Job seekers, more often than not, fail to remember that evaluating their job interview performance is a crucial milestone before moving on to the next step which is, obviously, the interview follow-up. Taking note of where you went right and wrong will very much help you not only develop your interview “know-how”, but also assess your strengths and point out your areas of development.
Some pointers for your job interview performance analysis:
General Info:
Take note of the company name, your interviewer, the job position you applied to and the date the interview took place (yes, you never know when these could come handy).
Interview Specifics:
- Were you right on time? (Or maybe just a little fashionably but very unwisely late?)
- Did you face any difficulties answering any questions? (If that was the case, state the question and make sure to formulate a suitable answer for the future now that you are no longer under pressure).
- Did you maintain eye contact and a decent body language? (Or was that colorful painting on the wall far more appealing than the interviewer himself?)
- Did you remember to ask the interviewer all the right questions about the job? (Hopefully these didn’t include questions about sick days, leave days, the view from the corner office and how soon you can move to a different role)
- How would you rate yourself now that the interview is over? (Be modestly objective!)
- In which areas do you think you could have done better? (Was there a bit too much stuttering going on there? Or a bit of thought disorganization? What is it exactly that you need to concentrate your efforts on improving?)
Job Interview Performance Analysis: Done and over with!! Job follow-up is to come next. What should be done and what shouldn’t? Here are Bayt.com’s Top Tips for your job interview follow up:
- Do send out your follow up (or thank you) letters/e-mails to interviewers no later than48 hours after your interview. We recommend you do that the same day however when your ideas are still fresh. And please make sure to use the right names! Take this opportunity to once again stress on your strong points and elaborate on how interested you are in the company and the position itself (for more about thank you letters, click here)
- Do spell-check. You don’t want to send out a thank you letter bursting with typos. What impression would that leave about the talented and detail-oriented professional that you are?
- Do contact the interviewer to get an update about the position if he does not get back to you within the original promised time-frame but bear in mind the process of recruitment may take some time.
- Do not harass your interviewer. Showering him with phone calls and e-mails every day is an absolute no-no. If you’re in a critical position (i.e.: considering an offer from another company), explain your situation to the interviewer candidly and trust that they will act appropriately! Should they think you are their ideal candidate, they will then do their best to speed up the process, rather than losing you. Be patient and do not overdo it!
- Do send, as follow-up measures, relevant news clippings or notes related to the company you are interviewing with if pertinent to the role, to remain top of mind with the employer and show you remain interested in the company and are vigilantly doing your homework about it.
- Do alert your references: they can get contacted from your potential employer anytime and you would want them ready and willing to compliment you on your achievements and previous performance.
- Don’t stop your job search and your life waiting for that specific position. Keep your options open, and the more options…the wiser.
Last but not least:
