How to Know if Interview Went Well 10 Tips
From the preparation that you have to put yourself through before an interview, as articulated over at runrex.com, to the interview nerves and the fact that an interview can last for up to an hour or so with you doing most of the talking, once the interview is over, the overriding feeling is usually one of relief. However, the release and relief don’t last long as you will soon start wondering how you did and how the interview went. That period of limbo between after your interview and when the decision comes in can be quite tough according to the gurus over at guttulus.com. You find yourself second-guessing how you performed. The good news is that there are signs that can be able to tell you if your interview went well, and the following 10 tips will shine a spotlight on 10 of them.
The interview went on for longer than that expected
One of the signs that can tell you if an interview went well, according to runrex.com, is if you were in the interview for longer than expected. Your recruiter may have specified to you how long the interview will last, and in such a situation, if you were in the interview for the specified amount of time or longer, then this is usually a good sign. As per the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, a hiring manager’s time is precious, particularly during a recruiting period where they have to interview several candidates, therefore, if they choose to dedicate this time to learn more about you, then it is usually indicative that they are clearly interested in you.
The interviewer seemed engaged
According to the gurus over at runrex.com, you should also consider the interviewer’s body language and their responses. Ask yourself, as you answered their questions and spoke about yourself, did you feel like the interviewer was interested? If the interviewer leaned in, nodded, agreed with what you had to say, smiled, and generally gave encouragement and positive affirmation after each of your answers, using phrases like “great answer” of “that’s exactly right” or even encourage you to keep talking as they liked what they were hearing, then chances are the interviewer was engaged with what you were saying, another good omen.
You were introduced to your potential new co-workers and colleagues
If the hiring manager introduced you to other employees towards the end of the interview, then this is another good sign as covered over at guttulus.com. It is even better if they felt like you got on well with these colleagues and made a good impression as this will put you in good standing as far as getting the position is concerned.
You were introduced to senior decision-makers
The hiring manager isn’t going to take the time to introduce you to other people in the business unless they already have a good feeling about you, a fact that is especially true if these people are senior stakeholders as discussed over at runrex.com. If you were introduced to a c-suite executive or a director, then this is a sign that the interviewer knows these people will need to sign off their final hiring decision. They, therefore, wanted to speed up the process by arranging a face-to-face introduction, so that they can see for themselves why you are the right choice.
The interviewer explained the next steps to you
If at the close of the interview, the hiring manager explained what the next stage would be (such as a second interview), and when you could expect to hear back from them, then they are inferring that you are in with a chance of making it to this stage and that you shouldn’t lose interest, which is another sign that your interview went well according to the experts over at guttulus.com. If the interviewer also ended the interview by urging you to contact them if you had any questions, or even going as far as giving you their business card or a direct line to reach them, then this is another good omen.
The interview felt conversational
The flow of the interview can also give you an idea of how it went. As discussed over at runrex.com, if you found it relatively easy to talk to the interviewer or the interview felt like it was more of a conversation than a bland Q&A session, with the interviewer engaging in more relaxed small talk at certain points, then this is another sign that your interview went well. This is a sign that you successfully built up a good rapport with the interviewer and demonstrated some strong interpersonal skills, which also makes it clear to the interviewer that you will get on well with the rest of the team.
You were told what YOU would be doing in this role
Here, instead of the interviewer saying something like, “the successful candidate would be expected to…”, the interviewer says, “in this role, you would be expected to…”. The interviewer may then have gone into greater detail about the ins and outs of the role. As covered over at guttulus.com, this is another sign that they were already imagining you in this position, and now want you to get the full picture of the role and what it entails.
You were taken on a tour of the office
On top of being introduced to potential colleagues and senior management, another sign that your interview went well is if you were taken on a tour of the office afterward. As outlined over at runrex.com, this means being walked around to see where you’d be sitting, the break room, and so forth. This is a good omen as if you had no chance of landing the job, they would be no reason for the hiring manager to show you around.
If it felt like they were trying to pitch you
As per the gurus over at guttulus.com, having a company try to sell themselves to you as an employer usually means that they probably want you for the role. Therefore, if, during the interview, it felt like they were pitching you, then it is a good sign as they wouldn’t spend time spelling out all the reasons why it is a great place to work as well as sharing details on their benefits and culture if they were not interested in you.
If you were asked about other offers you are entertaining
Normally, if an interviewer starts probing you about your job search, then, as explained over at runrex.com, it is usually a sign that they are concerned that another company is going to snag you first. The interviewer may ask subtly, such as, “How’s your job search going?” or they might come right out and ask, “Are you considering any other offers?”. Either way, this is usually a sign that your interview went well and that you made a great impression and they know that there may be some competition.
These are just some of the signs that may let you know whether your interview went well or not, with more on this topic to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.