What To Do After The Job Interview

As an interview draws to a close, a good interviewer should be managing your expectations, in terms of the interview process. They should have, at some stage, said to you, "We're not going to make a decision today, but you will hear from us within 72 hours and we'll write to you, or we'll phone you, etc." You have every right to try to stay in control of that interview process by asking what the next stage is. Never leave the scene of an interview without having some kind of agreement as to what the next action will be. Also, remember to never switch off until you're well away from the building, even if they take you for a drink, or they say, "I'll walk you to your car," or they start talking about football, even if you catch a train home with them, which I've seen before happen. Never let your guard down: you're still being interviewed, even though it's not quite so formal. It's essential that as you leave, you say to the receptionist, that you met originally, "Make sure you understand that I'm outside having a cigarette," because you're trying to get rid of your nerves. Don't squitch away from the carport. Don't do anything that is bad behavior. Make sure that you're in control of the interview process as much as they are. You have every right to ask what the next stage is: "What can I expect from you next and by when?" You have every right.

If you're not in control of the interview process with the interviewer, at the end of the interview then you're going to spend a lot of time frustrated because you don't know what the next outcome is and you don't know when it's going to happen. The best thing you can do is agree to a timeline system: Will I hear from you in 24 hours, 48, 72, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, whatever. At least it stops some of the frustration and stops some of the nervousness and stops some of the corridor walking that you may have to do especially if you are on edge. So make sure that you are in control of that process. The biggest problem that you are going to face is if you don't control that process you'll get on the phone with the interviewer and you'll start hounding them for some kind of response. That's the worst thing you can do. You should have control before you've even left the building.

If you left the interview and they said to you, ok we'll call you within the next 72 hours to let you know whether you got the job or not or whatever the next stage is, if they don't do that, if they don't commit to what they said they were going to do, you have every right, if they miss that deadline, to give them a call about the job and say, "You promised to call me after 72 hours, can you tell me what's happening, please?"

If you're busy, and you're busy looking for a job, you may attend several interviews and you may get two job offers out of six. What a great position to be in! If you find that you get offered a job but you no longer want it because you're going for something else, just let them know. A phone call's quite nice; an e-mail's even better.

Sometimes you may receive a job offer, but you've been for several other interviews and you're waiting for another job offer to come up and you really, really want that job rather than the one you've been offered. Don't have any hesitation in getting on the phone to the people who offered you the position and say: "Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm very flattered that you offered me the position. However, I am waiting for another 72 hours for another job offer, which I really would prefer to have." It makes you look very professional, it makes you look thoroughly honest, and it also makes you look very much in demand in the labour market.

You are unlikely to be able to change an employer's mind. Quite often employers will have very strict recruitment processes that they adhere to, and they have questions and processes that they go through, first or second or panel interviews to get to a logical decision in terms of whether they're going to hire you or not. If they don't, you have every right to turn around and ask why they chose not to employ you, but you probably won't be able to change their minds because most people have very thorough processes that they adhere to.

Once you've finished with the interview process, or interviews process, or panel (or whatever procedure you've been through), it's a nice touch to either send them a letter or drop them a quick email just saying, "Thank you so much for the opportunity of being considered for the role. I look forward to hearing from you by whatever date you've agreed for the decision to take place." I've had it before in the past, and I find it extremely professional.