Comments on: 5 ways to know how your job interview really went

By: Ernest

Ernest — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:41:51 +0000

I had an interview for a PhD program via skype about three weeks ago. There are nine position of which 24 people have been shortlisted for. The interview was close to an hour. I felt I answered most of questions he put across and he even asked my question like do you have a family? then I answered no. then he went like ‘ so we dont have to worry about bring them over’. Again he even went on to about how the arrangement of the position, the schedule of my field work and all that. the committee will meet next week to do the final selection. Though I feel positive about this interview, I also feel I might have evaded some few question. On the close not he remarked OK Ernest see you around. How would you interpret such an interview?

By: Kristi

Kristi — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:21:44 +0000

E: I can understand your challenge. Here’s what I would do: try to find an article, event or some other item that would be of interest to the hiring manager. Send them a brief email saying that you ran across it, thought they might find it interesting, and that you’re still very interested in the position and look forward to hearing about next steps. Done right, this comes across more as networking than “nagging.” With luck, they’ll let you know how the process is evolving. Let me know how it goes!

By: E

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:12:53 +0000

Well I was interviewed exactly 2 weeks ago for a position I’m really interested in. At the end of the interview I followed your advice, Kristi, and it seemed like they were interested. That night they sent me a little questionnaire and asked for my permission to start a background check, to which I promptly responded right after sending my “Thank You” emails to all interviewers. Is it time yet to send a follow-up email to the hiring manager? As I said, it’s been 2 weeks. BUT the HR lady (my last interviewer) told me to “be patient because everything here takes a while” (which I knew because they’re part of a major foreign corporation and they have to go back to the “parent company” for such decisions). I just don’t know what’s “long enough” and I didn’t want to be annoying/pushy and follow her answer with “Well how long is ‘a while’?”….. Help please!

By: Freshers Recruitment

Freshers Recruitment — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:40:19 +0000

I think the most important factor here is step # 4.

That will only decide where you go from here. In or out !!

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:46:03 +0000

Gary: Great summary of the concept! There are lots of other indicators of rapport that can help people gauge their success.

Scott: Excellent tip. People can ask for the job, or ask for next steps and get a commitment of follow up. Both will help move things forward and give a candidate a solid foundation for future conversations with the company.

By: Scott Bowman

Scott Bowman — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:21:31 +0000

#4: I think it’s important to end the interview with a closing question. It’s the same as sales, and an interview really is selling yourself, so remember to “ask for the sale”. Not in a pushy way, but no one wants to leave an interview, and wait for weeks before they realize the call isn’t coming.

Haven’t interviewed in years, but I hope I would remember to take my own advice!

By: Gary Alan Miller

Gary Alan Miller — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:28:08 +0000

You make a lot of good points. A lot of this can go under the heading of “rapport development.” While no doubt there are some interviewers who will strive to develop rapport even if they have no intention of moving the person to the next round, most aren’t probably aren’t willing to invest in instances like that. So, if you feel like you’re developing meaningful rapport, you’re probably on the right track!