Things You Should Do After Job Interview

Things You Should Do After Job Interview

Imagine, you have gone for an interview. You have given it your best. You have come out confident that you made a good impression with the interviewer/recruiter. But what do you do after the interview? Is that the end? Do you keep quiet? Do you make a phone call to the recruiter? It is important to take certain actions after the interview is done in order to appear professional and increase your chances of landing the job or being considered for future opportunities. They say what is done after the interview is as important as the interview itself.

Most recruiters like candidates who show a level of interest after the interview. However, candidates must learn how to maintain the right balance between so they don’t appear too desperate or too uninterested. If you would like to make a good impression on the recruiter after the interview, take the following tips below.

A Thank You Note

A thoughtful thank you email is a professional norm. This will remind the recruiter about you as they continue with the selection process. A good email should start off with a note of gratitude for being called for an interview. Talk about what you enjoyed learning during the interview or and reiterate your motivation for this position. Finish off with something along the lines of “I will be looking forward to hearing from you soon.” If you hadn’t asked when you would hear from them, you can ask in the email. Make this short and sweet. This is not an essay competition.

2. Review What Worked or Didn’t Work

There is no better time to review your interview performance like immediately after the interview. Don’t be biased. Don’t be defensive. Evaluate what went well and what didn’t. Were there any questions that you couldn’t answer? Why? Where there questions that you were comfortable with and managed to answer them with clarity? Try to recall the body language of the recruiter since it has a lot to say about how the interview might have gone. Remember, one interview is the preparation for the next. Each interview comes with its own set of challenging questions.  Learn from the mistakes and improve on.

3. Notify Your References

For most positions, the recruiter would let you when they are about to contact your referees. However, be proactive and notify your referees that they might be contacted in regard to this position you had applied to. It is important to prepare them because it always give a negative impression when a referee struggles to recall who you are after being called by the recruiter. Make sure you provide your referee with as much information as possible about the role you have interviewed so they can give in a good word for you.

4. Follow up After the Deadline Passes

It is important to follow up in case the deadline has passed and you haven’t heard from the recruiter. This shows proactiveness and interest for the position. However, make sure you that you don’t bother the recruiter with too many phone calls. This reeks of desperation and recruiters don’t like it. It is advised that at the end of the interview the candidate should ask when they would hear from the recruiter. Knowing when the recruiter will get back to you will enable you to plan your calendar of other professional and personal matters.

5. Add the Hiring Manager on LinkedIn

This can be something you can do: it is not a must. Remember, even if you won’t land the position, you will have increased your professional network with the right people. It is these connections with recruiters that can open up future doors of opportunities since nowadays recruiters are reaching out to candidates through LinkedIn profiles. Remember to complete your LinkedIn profile so you stand out.

6. Continue The Search

A luta continua! Even though the interview went well don’t rest on your laurels. If there are other interviews, go in like someone who doesn’t have a job yet. Give it your best. If there are positions that you are yet to apply for but you were planning to, go ahead and apply for them. The truth of the matter is you might not land the job even if you felt the interview went well. This is simply because you don’t have visibility of the performance of the other shortlisted candidates.