Let’s say you find yourself on the cusp of ending your long foray into the admittedly fun but dangerous world of unemployment. Or maybe you’re about to escape a venture into a field that never really interested you but provided stability. Either way, the first interview was a smashing success. They adored your can-do attitude and feigned enthusiasm for things you pretended to understand.
Another call comes to you and you start imagining your first purchase with your new…well, ‘wealth’ may be grandiose term for whatever they’re offering you. Regardless, that antique metal detector you never needed but possibly wanted is yours to be had. But rather than flat out offer you the job you so clearly deserve, they call you for a second interview.
Flabbergasting. You’ve already over-sold your few positive traits, what more can you do? You’ve exhausted all your likability for the week, what do they even want from you? What happens in a second interview? Full transparency; I myself do not know. But I have compiled every possible second interview scenario.
The second interview is exactly like the first but in German.
Is this a test of one of the languages that you bravely listed on your resume? Or maybe, this is a test of your memory. They speak in German to throw you off, and you must recall what was said in that successful first interview. If you answer either according to their German questions or exactly how you answered previously, success! You’re a memory God & an employed one at that.
The second interview is where you interview them
To work together you need to develop a relationship. Relationships are all about give and take. Now that they’ve given an interview, it is now their turn to take one. The tables have turned. Literally. You will have to enter the room before them, call them into the room, ask them prepared questions, and tell them they will be hearing from you soon. It is unclear who takes the next step after this so pray this is not your scenario.
The second interview is the physical challenge
I don’t know what the kind of job for which you are interviewing. My assumption was something based in an office. The sort with chairs that are ergonomic. Or ergonomic tables. Or to do with the ergonomy? No, I’ve no idea what ergonomic means but I have heard it used in regards to office chairs, so there. Regardless of what you’re applying for, you may need to prove yourself physically. Danger can occur anywhere and you may need to defend yours and others’ lives. In this second interview you will need to lift a car. Sounds daunting but all you have to do is pretend you’re a mother and your child is under that car. If you’re not a great actor, have a child, put them under that car & lift it. The only drawback regarding that workaround is the limited time frame.
The second interview is a fight with the other interviewees
This could be in relation to the previous scenario. A test of strength. But only the strongest survive. Or gain a regular income. In this interview you will be pitted against fellow interviewees and are told either to fight to the death or until one of you gets a bit too exhausted.
The second interview is where your fears are tested
A new job draws new challenges. New and unfamiliar challenges usually elicit plenty of fear. This second interview may just be a means for them to understand what scares you most and then put you face to face with whatever it is. To get ahead of this, lie. Name a common phobia, but one that you don’t have, and survive.
The second interview is where they ask you how many interviews you’d be willing to do
Pretty self-explanatory. This is a question of how far you are willing to go in order to get this job. But it could be a trick question. If you were to say you’d be willing to do as many interviews as they demand, they may deem you to be far too desperate to employ.
The second interview is where they ask you to commit a crime
Taking the previous point to a much darker place, the second interview could possibly be the one where you are asked to bend or out-right break the law. Here you will need to gauge the proclivities to perfect legality of the people with whom you are dealing. Maybe it is a good thing to deny their requests and abide by the law. But there is an off-chance that they do not want that. They may want you to blow up a water fountain.
The second interview is where you are asked to express your positives in no more than two word
“I’m good.”
The Ipe Collection 