Second interviews are designed to assess two things – your specific qualities and company fit. The company has already completed a preliminary assessment of your skills. Now they want to focus on specific skill sets and determine how well you will fit in with the company culture and get along with other colleagues and team members. This is your time to shine and showcase your abilities as well as demonstrate how well you can interact with the people you will be interacting and working with on a daily basis.

These interviews usually take place onsite and often, employers will make flight and lodging arrangements for the candidate. Though this is usually planned and paid for by the employer, you should also prepare for the trip. Here are some tips to help you navigate traveling and preparing for an onsite interview.

Research/Review
Review your initial interview and make sure you prepare for any difficult questions or questions that gave you problems. There is a very good chance you will be asked these questions again, especially if the employer needs clarification, and there’s no excuse for not being prepared for them the second time around. Also, think about what went well in the first interview. If it worked then, plan for more of it.

The research you did for the first interview may have been good, but you’ll need more preparation for this one. You will also want to research any innovations and developments in the industry and especially at that particular organization. If the company is within driving distance, consider conducting an informational interview with a company representative. This can give you in-depth information that will help you prepare for the interview. Make sure the person isn’t on the interviewing committee though – that might be awkward.

When you first get the call for your interview, ask for an agenda. If it is not available at the time, ask when it will be available. You can also contact the interviewers’ assistant and get a possible schedule. If you do this, remember whenever you talk to a company representative, you are being interviewed – so be professional and courteous while on the phone. While on the phone, you should also ask who the interviewers will be. Getting this information will assist you in your research on the company and in estimating how many copies of your resume and references to bring (always bring more than you estimate you will need). Also, if you do your homework on the company, its departments, and staff members, you can tailor your responses to each person during the interview.

Expect to get a tour of the company. If one is not planned, ask for one before you leave. It will give you more information about the company structure and allow you to meet more people.

Logistics
Know your destination. If traveling, don’t assume the employer knows everything about travel logistics or has arranged every detail for you. You should be able to get from the airport to the hotel and to the interview site in case transportation isn’t provided. You also don’t want to harass the employer with lots of questions about travel logistics.  It will make you appear ill prepared or incapable of handling the situation. Do some research to determine if the hotel has a shuttle service. If not, make other arrangements. If the interview is within driving distance, drive to the interview site a day before the interview (preferably at the same time) to get a feel for traffic, parking, and other logistics (construction, detours, etc.).

If you know that a company representative will be meeting you at the airport or greeting you before you check in at the hotel, you may want to consider dressing in professional or business casual clothing. If not, casual clothing is fine. When you arrive at the hotel, check to see if any messages from the employer are waiting for you. There may be changes to the agenda or additional information to help you prepare for the interview.

Companies often host social functions the night before the interview – plan on attending. The most important thing to remember about these functions is that even though they are social gatherings, you are still being interviewed and evaluated. Your social skills, as well as how well you interact with company representatives, will be assessed. Put your best foot forward: Talk with company representatives, collect business cards, and use the event to gain information that might assist you during your formal interview. You may want to bring a small notebook so you can take notes. Dress appropriately. Professional attire will definitely be noticed; and unless they specifically state otherwise, will be expected. If snacks are served, don’t think of this as a way to get free food; remember why you are there and focus on the social mingling. If you consider yourself more of a wallflower than a social butterfly, this will require you to step out of your comfort zone and mingle.

Onsite interviews can take the entire day. You will meet many people including managers, department heads, company heads, support staff, and even other recent college graduates. Be polite to everyone and talk to as many people as possible! Polite conversation with others will give you insight into the company culture. When possible, collect business cards. They will assist you in writing thank-you letters, and you can discretely jot down information on the back of them to help jog your memory about specific details. Also, when you are first introduced, firmly shake hands, use direct eye contact, and try to use the person’s name in your greeting: “It is a pleasure to meet you Ms. Munroe. You work in the accounting department?”.

If you are interviewed by a panel, remember to look at all the interviewers equally. Oftentimes people focus on the person who asked the question and ignore others. This shows a lack of good nonverbal communication skills. Communication is the key to the second interview because again, the main purpose of it is to assess your specific skills and how cohesively you fit in with the company. Also, if you collect business cards before the interview starts, you can lay them out in front of you in the order of your interviewers. This will help you remember panelist’s names when they ask questions.

