Highly successful job candidates are alert to the fact that an interview often does not finish when you walk out of the interview room. One of the things these candidates do is adhere to a few simple but important post interview actions that often yield great results. Below are some of the actions they take. We’ve presented them to you in the form of seven tips. If you’re serious about getting a great job we urge you to follow these tips closely.
Tip 1: Change your existing mindset: Get out of the mind set that interviews finish when you walk out of the interview room. Post interview follow up demonstrates high levels of enthusiasm as well as professionalism. If the interviewer cannot decide between you and another candidate the post interview follow up will help your cause greatly.
Tip 2: The three-day rule: Initiate contact about 3 days after the interview. That’s usually too short a time for them to have made a decision.
Tip 3: Try to avoid ringing: You’re likely to make a nuisance of yourself. Telephone contact may cause you and/or the interviewer embarrassment. Only talk to the interviewer when you’re fairly certain that they’re ready to talk to you.
Tip 4: Send a letter or email: It’s best to write a thank you letter or email. In your letter reiterate your enthusiasm for the job, tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them and, if you’re in a position to do so, offer them more relevant information about yourself.
Tip 5: Contact your references. Tell them about
• The job
• The Company
• Your major responsibilities and key targets
Giving them this information will help your referees focus their answers to suit your needs even more. You’re also reminding them of how important the job is to you.
What to do if you’re unsuccessful
If you don’t get the job the first thing to do is not to beat yourself up. Do what other successful candidates do and put it down as a learning experience. Beating yourself up will only undermine your future confidence.
Tip 6:
Seek feedback. If you don’t get the job ring the interviewer and politely ask for some feedback for the purposes of self development.
• It helps to have a few questions ready when you ring.
• When seeking feedback, be absolutely certain that you do not become defensive or attack the interviewer. Remember, the point about asking for feedback is to learn how to improve for next time.
• If you learn during the feedback stage that you were very competitive take the opportunity to tell the interview that you would be interested in any future positions.
Note that some interviewers, unfortunately, view giving feedback as a waste of their time and/or feel too uncomfortable about making any negative comments so they may not wish to talk to you. If that’s the case, don’t take it personally. At least you tried.
Tip 7: Use the feedback to improve your future performance: Take the time to give some serious thought to what the interviewer said. Then ask yourself the all important question: “What can I do to ensure that next time I don’t repeat the same mistake/s?”
Good luck!
Michael Spiropoulos is Monster’s resident interview expert. He has helped many job candidates improve their interview skills and win exciting new jobs. Michael works closely with Monster to assist job seekers with their interview and job search skills. If you’d like to find out more about how Miichael can personally help you succeed with your interview skills you can contact him on: interviewsuccess@cemap.com.au
