Introduction
Congratulations if you’ve made it through to the second round of interviews. Second
interviews are very different to first interviews. First interviews tend to be around
personality, character and basic skills and experience. Second interviews are around
facts, figures and ultimately can you do the job!
The Difference between First and Second Interviews
We commonly hear after first interview that it was great, really enjoyable, ‘like
two strangers having a chat in the pub’ and then, after the second interview, ‘gosh,
that was tough, he was a completely different person, no warmth or rapport at all’.
Is this fair? Yes totally. At the second interview stage a business has to take
a conscious business decision as to whether you are the right person to meet their
needs!
Should you therefore change your approach accordingly? Not at all. You were invited
back after the first round because the company felt that there was a cultural match
and you had the prerequisite skills to succeed. To change would make you appear
a fake; a phoney.
Second interviews are commonly more formal that first stage interviews and often
involve at least two representatives from the employer (and it is not unheard of
to have a panel of five or six!). Second interviews may involve a formal presentation,
in technical interviews a practical exercise, it may contain role-plays, it may even
mean going out for a day with one of the team. Typically at the end of the meeting
you will get the opportunity to meet the team that you will be working with and have
a tour round the premises.
Getting the balance right
Remember interviewing is a two stage thing. As important as it is for the company
to take a business decision on you it is imperative that you alleviate any concerns
that you may have to ensure that you are making the right career decision. Ten minutes
of questions could save ten months of pain and a career setback! Therefore, prepare
some probing questions to ensure that the business is right for you and don’t be
afraid of being direct and frank in your questioning.
It’s all in the detail
You’ve got to know your facts. At the second stage simply being ‘above target’ isn’t
enough. The detail will be grilled and you must know the detail. What is your target?
What is your performance against the target? Who were the major accounts that you
won? What were they worth? How did you win them? Etc, etc. For some reason many
sales professionals fall apart at this stage, their facts go straight out of their
mind so have them to hand.
It is useful to create a brag file. A file containing any information that will back
up your claims at interviews to include things such as educational certificates,
P60’s, sales league tables, testimonials from clients, references from employers,
military service records, proof of membership of associations, etc, etc. Then when
the detail is grilled you have the information to hand.
It is imperative that you do not contradict what you said in the first interview,
or indeed that you change your style and persona from the first interview. If you’ve
followed the ‘How to WOW’ series to the letter you will have taken notes at the first
interview. Ensure that you read them again the night before the second meeting and
it is also useful to have another read through the website and financials.
Second interviews also give you the chance to expand upon what was discussed at the
first stage. Where certain projects, plans, targets, new product development, new
routes to market, etc. were discussed you’ve now had the gap between first and second
to research the subject in more depth.
Money – Do I mention it, or not?
Money is a subject that should be discussed at second stage but rarely is. It’s
just not ‘English’ to discuss something as crass as money in an interview! My recommendation
is to not bring up the subject of money too early as you don’t want to come across
as an individual that solely cares about money. It’s also good practise to wait
until the employer is definitely interested in you before discussing money when you
are then in a position of strength!
Whilst discussing basic salaries may be somewhat of a taboo it is perfectly reasonable
to ask about the commission/bonus scheme at the second stage interview. If the
OTE is £60K off of a basic of £35K and the bonus scheme is 5% of Gross Profit, ask
to see the sales figures to corroborate that the OTE is realistic and achievable.
Negotiating the package that’s right for you
Right from the first email in the ‘Career Success Masterclass’ series you should
have completed the job search checklist so you’ll know your ‘bottom line’ for both
basic and OTE. Know your market worth – look at sales salary surveys or search for
your job on job boards to get a rough gauge. Aaron Wallis will be able to give you
current advice on the ‘going rates’. If you are attending an interview via a third
party, like Aaron Wallis, it is always best to leave the negotiating to the ‘go-between’.
Money is a very emotive subject and both the employer and the candidate can be unassailably
offended if the negotiation is not handled correctly.
However, if you are in the second interview and the employer is looking to ‘thrash
out the deal’ then always try and get the employer to quote the figures first. You
are then in a better position to negotiate. If you are asked the question ‘What
basic salary will you accept?’ answer either ‘what do you think an individual with
my skills or experience should expect’ or alternatively, ‘I am looking for a basic
salary in the range of £x (slightly above your bottom line) to £x (slightly above
the maximum advertised or detailed by your recruitment consultancy)’.
Different companies remunerate their staff in different ways. Some pay high basics
with no OTE and no frills. Some pay an adequate basic, minimal OTE but offer loads
of additional perks. You therefore need to weigh up a total package and it is useful
in negotiating terms to put a price on all of the various elements of the overall
package. Remember to take into consideration additional costs such as:
- Driving to and from a base, which normally you cannot reclaim;
- Loss of pension contributions during the initial few months of your probationary
period;
- If you have to relocate is this being recompensed?
- Private healthcare for the initial months of your probation period, etc.
