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Round one of the job interview is in the books. Now it’s time for round two. Follow these tips to help you prepare and come out swinging. Congratulations, you did it—you survived the screening interview and got a callback. While the first round of a job interview is all about going over your qualifications and resume, round two is often where the real vetting happens. “During a second interview, you will need to emphasize your added value to the organization, enthusiasm for the position, and demonstrate that you are a good fit,” says Lynn Berger, a New York City–based career counselor and coach. To get you ready for round two, Monster mapped out some of the most common questions and situations you’ll face so you can get prepped and be ready to dazzle your interviewers. New people to impress A first job interview is typically with an HR person or a department supervisor, but once you’re brought back in, a higher-up manager might sit in. And sometimes, you might even meet with several team members who you’d be working with directly. How to prep: Read up on the company to understand the employer’s brand, culture, and recent events, and research the people you’ll be interviewing with (if you are told who that will be), says Christol Johnson, manager of career services for El Centro College in Dallas. “Employers are impressed when a candidate knows a lot about them,” she says. A different setting Just because the first interview took place in a closed meeting room or office doesn’t mean your next meeting will have the same feel. “It’s very dependent on the organization, so be prepared for meeting more people and maybe it not being all sit-down,” says Berger. You might go out to lunch, or be taken on an office tour, for example. How to prep: Practice positive body language. “Your presentation and the impression you leave with the interviewer could help the employer decide to make you an offer,” Johnson says. So if you’re walking around the office, stand tall, smile, and make eye contact with staffers. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good handshake. And, of course, be mindful of table manners if food or drink is involved. Typical second interview questions Every employer uses different interview tactics, but second-interview questions often require you to reveal not only your competencies, but also your ethics and values and how they fit with the company culture. “Situational and behavioral interview questions are designed to learn a candidate’s approach to real-world situations,” says Johnson. (We’re talking about those “What would you do if…” or “Tell me about a time when…” questions.) In addition, some questions are designed to gauge how you prefer to communicate, and your thoughts on work/life balance. How to prep: Prepare valid examples of your accomplishments—times when you led a team, managed a project, or turned a negative situation into a positive outcome, says Johnson. Ultimately, the employer wants to know that you can handle yourself if challenges arise, as well as hear about how you’ve navigated difficult workplace situations or adapted to change as necessary. Wacky questions As for oddball questions like what you read last or what animal you most identify with, there’s really no way to be 100% ready for those. The interviewer’s goal here is to get some insight into your personality, while also observing if you’re easily flustered. How to prep: “Take a step back and understand why they’re asking the question,” says Berger, rather than blurt something out because you let your nerves get the best of you. Try pausing a moment to collect your thoughts (you can say something like, “That’s a question I haven’t heard before,” to buy yourself some extra time), and then give a simple but thoughtful answer. Role reversal During a second interview, the tables will once again be turned on you, with the interviewers opening the floor for you to ask questions. In the second interview, you want to get into specifics of the position. “This is your chance to get a sense of the daily responsibilities, priorities of the job, and the goals,” says Berger. You can also ask about the career trajectory of people who’ve held the position before you, and what impact your role has on the company overall. How to prep: Look over the original job posting and think back to lingering questions you might have had after your first interview. Again, this is where your research skills can come in handy; ask about recent company news and announcements. As for what not to ask? Don’t bring up salary and benefits just yet—that will come later in the offer stage. Prove you fit in Because so much of the second interview is about determining if you’re the candidate who’s the best fit, much of it does come down to how well you hit it off with the employer, says Berger. “You might have someone who asks questions very dryly, while someone else is more conversational,” she says. How to prep: Try to take cues from the interviewer regarding how casual and conversational you should be. As far as the content of your responses, try putting yourself in their shoes. “Your ability to identify with the employer’s operations, mindset, and processes will help them determine your fit/ability,” says Johnson. When possible, highlight a connection to the employer to indicate that you’re on the same page. No matter how you think the second interview goes, if you really want the job, always try to end on a positive note and be explicit about your interest in the role. That’s something simple, but surprisingly, not everyone does it, says Berger. Just being enthusiastic can leave a lasting impression and set you apart from an equally qualified but more reserved candidate. Think (and prepare) ahead While the first job interview is more of a get-to-know-you scenario, the second round is much more about the hiring manager picturing you in the role at the company. It's an opportunity not only for the company to check you out, but also for you to determine if they're right for you. And if you both decide to move forward, there will be additional considerations to work through. Could you use some help navigating the process? Join Monster today. As a member, you’ll get interview insights, career advice, and useful tips sent directly to your inbox. From additional interview questions (hello, salary expectations) to negotiating the eventual job offer, Monster can help you position yourself to come out on top.

