How to ace your second interview

Congratulations on smashing your first interview for that awesome new fundraising role. You clearly did your homework and made a good impression … now it’s time for the second one.

Wondering what it will involve and how to prepare? Read on to find out.

Why two interviews?

There isn't a set rule for how many interviews it takes to get a job. Every charity is different.  But it often depends on the position. For entry-level positions, one interview might be enough. For mid-level positions, there may be two. For managerial/senior level roles, there can be three or four.

For the purposes of this post, let’s assume there are two.

The first interview

First and second round interviews serve different purposes. The aim of the first interview is to screen applicants and weed out those who don’t have the skills, education or experience needed for the position.

The interviewer will do this by testing your personality and basic skills to see whether you match up to your CV and cover letter.

At this stage, the interviewer is not considering whether you’re perfect for the job. They’re considering whether you’re better than the other applicants.

First round interviews are often carried out by HR bods and may be conducted online, or over the phone.

The second interview

The fact you made it to the second interview means you’ve got the core skills required to fulfil the duties in the job description. But, at this stage, only the cream of the crop will be called back so you’ll need to up your game to get the job.

The interview will probably take place on-site and you may be interviewed by your potential boss, or a panel.

This time around, the interviewer will want to drill into the detail to find out if you’d be a good fit for the role, and the team.

They’ll probably do this by asking a mixture of competency and behavioural interview questions.

Competency-based questions

Competencies are the skills, behaviours and knowledge you’ll bring into the role i.e., leadership, teamwork, resilience. Employers will use competency questions to discover real-life scenarios where you can demonstrate you used your competencies to the best effect.

• Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision.

• Can you give me an example of a time when you have had to convince a person to do something that they were initially reluctant to do.

• Describe a time when you had to step up and demonstrate leadership skills.

Behavioural questions

These are designed to give hiring managers insight into your behaviour and personality and find out how you handle work-related situations.

Examples

• Tell me about a time when you failed to reach your fundraising goal and what you learned from the experience.

• Tell me about a stressful situation you experienced in a previous fundraising role and how you dealt with it

• Give me an example of a fundraising goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.

Tip: Use the STAR method to structure your answers. It’s a game changer! You can find out more about it here.

Final Word

Now you’re clued up on what to expect in your second interview, you’re ready to ace it. Good luck!

Want some support with your interview prep? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk.