Second Interview Strategies??

[Smokem]

Hey guys, I'm really pumped up about this second interview that is coming up Monday morning. It will be conducted with the Vice President of the regional office. It is an Analyst position with a division of a major bank.

Thought I'd ask for everyone's opinions on strategies... and if there is anything else I could do to ensure 100% success!

Pre-interview:

- Going through their website and knowing their company cold even moreso than the first time around... spent an hour previously, will anticipate spending a bit more. -> what should I be looking for that a VP would be most interested in hearing about his/her own company?

- Was also thinking of skimming through my finance texts just in case they ask any more technical questions (financial ratios, basic theories, etc). Also looking to brush up on what happened in the markets last week, etc.

- Also was thinking of Compiling (another) list of questions to ask the VP -> what sorts of questions do you think I should be asking here?

Anything else that I should be doing or remembering to present? Any comments, ideas, suggestions would be appreciated thanks!

[Tyler883]

This style of interview can really screw a person up, but is easy to prepare for:

Behavioral Interviewing
The behavioral interview is based on the premise that the best way to predict future behavior is to determine and evaluate past behavior. This type of interview is different, and takes special preparation and skill to perform well.
maybe try googling more on this topic.

I have had these interview and was unable to think of my best examples during the interview,I would have stories prepared in advance for general questions like:

Tell us about a specific time that you

- had a problem with a coworker
- had a stressful task
- handled a difficult task
- designed ....
- created ...
- implemented .....

[Tyler883]

Also, at the begining of an interview, you will often be asked if you have any questions....I think it is a good idea to ask the
interviewer a few questions about what kind of person they are looking for, and qhat qualities they would like find. etc

This information gives you a chance to volunteer information about yourself that matches what they are seeking.

[Pacman]

I've been through more interviews than I care to remember. The companies I interviewed for relied heavily on Behaviorial type questions. Usually, they would ask 6 or 7 of these types of questions during a single interview session.

Try and answer those types of questions using the STAR format.

(S)ituation --Tell them the situation
(T)ask ---- Explain what your task was
(A)ction --- What action did you take
(R)esult -- What was the result. It doesn't always have to be a happy ending, but make sure if you give them a time when you were not succesful, that you explain how you learned where you went wrong, and perhaps give an example of how a similar situation presented itself later, and you applied what you have learned and were succesful the second time.

Good Luck and remember that interviewing is a "two way street", and you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. You need to make sure that this is the right company for you......so don't be shy and ask them lots of questions as well.

[Smokem]

From my experience with the first interview, the main focus was not entirely on BDI based questions.

First Interview Summary
1. Intro, small talk
2. Why do you want to work for us? ("Fit" questions)
3. Tell me about yourself, work, school, etc.
4. 4-5 basic BDI
5. Technical Questions
6. Ask The Employer Questions
7. Closing

I am surprised that the whole process took nearly an hour, I felt real comfortable and at ease, very confident, more like a discussion rather than an interrogation. I would like to emulate this the second time around.

I asked the interviewer and the reply was that the second interview is much like the first, and that their might be some technical questions addressed as well. What I really found commending about this company was that their response/call back time was real quick, ie. they communicated to me within 24 hours of both initial application and after first interview. There is no question that as far as I am concerned, this is the company I've been wanting to work for.