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A successful job interview requires confidence, thinking on your feet and quickly finding the right words to impress your audience—the same qualities that improv comedy performers need to demonstrate on stage. And the very exercises they use to prepare can also help you make a great impression. Improv exercises can “allow the interviewee to really make a connection with the interviewer and make the interviewer feel like the interviewee really grasps onto any information that is shared,” says Rebecca Stuard, creative director of Improvolution in the New York City area. Try these 9 exercises from improv coaches to limber up physically and mentally for your next job interview. Flex your imagination “Take any object—a belt, a pen, a piece of paper—and use it in any way, other than the way it was originally intended. For example, instead of only holding up pants, a belt can be a dog leash, a snake on the ground or a jump rope; a pen can be a dart, a syringe or a lightsaber; and a piece of paper can be an airplane, a telescope or a ball. This exercise gives you practice using your imagination, and is one that is often used in actual interviews to test creativity and flexibility.” —Bob Kulhan, founder and CEO of Business Improv in the New York City area Put your ears to work “With a partner, pretend you’re in a scenario, such as two business partners on a plane. Each person must start their sentence with the last big idea of their partner’s sentence. For example, Partner 1 says, ‘I am so excited to go to Florida for vacation. I haven’t been since I started my own cupcake company.’ Partner 2 replies, ‘Yeah, starting your own company is a time-consuming thing...’ This enforces listening and promotes not having an agenda when you speak. You must listen to the end, and although you may have ideas or ‘comebacks,’ you listen to everything before you speak.” —Rebecca Stuard, creative director of Improvolution in the New York City area Be honest with yourself “A concept we think about in improv is turning a negative into a positive. Instead of only focusing on the best parts of your job and your personality, take an honest inventory of what isn’t great about you, and figure out what you need to do to not fall into old, less-than-productive patterns. Be constructive and learn from previous jobs, rather than just talking smack about your old boss. Being able to own your own deal and be honest, funny and self-effacing can be refreshing.” —Jeremy Brothers, artistic director of Improv Asylum in the Boston area Loosen up “A warm-up exercise can help you relax, get out of your head and into the mental state where you are fully present and in the moment. A great warm-up you can do alone to get in the right mental state shortly before your interview is called ‘Shake ’em 8s.’ Hold your right arm out and shake your right hand, counting up to 8, then repeat the shake and count for your left hand, right foot and left foot. Then repeat the whole process counting up to 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, until you finally shake each limb 1 time.” —Bob Kulhan, founder & CEO of Business Improv in the New York City area Harness the power of pretend “Practice the art of ‘if you don't know it, pretend you do,’ either with friends or by recording yourself. Launch yourself into a seminar about a topic that you know nothing about. The point is not to be correct; it's to practice speaking authoritatively. That way, when you speak about something you do know about, you'll realize you know more than you give yourself credit for and be comfortable with your authoritative tone.” —Holly Mandel, founder of iMergence in Los Angeles Keep talking “The main tenet of improv is ‘Yes, and…,’ which emphasizes taking what’s introduced by others, accepting it and building upon it. Practicing this type of response can help someone who might feel self-conscious or doesn't know what to say next. Start with the question, ‘Why do you want this job?’ and just start talking; do not stop, and don't judge in your head or think, ‘I need to start over.’ Practice going and going and thinking of more reasons, even if they sound crazy.” —Holly Mandel, founder of iMergence in Los Angeles Play both sides “With a partner, create a situation with a potential conflict, such as parents at a police station after their kids are picked up for underage drinking. One participant plays an uptight do-gooder; the other is laid-back and thinks laws are meant to be broken. Have a conversation where everyone takes turns expressing how they feel and responding. Once it feels complete, stop the scene and switch sides; then go through it again with the roles reversed. As improvisers, we want to be free from having to be ‘correct’—instead, we want to be freed up and just do what our character would do. This breeds acceptance and teamwork in any situation because it forces you to ‘defend’ the other side.” —Rebecca Stuard, creative director of Improvolution in the New York City area Turn a word into a story “Practice making up stories based on a random word or sentence you find in an arbitrary news article that you have not read. This practice will not only help with reacting and adapting to unexpected questions, it will help you develop the skills needed to tell coherent stories in real time.” —Bob Kulhan, founder & CEO of Business Improv in the New York City area Get a status update “One of the ways we teach people how to play characters in improv is to think about status—the comfort level someone has in any given situation or environment. Someone with high status can own a situation outright; someone with low status might struggle. For a job interview, try looking at everyone as if they’re trying to sell you on working at their company. At some point, if you’re buying what they’re selling, start to consider everyone [as having] equal status—imagine them as your peers in a company. Are these people you want to see every day? If so, great—hopefully they’ll feel the same way about you. If not, it’s not the right scene for you.” —Jeremy Brothers, artistic director of Improv Asylum in the Boston area