I recently got an invite to come in for a 2nd interview for one of the Big 4, (Pwc).
I was wondering what to expect. the HR woman told me it lasts for about 3 hr. 1 office tour, 3 interviews.
How should I prepare? DO I ask each interviewer the same question?
BTW, i heard that for some people , a 2nd interview means that you basically got the internship. is this true? please help!
Here’s the quick version of recruitment (generalized… I don’t know about PWC or any of the big 4)…
You submit your application; this is the first barrier to entry, as some people will simply not apply.
Your application is vetted, sometimes electronically, sometimes by people, and sometimes by a combination of people and technology.
Assuming this is on-campus recruiting (OCR), the company will have slots available for first interviews, so they will filter out those who do not meet minimum criteria and then pick X people they think are worth interviewing. If you get a first interview, they think your background indicates you can do the job.
The first interview gives them a quick way to understand who will fit and who will not. It also allows them to identify those who embellished or outright lied on their resumes.
A second round interview will be granted to those they believe can do the job. It will be used to gauge your interest, to see more of your background, and to introduce you to the firm and its people. At this stage, there are two ways they can approach things - a) they have selected those they want for the internship/job, and this day can tell them if they made a mistake, or b) they have a target percentage of people they intend to give offers to and are using the second round to rank people.
After the second interview, companies will start trying to fill their internship classes. Typically they have a number they hope to bring in. They give offers to those they really want, they give rejection notices to those they know they do not want, and they say nothing to "bubble" people. The bubble folks are the ones who they know can do the job but who are not first choices; when someone declines the offer, they go to the first person on their bubble list and give an offer, and they follow this process until they reach their target class size. Note that during this time, they may check references and/or conduct a background check.
In short, a second interview means that you are pegged as someone they believe CAN do the work, but you are not basically guaranteed a job.
In terms of what you ask each interviewer, it’s up to you. I typically tried to ask interviewers non-traditional questions. My go-to was, “What do you like the LEAST about the firm/company?” Sometimes they lied and tried to hide imperfections, but the ones who made the most impact on me were the ones who gave candid responses. My strategy beyond that was to take notes during the interview and ask questions based on my notes. I typically withheld one question so that I could ask it in a follow up email.
Good luck and congratulations on being in the second round!