Questions during the second interview are designed to obtain information about specific skills, personality, and a review of some questions from your initial interview. You may be asked sets of questions in separate interviews or diverse questions in panel interviews. Either way, you should be prepared for these types of questions. If you are interviewed individually, you may be asked similar or repeated questions.  Remember to keep your responses consistent; the interviewers will be comparing notes.

The questions may come in three different forms: traditional (inquiring about your background and skills), behavioral (predicting future behavior based on past behavior), or case (questions that show how well you think on your feet). We discuss these questions in detail in our Interviewing Resources page, but here's a quick summary.

To answer traditional questions, review your resume and make sure you can explain everything on it. Knowing your experience is key to answering these types of questions successfully. Reviewing the questions in the ICC Career Resource Manual will help you prepare for traditional questions.

To answer behavioral questions, review past experiences that reflect positively on your behavior including work situations, course work (especially if you worked in teams or it was project-based), campus activities, community service and leadership experience. Jot down ideas about each experience and examine your role. Consider how you handled problems, showed initiative, and contributed to the outcome. Select some challenging experiences. Remember, employers are also investigating how you dealt with problems, failures, difficult team members or supervisors. Focus on your positive attributes, without complaining or criticizing others. Expect the employer to ask open-ended questions about past experiences and then continue to ask questions that reveal any of the following:

• Communication Skills
• Leadership - Organizational Ability
• Analytical and Problem Solving Skills
• Your Decision-Making Process
• Cooperative and/or Competitive Nature
• Initiative - Flexibility - Creativity

Be honest and don’t exaggerate. Again, your answers will be reviewed for consistency. Practice! Draw from several types of experiences to show depth. Here is an example of a behavioral question and a response.

Interviewer: "Give me an example of a time when you took the initiative to improve a project."
Possible Response: "As a Peer Advisor at the Internship and Career Center, students often asked me how to find job opportunities in the retail industry on the Internet. Since I was also curious about my future in this industry and had taken a class where I learned html basics, I asked my supervisor if I could create a Web site linked to our home page."

Expect the interviewer to probe with additional questions: "How did you prioritize this additional work load? How did you determine what sites were valuable? Where can I see this Web page?" You need to be able to support your statements and describe the outcome or result.

Case Interview Questions. These questions give recruiters an opportunity to observe how well you think on your feet. You will be presented complex questions and asked to find solutions. For example, one recruiter has been known to ask, "How many gas stations are there in the United States?" In this type of question, the recruiter is looking for insights about your analytical and problem-solving skills, not the exact answer. Expect to think out loud, walking the recruiter through your thought process.

Other case interview questions may seem unusual – to the point of being comical or very thought provoking. Examples are “If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?” or “If you could meet anyone from history – dead or alive – who would it be?” The important thing to remember is that the focus is not on “who,” “what,” “when,” or “where” but rather the “why.” Saying “I would be Yogi Bear” doesn’t quite cut it, but saying “Yogi Bear because he’s smarter than the average bear.” explains quite a bit more about your personality. Another response might be “Harriet Tubman because she showed true leadership in the midst of extreme adversity and danger.” These questions may catch you off guard initially, but if you expect them and concentrate on what kind of information the interviewers are looking for; you should be fine.

The information below may help you with case interview questions:

• The population of the US is 305 million
• The average household size is 2.6 people
• There are 128 million households in the US
• The mean household income is $50,000
• The US Gross Domestic Product is $14 trillion
  (information gathered from October, 2008))

Plan on taking tests. They may take the form of personality indicators, skills assessments, and other batteries. There is little you can do to prepare for them except bring a comfortable pencil (mechanical ergonomic with extra #2 lead recommended) and pen (black and/or blue), and get a good night’s sleep.

Also be prepared to do a presentation. If one is required, you will be told in advance so you can prepare for it. Keep in mind that if this is part of the interview, they will strongly evaluate your public speaking and presentation skills; so put on a good show. If you can use slideshow software like PowerPoint to enhance your presentation, do it. If software isn’t your strongest point, try illustrating your presentation with colorful graphs, sheets, and handouts. Show them your creative side. They may give you a recommended time limit, but don’t focus on that – focus on the actual presentation; and practice it so that it is very smooth. If you happen to finish early, you can always entertain questions. If you go over the recommended time, the interviewers will probably stop you; so remember – presentations demonstrate your public speaking skills, not your ability to time it perfectly or overload them with information.

