10.1 The interview process does not end once you leave the room
Many candidates breathe a sigh of relief once an interview is over - and you might want to forget about the experience as soon as possible.
However, you can improve your chances of securing a role, even after your interview has finished. In this module, you will learn how to get in touch with the interviewer to emphasise your interest and how to request a second chance if mitigating circumstances impaired your performance on the day. Furthermore, you will learn how to reflect on your interview experience and hone in on any areas for potential improvement.
It is good business etiquette to send a thank you message to the interviewer. Your message should be sent promptly, preferably within 24 hours of the interview. A quick response shows the interviewer that you are willing to take the initiative, which is always a desirable quality in a candidate. As well as giving thanks for their time, you can take the opportunity to clarify any points that you felt were not adequately addressed in the interview.
For example If you realised afterwards that an answer you gave did not reflect your full potential or experience, you could explain this in your follow-up message.Employers generally expect candidates to send an email, although a handwritten letter may be appreciated in some sectors.
Fact
In the UK, a reasonable interview to hire ratio for a large business is 14:1. This means that you will be competing against 13 other candidates at the interview stage.
Source: workable.com
10.2 Hearing from an employer following an interview
The best way to handle this issue is to prevent it from arising in the first place.
At the end of an interview, ask when you can expect to hear back from the employer. If the specified time frame or date has passed and you have not received any communication, it is appropriate to phone the interviewer and ask for an update on the situation.
If you did not set a date at the end of the interview, it is appropriate to ask in your follow-up email when the decision will be made. However, the way in which you word this question can make a difference in how the employer perceives you. Rather than simply asking them when you can expect to hear back - which may make you appear too eager or pushy - say that you forgot to ask the interviewer when a decision would be made and you would like to clarify the matter.
10.3 How to get feedback following an interview
It is not always possible to get useful feedback from a prospective employer, as they typically see the provision of interview feedback as a low-priority task.
Given that you are not going to be working with the organisation, they have little to gain in discussing your performance. However, if you make a polite, sincere request for information, you may be fortunate enough to learn where you went wrong. This is invaluable for your future interviews, especially if you later apply for another position within the same organisation.
Whether you should use email or the telephone to request feedback depends on the situation. If the interviewer took a relaxed approach to the interview, telephoning them and asking them for a quick conversation may be the best strategy, particularly if they work for a small company. On the other hand, if you have applied to work in a large business with its own HR department, you may need to put in a request for feedback and wait days (or weeks) for it to be processed. Sometimes, you might need to ask more than once. However, it is inadvisable to push the issue more than twice within a month. You may need to accept that an employer is too busy, or that they have other reasons governing their decision.
For example
An employer may fear that by providing feedback to a candidate, they are inadvertently opening themselves up to a legal claim, or that the feedback they give will damage their reputation. They might also have a blanket “no feedback” rule on the basis that providing everyone with feedback would take a considerable amount of time and effort, so in the interests of fairness impose the same policy on every occasion. If you get the chance to receive feedback in person, take the opportunity to listen rather than talk. Remember that the employer knows you only from what they have seen and heard during the application process - try not to react defensively if they make statements or assumptions you feel to be unfair. What matters is not so much their ability to judge your character, but on the impression you created.
All but the most insensitive of employers dislike giving negative feedback, so you may have to be explicit in your request for an honest evaluation. If the conversation feels stilted and you sense that they are withholding information, ask them whether there were any significant differences between your skills and those of the candidate that was chosen for the role. Asking this question provides them with a means of talking about your shortcomings in a way that does not feel so accusatory or attacking. Make notes for future reference and always thank the company for taking the time to provide you with feedback.
Activity 1: Eliciting Negative Feedback
Estimated time: 5+ minutes
Imagine that you are talking to an interviewer following a job rejection. You are looking for honest feedback, so that you can improve your performance in future job interviews. However, you sense that the interviewer is withholding some information. How would you encourage them to share what they know?
10.4 Requesting a second interview
If there was a good reason why you did not perform to the best of your ability, you could send a request for a second chance. This is best done by sending a thank you message containing a brief explanation for your underperformance and asking whether there is any chance that you could meet with the interviewer again. If they decline your request, you will be no worse off - and there is a small chance that they will be impressed by your tenacity and grant you another chance. State that you are extremely interested in the role, that you believe yourself capable of adding value to the company and that you would appreciate the opportunity to show what you can do.
