Second interview for a Service desk position

Ben1373

I recently applied for a service desk position for a Financial services company. Well I have been called back for a second interview. My question is, what can you typically expect from a second interview. My first interview was mainly HR questions with a few service desk related questions. Can I expect more technical scenario questions in my second interview or will it be more of the same? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Welly_59

Some light tech questions but also customer service skills if that hasn't been covered in your first interview

yoba222

If you already were asked tech questions it might be a meet-the-team sort of interview where they gauge how well your personality is with your potential future coworkers.
Or it could be a meet the CEO/boss kind of interview where he or she checks your personality.
Who did you meet with on the first interview?

Ben1373

My first interview was with the IT service desk lead and a HR rep,
my second interview is with the same people.. the day after I interviewed I was told I was invited for a second interview, most places I've interviewed at have taken at least a week to get back to me, is this odd?

TechGromit

Ben1373 wrote: »

my second interview is with the same people.. is this odd?

Yes, usually the first interview is with HR to see if your good enough to interview with the hiring manager. Sometimes it's the recruiter, other times it's HR and someone technical enough to know if you know what your talking about. Don't see what the point of interviewing with the same people again is, if they have additional questions to ask you, why didn't they just ask them at your first interview? Time pressure perhaps, perhaps had someone else lined up for the next interview and didn't budget the time for a longer interview?

Mr.Robot255

Maybe this time they wanna discuss money and see will you be happy with the pay etc? Or is that already disclosed to you

DatabaseHead

You have PLENTY of certs, use your ability to develop relationships with the hiring managers right away. Best advice I can give you for this position.....

UncleB

Ben1373 wrote: »

My first interview was with the IT service desk lead and a HR rep,
my second interview is with the same people.. the day after I interviewed I was told I was invited for a second interview, most places I've interviewed at have taken at least a week to get back to me, is this odd?

The first interview is typically the bullshot filter - check the candidate can communicate, they actually know a bit about technology and more importantly - that they "feel" the right sort of person for the role.

The second interview is to put them through the process of puting them under the microscope and see how they deal with work situations. I would imagine a few more technical questions to warm you up then scenario questions to see how you slice and dice a technical issue to get to the root of what is causing it. You may be asked to explain why you make a particular decision or even asked to go full role play and talk to the HR person who plays the end user role.

This is to analise your knowledge of some common issues and see how easily you get annoyed by a stupid user plus how you keep them cool when they get worked up. All key skills for the role.

You may also get a technical test - some companies do written ones and others (like me) do an online one that measures how fast you answer each question, how often you change answers and if there are multiple correct answers, how good are you at spotting them.

If you know your stuff then this will be a walk in the park so just go in, relax and be yourself.

Oh and while being yourself, remember to wear pants!

EANx

You could also be asked to demonstrate competency in whatever specific functions the role has. If there is an asset management piece, you might have to fill out the company form for tracking equipment, showing you can find manufacturer, model and serial number on equipment. You might be given a computer with a couple of problems, have to demonstrate you can install a new printer, etc.

NetworkingStudent

On second interview you should expect more technical questions. Also, there could be customer service questions too.

Beef on the knowledge you have gained from your certs.

Have a story or two on how you helped/ calmed down a an upset customer.


It's good sign they requested a 2nd interview. This means they really like you.


I would ask them some questions too..

What about the company convinced you to join it and stay
throughout the years?

What is the culture like?

How is success measured in this role in the first 90 days?

Panther

I think this link sums it up nicely:
https://www.thebalance.com/tips-for-acing-a-second-interview-2061308

This doesn't sum it up as nicely, but many Do's and Don'ts that may not have come to mind:
https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/second-interviewing-dos-donts

And about culture fit:
https://www.livecareer.com/quintessential/employer-corporate-culture


I've only had phone interviews so far, but hopefully a 2nd interview will be up my alley, and I guess it's good to be aware.

I had a co-worker in a non-tech field, said they didn't even ask topics specific to the field, during the 2nd interview, it was more about fit.

Please update on how it goes.