me?’

You may have to be content with the response ‘I’ll call you’, but at least you can ask ‘When am I likely to hear from you?’ If the manager hedges, decide upon a reasonable time scale, and suggest ‘Well, I’m very keen to know if I’ve got a chance with you Mr. Brown, so if I haven’t heard from you by next Friday, would you mind if I call you then to find out?’

This approach is particularly important if you are applying to sales jobs, as you are expected to demonstrate your natural salesmanship. But even in the case of other jobs, most people will appreciate your keenness and enthusiasm. If they don’t, and you lose the job on account of being ‘too pushy’ (most unlikely) well, is it the sort of job you wanted anyway?

By following these 10 basic tips, you are making a great impression and on your way to the onsite interview. Remember, the phone interview is very important and you should plan and prepare for it carefully.

I have been laid off twice in the last 2 years and I seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress it can put on a family. I have written this article to help you with this situation. This article will help you be better prepared in case a layoff ever occurs where you work. It is my hope you never need it, but you need to know how. My golden rule is never give up and always remember it’s never personal its unfortunately the world and times we currently live in

Step1

First, you need to understand that there’s usually two areas a layoff will affect you–your finances and your emotions. If it has just happened to you, there needs to be a time where you give yourself some time before making major decisions. - Yes, getting laid off is stressful, but don’t beat yourself up. It happens all the time and is due to circumstances beyond your control. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get moving.

Step2

There are several things you can do to stabilize your finances in case of a layoff. The first is to get out of much debt as possible. How to do that can be a whole other article in itself, but I personally suggest reading books by financial advisor Dave Ramsey. There are other good authors out there as well, but his books are what helped me the most.

Why do I need to reduce my debt? By reducing or eliminating your debt, you reduce the amount of money in the form of payments that is leaving your bank account. In an emergency situation, you can survive on a small amount of money longer without any issues. The next thing to do is “Get Busy” - You need to start your new job search the next day. Start by organizing a work area with a computer notepad and telephone. The sooner you get moving, the better you will feel and the sooner you will be back to work

Step3

To help you in the short term why not utilise your skills. Take a look at your skills and see if there’s something you can do on the side for extra income. The Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunity for normal people to work a day job and then run a business from their home in the evenings. My philosophy is this: In investing, the conventional advice is “never put all your eggs in one basket.” Yet many people are betting their financial futures on only one income source. Even good jobs and good companies have problems, and there’s no reason not to have back-up income if you have the means to create it.

Be careful before investing any money, there are many scams out there promising you a fortune over night with no effort. Any easy way to get around this is to ask yourself this simple question – If it’s too true to be good, then its not true, remember these people are praying on peoples desire to earn money.

If possible, you also need to have a small cushion of money to serve as an emergency fund. Ideally this needs to be 3-6 months of your expenses, but realize this takes time to build. Usually you need to get out of debt first to be able to do this.

Step4

From an emotional standpoint, it often hurts to get laid-off, especially if you were great at your position and liked it. People develop friendships on the job as well, and you miss people. Realize that this is not necessarily something you’ll immediately bounce-back from, but you also don’t need to cling to it either. The best thing you can do is make the best of the situation and try to use it as an opportunity to do something new in your life.

If you’re a spouse or other family member of someone who has been laid-off, be supportive of them and encourage them. Men especially tend to take their self-worth from their jobs, and every working person needs someone to be there for them as they go through the process of getting something new.