Fact
The average time it takes to βill a position is 42 days, but this varies by sector. For example, the average time to βill in the engineering field is 59 days.
Source: workable.com
10.5 Your rights under the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018
If an employer has transferred notes they made about your interview onto a computer, or if they have βiled them using an organised filing system, you have the right to see a copy of all information they hold about you. Records must be retained and securely stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations which came into force on 25 May 2018.
This includes your responses to questions asked and their general impressions of you as a candidate. In theory, if an organisation is unwilling to share its feedback, you could invoke the Act as a means of forcing them to surrender the information.
However, an employer may claim that they did not use any formal filing system and that there is nothing to share. Unless you have a good reason to pursue a claim, it is best to move on when an organisation refuses to share feedback after an interview.
10.6 Assessing your own performance
Throughout this course, you have learned the skills successful candidates use in job interviews.
You should therefore be in a good position to take a realistic view of your own performance and to identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you are not sure where to start, ask yourself these questions:
Did I really want the job?
If you were ambivalent about the role, the interviewer may have picked up on your attitude, particularly if they also met with people who, by contrast, were more enthusiastic about the position.
Did I do my best to prepare in advance?
If you are organising and attending multiple interviews, the idea of researching every organisation in advance can be overwhelming. If you have cut corners during your preparation, consider whether it would have come through in your demeanour, answers, or both.
Did I build a state of rapport with the interviewer?
Likeability is a major factor in the hiring decision process. Looking back on the interview, did you get the impression that they liked you as a person? If not, do you think it was simply a clash of personalities, or is there a chance your behaviours created an unfavourable impression? If you have found it hard to get into a state of rapport with several interviewers during your job search, think about ways in which you can improve your social skills.
If you took part in a group interview, take an assessment of your social skills. Did you find it hard to make small talk with other members of the group? Did you listen to what everyone had to say? Ask a trusted friend or relative how you tend to behave in groups. They might be able to give you some valuable feedback.
Did I answer the questions asked of me?
Most interviewers understand that candidates will be nervous, but they vary in terms of how much
assistance they are willing to give when it comes to helping them get back on track. You may have
given great answers, but were they related to the question? If you were asked to take part in a group
activity, did you fully understand the point of the exercise? If not, an interviewer may have interpreted
your response as a lack of engagement.
Did I miss out any important pieces of information which, looking back, could have made a difference to the final outcome?
Under the pressure of an interview situation, even the best prepared candidates can forget what they planned to say in response to specific questions. Although it will not be possible to review the entire interview again, you might be able to identify specific questions that left you feeling overwhelmed or confused. You can then make a special effort to prepare answers to these questions well in advance of your next interview.
Did I feel as though the company would have been a good “fit” for me?
Sometimes, the company culture - the organisation's “personality” - becomes more apparent throughout the interview and selection process. As you learn more about the organisation, you might realise that your personality may not be compatible with the “personality” of the company. Even if you would have been capable of doing the job, you may have been miserable on a day to day basis.
Was I overqualiβied or underqualiβied for the role?
Unless you can make a good case as to why you want an entry level position - for example, if you want a change in career, it might be necessary - an interviewer might become suspicious if you are clearly overqualiβied for a job role.
When you make an unusual career move, you must be able to justify it to an interviewer.
On the other hand, if you were underqualified for the job and the recruiter had not detected the mismatch between your skills and the position prior to the interview, it may have become quickly apparent during the interview. Recruiters do occasionally make mistakes and they may not have realised that you did not have the required qualifications or experience.
Was I visibly nervous throughout the interview? If so, might this have made a difference?
If you displayed obvious signs of nerves throughout, such as biting your nails or tapping your feet, the interviewer may have assumed that you would be too easily daunted or intimated to succeed in the role. Practise identifying your nervous habits and how to control them.
If it was a group interview, were the other candidates exceptional?
You may have done well during an interview - but not quite as well as others in the room. If you just so happened to be in a group with several experienced, charismatic candidates who demonstrated consistent self-belief, you may have been overlooked.
