17 Common Second Interview Questions

17 Common Second Interview Questions

Learn more

Next page

1. Why Do You Want to Work at [COMPANY]?

The interviewer is asking this question for a multitude of reasons.The hiring manager wants to know that you’ve done your research, that you understand the company’s values, and that you’d be a positive culture fit. How to Answer "Why Do You Want to Work Here?": – Describe what genuinely excites you about this specific 

Next page

1. Why Do You Want to Work at [COMPANY]?

organization and role – Demonstrate what experience you can bring to the role

Next page

2. What's Missing in Your Current Position?

Like the last question, the interview wants to make sure there is a genuine fit here. Another way to do that is to better understand what is or was missing from your last role. Perhaps you never had enough budget or resources to complete projects. Maybe you didn't have as much of a say in key decisions as you would prefer.

Next page

2. What's Missing in Your Current Position?

The interviewer can gain a lot of insight into what will make you successful and engaged in a new role by understanding why your current role isn't working. How to Answer "What's Missing in Your Current Position?": – Provide a specific example – Don't use this as an opportunity to vent about your bad boss or toxic workplace

Next page

3. Why Are You the Best Person for This Position?

You’ve made it to the second round proving you are qualified for this role. But out of all the candidates who made it to the second round, how does the interviewer know YOU are the best choice? Your answer to this question is your chance to pitch yourself by explaining what you have to offer and how you can solve challenges specific to this 

Next page

3. Why Are You the Best Person for This Position?

company and role. How to Answer "Why Are You the Best Person for This Position?: – Match your qualifications to the job description – Explain how these qualifications play out in real life – Review what makes you stand out

Next page

4. What Strengths Will You Bring to This Position?

This question is a great way for you to set yourself apart from other candidates. Using the research you did on the company and role, you can share what strengths you have that are specific to the role.  Use relevant examples from your past experiences to demonstrate your strengths and use data from the examples to back those up.

Next page

4. What Strengths Will You Bring to This Position?

How to Answer "What Strengths Will You Bring to This Position?: – Share strengths that can apply to the specific role – Use relevant examples to share what your strengths are – Provide data in your examples, when applicable, to show metrics and your direct impact

Next page

5. What Are Your Weaknesses?

Yes, some interviewers will still ask you this question even in later interviews. They are asking to see if you have enough self-awareness to realize  1) you're not perfect at everything (none of us are!) and 2) you're able to provide a real example. The key here is to give a relevant example but then to 

Next page

5. What Are Your Weaknesses?

follow up with how you learned about this weakness and what you're doing to navigate or overcome it. How to Answer "What Are Your Weaknesses?: – Don't mention you're a perfectionist – After you share your weakness, follow up with your action plan for navigating it

Next page

6. Tell Me About How You Would Spend Your First 30 Days in This Role

This question is your chance to envision yourself in the role. What are you hoping to achieve in your first few months in this role? Answering this question requires an in-depth understanding of the current situation of the company. That means you have to do your research to see how you could make a quick impact if offered the job.

Next page

6. Tell Me About How You Would Spend Your First 30 Days in This Role

How to Answer "Tell Me About Your First 30 Days Here": – Discuss specific ways you could make a positive impact early on – Align your answer with the company’s goals.

Next page

7. What Is Your Ideal Work Environment?

Interviewers typically ask this question to determine if you’d be a good fit for the company culture. As part of your pre-interview preparation, be sure to research the company’s work environment by referring to their website or company reviews from past employees on resources such as Glassdoor.

Next page

7. What Is Your Ideal Work Environment?

How to Answer "What Is Your Ideal Work Environment?": – Honestly describe what work conditions you thrive in

Next page

8. What Are Your Long-Term and Short-Term Goals?

The purpose of this question is two-fold: first, to ensure that you plan on being with the company for a substantial amount of time (enough time to make investing in you worth it); and second, to see if your personal career goals align with the long-term goals of the organization. It’s okay to not be super-specific here, but be sure to 

Next page

8. What Are Your Long-Term and Short-Term Goals?

frame your response around this specific company. How to Answer "What Are Your Goals?": – State what you hope to accomplish or learn while at this organization – Explain how your growth from this role will help you achieve your long-term goals

Next page

9. What Is One of Your Greatest Personal Achievements?

This question is a great way to test your ability to be concise—and recognize what matters to the hiring manager. You might have lots of achievements you're proud of, but try to pick something that will be relevant to the interviewer.  Next, share why you're proud of it, how you were able to accomplish it, your learnings, etc. Avoid using too much 