Someone trained in interviewing techniques and tactics probably conducted your first interview. Second interviews are different. They can be conducted by a large number of people – some not necessarily trained or prepared for the task. Their questions may be a bit more abrupt or rough – especially if they need clarification. Again, how you handle this is entirely up to you, but don’t react negatively to them for being unskilled in interviewing. Try to work with them to give the best possible interview.

Don’t be surprised to receive an offer of employment or have a discussion about salary. If this happens, it is okay to ask for time to think about the offer and consider all the different aspects of working there. The euphoria of receiving an offer can quickly be replaced by anxiety about the decisions that lie ahead. You may be wondering if it’s the right job for you, if you will be happy there, or if you should just take it because you need a job. Careful evaluation of your offer and some serious thought about how well the position and organization meet your needs can enable you to make the best choice for yourself. One of our ICC staff members can help you sort through your options. You should also do some research on salaries. Take a look at no less than five salary surveys of the job you are interviewing for, taking into account different aspects such as location and experience. By knowing a range of salaries, you will look prepared and can aim for an average starting salary. That way the company knows you aren’t asking for an unrealistic salary but that you also value your skills enough to not accept the lowest offer. If you have any questions about benefits, compensation, or even about working there, contact the organization and get clarification on your questions before making a decision.

Packing the Right Items
Pack lightly – bring enough clothing for each day plus one extra shirt/blouse in case of mishaps. Try to avoid checking your luggage and worrying about airlines losing it. Airlines will allow you one “carry-on” piece of luggage plus one personal bag (laptop case, purse, backpack, etc.). Check with the airline for size restrictions of carry-on luggage to make sure your piece fits. Also check to make sure there haven’t been any recent changes to the carry-on policy that might affect you. This will make it more convenient for you to board and deplane. Also, most hotels offer a complimentary iron in each room to help with folded or wrinkled clothes – USE IT! YOUR APPEARANCE WILL BE STRONGLY EVALUATED!

The Men's Wearhouse has an excellent article on Packing Smart for a Business Trip. The tips in that article are excellent for interviews. Click Here to access that article. They also have excellent advice on Suit-Packing Tips. Click Here to access that article.

Bring a professional looking portfolio folder and pen to take notes during the interview/information sessions as well as copies of your resume, references, transcripts, writing samples, and anything else you might need to make a good impression. Make sure you don’t forget anything by making a list of everything you will need and double-checking it the night before you leave. You may want to include literature on the company so you can review it before your interview.

Financial Considerations
Bring cash. For a two-day trip, you may want to bring about $300 to cover shuttles, taxis, tips, meals in transit, and other miscellaneous expenses (such as hotel cleaning charges in case you spill something on your favorite suit). Employers may reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses, so you’ll need to ask for receipts for everything. Don’t expect to be reimbursed immediately. It may take some time to process receipts and mail a check to you. If you don’t receive a reimbursement right away, don’t make an issue of it. It may appear to an employer that getting a reimbursement is a higher priority than the interview – your reason for taking the trip.

First and foremost, remember you are a guest of the employer and there on official business; not on vacation. Don’t view this as a chance to have fun at someone else’s expense. If your hotel room has a mini-bar or room service, remember everything you take/order will be charged to the room and the employer will get a copy of it. Raiding the mini-bar or treating yourself to a special night by ordering the most expensive items on the menu might not give the employer the best impression of you. The bottom line is: While it’s okay to order food, think about the choices you make and how the employer will view them. If you would like something expensive or outside the norm, consider paying for it separately so it doesn’t appear on the hotel folio.

On the day of the interview, it is a good idea to pack a small snack. Interview days can be long, and lunch will generally be served; but in case you get hungry, you want to have something to eat to settle your stomach. Nothing is more unnerving than a growling stomach in a quiet setting.

In-Room Movies
Many hotels offer Pay-Per-View programming, including movies. Be aware the potential employer will see a list of everything you select. This is not the time to watch off-color/adult movies. Again, use your best judgment, and if you are unsure about what to do, consider paying for it separately so it doesn’t appear on the hotel folio.

Make sure you get plenty of sleep – especially if you are in another time zone. Have the front desk give you a wake-up call. You should also bring your own alarm or use the one provided for you in the room as a back up.

One Last Bit of Advice
if you are in doubt about anything at the interview (questions, events, etc.), put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and ask yourself what you would expect from a potential employee. Generally, if you adopt the mindset of asking yourself what the employer is looking for, you should be okay. Leave the interviewer with a positive image of you. Make sure they know you are enthusiastic about the job, confident in your ability to do it and that you will be a team player for the organization.