So you’ve sent all your applications off and you’ve managed to bag yourself a job interview. Great – you’re half way there! You’ve prepared for your interview and hopefully researched the company inside and out.
To those of you that have either prepared for your interview or have had your interview – you’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to know how the interview actually went. Sometimes it can be really hard to actually tell whether you wowed the interviewer or you left them disappointed – especially when they have an amazing poker face!
It’s completely natural to be a little bit impatient for your feedback when you’ve spent so long searching for the perfect job. So we’ve got a number of tell-tale signs that your interview went well so you can sleep easy for the time being!
1.) Body Language – It seems like a really obvious one but you can probably tell whether the interviewer has gelled with you just by their body language. If they’re giving you eye contact and smiling it probably means that what you’re saying is interesting them rather than boring them to death! Let’s be honest … we can all tell if someone is giving you a genuine smile or a slightly put on smile. Also have a look at how they’re sitting – are they sat with their arms crossed or are they leaning in and engaging with what you are saying? So keep your eyes peeled for these signs.
2.) Your Interview Runs Over – If your interview runs over a little bit – it probably means that you and the employer have hit it off (nice one!). The time slots will probably be based on the average time an interview takes, so if you’re above average – the employer obviously wants to know more about you which is a really good sign. Just make sure that the reason why you ran over wasn’t because you love the sound of your voice a little bit too much!
3.) They Want You To Meet The Team – So your interview has finished and you take a deep sigh of relief that it’s over! But the employer then asks you to meet the team – you probably weren’t expecting this one. Even though it’s a pretty scary prospect it’s a really good sign that they actually want to see how you interact with the team. So just make sure your smiley and approachable to prove that you’ll fit in well – an employer won’t want you if you’re a bit stand offish.
4.) The Interviewer Asks For Your Availability – If your interviewer is interested in when you can start it can mean that they’re pleased with the interview and want to see when you can join their team. It’s a bit of a grey area because many interviewers may ask this question in every interview – however it’s definitely not a bad sign to say the least!
5.) You Get Invited To A Second Interview – If during your first interview they invite you back in again then it’s an extremely positive sign. If your interviewer wasn’t impressed they wouldn’t waste their time inviting you back. So see this as a really good sign and make sure you are prepared to wow them.
6.) Future Plans Are Discussed – You may find that your employer begins to discuss specific projects that are in the pipe line with you. This is a brilliant indicator that your employer can see you working in their company and wants you to know the exciting opportunities available to you. If the employer then starts to reference you doing the projects rather than ‘the successful candidate’ then you are really on the road to success.
7.) You Can’t Keep The Interviewer Quiet – When it’s your turn to ask some questions and the interviewer won’t stop talking it’s a pretty good sign. If they’re telling you what an amazing company they are and you feel like they are explaining all the ins and outs of the place – then you should be feeling pretty confident. The fact that an employer is taking the time to answer your questions in full proves that they want to invest some time in you.
8.) Salary Expectations – If the employer wants to know about your salary expectations either in your first or second interview, that’s a brilliant indicator. It could be a sign that the company would like to invest in you – so make sure that you have some salary range ideas and reasons for this salary range (eg. experience, knowledge etc) before you go in. You don’t want to be put on the spot and give an answer without thinking – this is your salary, you want to get it right!
9.) “I’ll get back to you in the next two days” – If your employer is giving you a time-scale of when they’re going to get back to you it’s pretty obvious that they’re genuinely thinking about employing you. It’s not the best sign when an employer says “I’ll be in touch soon” because it’s slightly vague and might mean that the employer still has a fair few interviews to perform.
10.) Personal Discussions – It’s pretty impressive if you end up talking about your hobbies or just having a joke with the employer. It means that you’ve connected well and a big thing for the employer is that you can have a good relationship in the future. So if you’ve hit it off straight away you have a brilliant chance.