Update us immediately with your feedback following each interview. This provides the opportunity to discuss your post-interview thoughts with us and plan your next step.
Feedback exchange
Our clients often prefer to hear our candidate’s feedback after an interview before they divulge their own feedback.
If you are excited about the opportunity and the company then let us know and we can relay such positive comments to the client whilst re-iterating your desire to work for the company.
This is often invaluable as at times interviewers can remain undecided between candidates and such feedback can help sway the interviewer’s decision in your favour.
Also, do let us know of other possible interviews you may have been to and how you feel about this particular role in comparison.
Review your performance
After each interview mentally review the questions asked by the interviewer and critically review your responses to them and your performance in general.
Were you caught off-guard by any questions?
Could you have answered a question better, in more detail, or in a more focused manner?
Were you too vague, arrogant, unassertive or aggressive?
Could you have prepared better?
Quiz yourself after each interview and make a plan of action as to how you can improve your interview skills next time around.
Follow-up email
It is advisable to send a thank you email to the interviewer(s) within twenty-four hours of the interview.
This reinforces your interest in the position and can serve as an additional opportunity of differentiating you from the other candidates by recalling a notable topic or attribute discussed in your interview.
The communication also gives you the opportunity to put things straight should you have forgotten to mention some key information or experience.
Remember to keep the communication brief, but most of all ensure correct grammar and punctuation.
Remember also, that some employers may not even acknowledge the gesture.
There is often mixed opinion about the effectiveness of such a letter.
Some HR personnel expect an email or letter and consider it rude not to hear anything further from you, whilst others see it as unnecessary.
It is best to assess each situation individually and make your own judgement based on any client-specific information we provide.
Don’t sit back
Don’t sit back after giving a good interview – especially if you’re really excited about the opportunity and the interviewer may have hinted that they would like to progress with you.
Whilst it’s a good sign that you had an encouraging experience with your interview, you may be in danger of becoming so fixated on this job that other opportunities of equal or better standing may pass you by.
Our advice is that you continue with your search and attend any other interviews you may have scheduled until you accept a new contract of employment.
Keep performing in your current job
After a satisfactory interview, many job seekers are tempted to relax a little in their current roles in the hope that they will be moving on soon.
This is dangerous and can backfire on you, especially if you’re not successful in securing the new job.
It’s worth remembering that the reputation you may have built up in your current role that has given you the credibility to apply for your new role could disappear fast if your performance levels drop.
Not the right opportunity for you?
If an employer has indicated an interest in pursuing things further with you, but you are no longer interested in the opportunity, then please inform us as soon as possible.
We can then resume our search activity for alternate opportunities whilst also communicating your decision to the interviewing employer.
Remain positive
If you are unsuccessful at the interview, remember to keep positive and focused.
You may have only narrowly missed out on the opportunity; therefore, it’s essential that you keep your spirits up.
Remember to review your performance.
If by any chance you were quite a bit short of the mark, then it's back to basics with our pages about the interview, before the interview and during the interview as a refresher and further advice.
Become a student of mastering good interview techniques so that when the next opportunity presents itself, you are ready.
Back: Career toolkit
Next: The second interview
