Six Signs the Interview Went Well
New Grad Life.com
Right after a job interview, you're going to
feel pretty relieved that it's all over and
either confident that you did well or worried
that you bombed. It's common for job seekers to
go over the job interview questions that they
went through and the answers they gave, and note
any other small things during the interview -
but how do you really know whether or not you
did well? Check out these 6 points below and
you'll have a better understanding of whether or
not your job interview went well.
1. They give you a firm answer about when
you’ll hear back.
This is not a foolproof indicator, but it’s a
good one none the less. You don’t want to hear,
“We’ll let you know.” You don’t want to have to
ask, “When, exactly?” If they say, “I’ll have an
answer for you on Monday morning,” that usually
means they’ve made a decision. The decision
might not be for you, but at least they’ve made
a decision. This is sort of like a poker tell…
if someone hasn’t made up their mind yet, they
don’t really know how long it will take to do
so, and thus are evasive about estimating how
long it might take to make up their mind. If the
interviewer gives you a vague answer, that might
mean that there are plenty more interviews
scheduled and your interview performance was not
enough to make them cancel the others.
2. You covered topics beyond the job
description.
A good interview is one where you handily answer
all their questions, clearly demonstrate that
you can meet all the job requirements, AND THEN
start to discuss all the other things you can
bring to the job. You win the job by using the
interview to convince them that hiring you will
bring them all sorts of additional dividends
they didn’t even expect.
3. The interview went longer than scheduled.
This one is logical enough. If you’re in and out
in a hurry, you might not have struck their
fancy. But if you hang out for a while shooting
the breeze (especially if you hit point number 4
below, that’s a good sign.
4. You discussed personal stuff.
This is maybe the best indicator. As I’ve said
before, a job interview is largely about
personality… even more so than skills or
qualifications. If you start chatting away with
the interviewer about this thing or that thing…
if you’re sharing jokes and laughs, you’re
probably home free. If you feel like the
interviewer got to like you on a personal or
professional level, that’s the best indication
you can get.
5. The interviewer describes their
frustration with the previous employee.
If the interviewer begins to talk about how
poorly the last guy did in your position, then
that’s a good indication that they’ve decided
you can do a better job. If you find the
interviewer comparing you favorably to previous
or existing employees, then you’ve likely done a
good job of selling yourself as qualified.
6. You begin plotting with the interviewer.
The best interviews I’ve ever had were the ones
where we were already making plans for the
things I would be doing once I started. I had
not only sold myself, I had sold a game plan for
the improvements I would be bringing to the
position… and the interviewer had bought what I
was selling. “I can’t wait for you to get
started overhauling that inventory system. Do
you think you might have any ideas for our
shipping system as well?” That’s what you want
to hear.
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