A second interview may be arranged for any number of reasons, but none of them mean that you can relax when you attend. You still need to be on your best form because the final selection has not yet been made by the hiring manager.
It may be that time was against your job provider at the first meeting and more questions needed to be asked. If this is the reason you have been invited back for a second interview, it will simply be to clarify any outstanding points that your interviewer couldn't cover in the first place.
You must also remember that the second interview shortlist will almost certainly have at least one other candidate on it and your interviewer may want to find and compare your experience or interpersonal skills in more detail. If you have got this chance, it is a positive sign of indication that they think you are worth considering further.
Most second interviews do not follow the same format as the first interview. Frequently they will involve more senior member of the organization's staff being part of this second interview and sometimes potential future co-workers will be asked to meet you and give their opinion.
If there are certain specific areas of concern from your first interview, you will be asked more questions to clarify the issue based upon your past performance with previous employers.
So you should expect that some of the questions will be along the lines of ''give me a specific example of a time when you had to criticize the performance of one of your team members'' or ''explain how you managed to reduce your weekly machine downtime from x to y''.
Most second interviews do always follow a slightly more informal approach than the first interview, after all, they have already met you and if you are to be chosen, this is the first stage of your induction.
Sometimes your interviewer may conduct the second interview outside of the office in a pub or restaurant. The interviewer makes to put you in a more relaxed environment so you will let your guard down and give answers that are more truthful. More likely though is that your interviewer wants to see your interpersonal and communication skills outside of an office environment - something that may be relevant if the job role is going to demand a social element. Just don't let yourself get lured into a false sense of security, keep professionalism for the job at the forefront of your mind and only say what you would say if the interview was being conducted in the office. If you are offered an alcoholic drink, accept one if you think the circumstances are right (obviously if you don't drink you can say so) but keep it to one, otherwise you may become too relaxed, let your guard down and end up saying something you regret.
