You Made It Past the First Round! Now What?

We are in the thick of interviewing season right now — employers get head count in the beginning of the year, start interviews by mid January, and are currently sorting through their top candidates. If you made it past the first round, congratulations! Now what? I like this recent Forbes article addressing top problems specific to second round interviews:

1. Get used to being asked the same thing. In the second round, you are meeting multiple interviewers, who usually do NOT sync up strategy before meeting candidates; so, they will be asking you the same thing over and over: tell me about yourself, why are you interested, why do you want to leave your current company, etc. Make sure your answers are uniform.
2. Stay engaged. It’s easy to tire out after intense one-on-one meetings, so prepare accordingly. Bring an energy bar, drink water, take bathroom breaks. And above all else, continue to convey enthusiasm despite the repetition. Don’t ask tough questions that will make the interviewer defensive (you can save hard questions when you have offer in hand), and don’t run out of questions (that shows lack of research and interest).
3. Remember who you talked to. Interviewers will naturally ask who you met already, and you will naturally not remember since they are all strangers. Write down the names of interviewers plus contacts at the company so you can talk intelligently about where you are in the process and show how you would fit in well.