You’re sitting up straight, watching your body language and answering every question with gusto and straight confidence. You did you research on the company and know as much as you possibly could about the business they conduct and the kind of employees they want working in their company. You demonstrated through your past experiences that you are a perfect fit for this position. You even felt like you built great rapport with the interviewer. At least you thought you did, but after you sent along your “thank you” letter they never got back to you. You sent one last email to check-in but realized you didn’t get the job. This happens so many times with job interviews. You think they went well and you were positive they liked you, but you never hear back from them. Talk about a good poker face.
Interviews can be like this. In fact, it happens often. So how can you tell if the interview actually went well or if the interview is just really good at making you think you’re an awesome and great candidate? Well, some interviewers are really skilled at hiding how they truly feel about you as a candidate, but there are a few signs that can point to a good interview. However, even if you experience some of these “good interview” signs, it’s never a shoo in. No matter what, you have to play the waiting game at least for a bit after your interview. If you just can’t wait though and you want to be able to tell if the interview was at least OK, then take a look at some of the signs of a good interview below.
Length of Interview
If your interview with the employer lasts longer than the scheduled time or time-allotted, then you’re probably on the right track. If an interviewer doesn’t think you’re a good match from the get-go they will try to push through the interview and get you out of there as soon as possible. After all, if they know you’re not going to work out then why waste time when they have tons of other candidates to plow through? On the other hand, the interview may have lasted for an hour but you still didn’t hear back from them afterwards. This happened to me once and I was sure I nailed the interview. I was in the office there with the interviewer for over an hour and met the CEO as well. I walked out feeling great, but then never heard back from them. It’s just another example of how deceiving and confusing interviewing can really be.
Introduces You to Others
If an interviewer really likes you, they may want to show you around the office and introduce you to the other workers in the department. If they weren’t interested in you at all, then they wouldn’t think of introducing you to others. What would be the point? Showing you around and introducing you to others shows that they are interested in what you have to offer and they want to give you some more insight into the company and the culture.
Takes Time to Answer
In every interview there is time for you to ask your questions. If the interviewer doesn’t ever ask you if you have any questions then it can mean two things. 1. they are definitely not interested and don’t care about what you have to ask or 2. you don’t want to work for this company because every interviewer should give the interviewee time to ask questions. When the interviewer takes the time to thoroughly answer all of the questions you have for them, it’s a great sign. They are taking this time because they really want you to have a good understanding of the job and the company. They want to sell you on the idea that this is a great place to work. That leads us to the next sign.
Sells the Position
If you are getting the sense that the interviewer is selling the position to you and trying to make you see how great it is, then it’s likely a sign that this person really wants you to work for them. They will talk a lot about the advantages of the job and the culture that they think you would enjoy as part of their company. If they want you, they want you to take this job and not one from a different employer.
Availability
If the interviewer is interested in your timeline and wants to know when you would be able to start, then it’s likely they really want to bring you on as part of their team and are trying to see when they could expect you. When they ask about your timeline, they want to be sure that another employer doesn’t scoop you up first. By the same token, if the interviewer liked you as a candidate then they will be very clear as to what will come next. If they expect to call you in a day or two, they will tell you. If they aren’t so sure about you then they will be more vague about what comes next.
Salary
If they ask you what your salary requirements are in the first interview they either want to get right to the point because they want to hire you or they want all of their candidates to know what to expect from the get-go- which is nice. Salary is usually saved for the second interview or towards the end of the first if it is going well, so it’s usually a good sign if the interviewer brings it up to you right away.
References
If the interviewer asks for your references during the interview, they are likely interested. They want to learn as much as they can about you before they make their decision. If they weren’t interested at all, why bother trying to contact your references. If you hear from your references that someone contacted them about you, then that’s a great sign.
These are all signs of a good interview, but remember they aren’t concrete. You can experience these interview signs and still never hear back from the employer. However, some of these are definite signs that the employer is highly interested in you. Keep your confidence and remember to always be fully prepared for anything. Good luck!
SOURCE: US News
IMAGE: Courtesy of Midget Man of Steel Blog