Next page

9. What Is One of Your Greatest Personal Achievements?

business jargon. Simple and clear is best. How to Answer "What Is One of Your Greatest Personal Achievements?": – Don't use jargon – Keep it simple and concise – Pick an achievement that is relevant to the job you're interviewing for

Next page

10. What Is Your Typical Role on a Team?

An interviewer is asking this question to gauge your ability to be both a leader and a team player. With the dynamics of teams constantly shifting, it’s important to prove your ability to adapt to different situations. “Get you a girl who can do both” applies to candidates who can collaborate with others and take charge when their 

Next page

10. What Is Your Typical Role on a Team?

strengths contribute the most to the team. How to Answer "What Is Your Typical Role on a Team?": – Show the interviewer your ability to be both a leader and a team player

Next page

11. What Management Style Do You Prefer?

While it's unlikely anyone will say they love a micromanager, it is likely that they have a leadership style they prefer. And considering how often people cite that they leave jobs because of bad bosses, not the actual work, this question is a great one to ask. The goal is to see if you know and can articulate what works well for you and why. 

Next page

11. What Management Style Do You Prefer?

Additionally, the interviewer wants to know if you are aligned with the style already established on the team. How to Answer "What Management Style Do You Prefer?": – Be specific about what works for you and why – Try to ask follow-up questions to learn what management style is already used at the company

Next page

12. Tell Us About a Time There Was a Problem at Work and How You Helped Solve It

This common behavioral interview question is testing your problem-solving abilities. Develop your story using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). How to Answer "Tell Us About a Time": – Situation: Set the scene, what is the story you’re trying to tell – Task: Describe the problem you’re trying to solve

Next page

12. Tell Us About a Time There Was a Problem at Work and How You Helped Solve It

– Action: Explain how you went about solving the problem – Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved

Next page

13. What Challenges Are You Looking for in a Position?

This question is designed to assess your ability to handle difficult tasks and your desire to continually improve and expand your skillset. Share some different examples of ways you have handled challenging situations in the past to back up your answer. How to Answer "What Challenges Are You Looking For?":

Next page

13. What Challenges Are You Looking for in a Position?

– Demonstrate your skills related to this role – Express motivation to not only tackle challenging tasks, but to also learn from them

Next page

14. Our Team Is Currently Focused On ___ Challenge. How Would You Approach This?

The interviewer will naturally want to get your input and ideas on some current projects. This is your chance to share your ideas and problem-solving skills.  Perhaps you've dealt with something similar in the past and you can share what you/your team did, or perhaps you can share some high-level solutions for them.

Next page

14. Our Team Is Currently Focused On ___ Challenge. How Would You Approach This?

This demonstrates your ability to think on your feet and creatively problem-solve. How to Answer "Our Team Is Currently Focused on ___Challenge. How Would You Approach This?": – Don't worry about a "right" answer – Showcase your creative problem-solving skills – Ask additional follow-up questions

Next page

15. What Motivates You?

If you're tired of this common interview question, you're not alone. However, we work in a collaborative world, so understanding what motivates both you and your team members can be very beneficial for your working relationships. How to Answer "What Motivates You?": – Think about your best workday—and determine what 

Next page

15. What Motivates You?

motivated that – Look at the job description for clues on what matters to the interviewer – Don't use jargon – Provide an example

Next page

16. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

Always be prepared to provide your honest (and realistic) salary expectations for this role, especially during a second interview. That said, discussing your salary expectations doesn’t have to mean a set number. Feel free to give the interviewer a range of $5,000 to help point the organization in the right direction, or avoid giving 

Next page

16. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

an actual number if that's possible. Research calls this the "anchor" effect—whoever names the first number will "anchor" the conversation with that number. How to Answer "What Are Your Salary Expectations?": – Decide ahead of time if you will share a number or let them name it first – Provide a $5,000 range of 

Next page

16. What Are Your Salary Expectations?

your salary expectations – Be open to further conversations about these numbers

Next page

17. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?

The answer to this question should always be yes! It’s important to have a minimum of three questions to ask the interviewer. And “What are the next steps in the hiring process” doesn’t count. Keep reading for a list of questions that you can ask in the second round.

More

Read

10 New Job Fields for Women in 2022

10 Steps to a Resume That Will Get You Hired

10 Important Career Tips for Women

See More

See More

See More