Was the interviewer incompetent?
Do not blame every failed job interview on the interviewer. However, from time to time, you may come across an individual who does not have the skills or motivation to carry out an interview to an appropriate standard. If your interviewer appears confused, distracted, or even ambivalent about the exercise in general, they are not likely to make the right decision.
Ask yourself these questions directly after every job interview, because within a few days you will,have forgotten the βiner details. If you get the job, you will have a record of what you did to succeed. If you are rejected, you will have some notes to help guide you in making preparations for your next set of interviews.
10.7 Building your confidence
Job-hunting is a tough process and it can also be highly stressful, particularly if you need to acquire a new position quickly.
Under these circumstances, a rejection can feel devastating, especially if it was a position that held strong appeal for you. In order to build up your confidence, remind yourself of the following:
All interview experience is useful
Succeeding in job interviews is a skill. Like all skills, proficiency improves with practice. Although job interviews are not generally considered fun, they become relatively straightforward when you have sufficient experience. Even the most disastrous of interviews comes with an advantage - it proves that whatever goes wrong, you will survive. Most people have a few interview horror stories they can share, so do not feel embarrassed or ashamed if you make a few slip-ups. Almost everyone finds job interviews stressful, which is why there are so many books available on the subject!
Do not take every rejection personal
Assessing your own performance is a sound strategy that will help you to improve in the future, but do not assume that you are at fault if you cannot identify where you went wrong. Sometime interviewers make mistakes and sometimes a company decides that they are not going to hire someone after all - you do not know what is going on behind the scenes.
You can always apply for another job
A good strategy is to apply for several jobs at the same time. Not only is this a more efficient tactic than a sequential approach, but it will help you maintain your morale if one organisation rejects you. Wherever possible, structure your job search so that you always have another potential job offer in the pipeline. There is nothing wrong with feeling enthusiastic about a particular job, but do not develop tunnel vision. There are literally hundreds of opportunities awaiting you.
Often, people are glad in hindsight that they did not get a particular job
A rejection may mean that you did not get the job, but it also leaves you free to apply for other roles that may be a better fit. To some extent, you can argue that if an employer does not want you to fill the vacancy then you are, by definition, incompatible.
Rehashing the interview over and over again will not help
Talking to a close friend or relative about your experience can be cathartic, but reliving the experience repeatedly will not restore your confidence. Focusing on what went wrong will distract you from what went right and the opportunities that await you in the future. In addition, you should think twice before detailing your experience on social media. Most employers now run background checks on applicants and any negative comments about other employers (or even just relating to job interviews in general) will leave a negative impression - they will start to wonder how professional you are.
There is always help available
Whether it is reading books on how to improve your conversation skills, practising interviews with a friend or career advisor, or putting together more comprehensive answers to interview questions to use next time around, you have access to all the resources you need to boost your confidence and secure the job that is right for you.
Undertaking further mock interviews You already know that mock interviews can be good preparation in advance of an interview, but they can also be a good way to debrief after a job rejection. If you have identified areas in which you need to improve, ask someone you trust to rehearse questions or exercises that caused you problems.
For example
If you realise in hindsight that you found it difficult to respond to competency-based questions, make a list of the questions the interviewer asked and use these as the basis for a mock interview.
Activity 2: How Do Others Rebuild Their Confidence?
Estimated time: 10+ minutes
Virtually everyone who has ever held a job will be able to tell you stories of failed interviews and arduous job-hunting. Therefore, they will have had to deal with setbacks, some of which might have knocked their confidence. Talk to a couple of friends about their experiences. What did their failed job interviews teach them? Do they have any advice to pass on?
10.8 Positive thinking for future interviews
An optimistic attitude is one of the best tools for overcoming interview anxiety and worries about job-hunting in general. Specifically, identifying the negative thoughts that are causing you distress and subjecting them to close scrutiny can make a significant difference to how you feel.
Psychotherapists working with clients who want to overcome low self-esteem sometimes invite their clients to try “thought challenging”. This is popular within the Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) paradigm, which is built on the premise that our thoughts about external events, rather than the events themselves, are responsible for how we feel.
Some of the most common negative thoughts are listed below, together with thoughts and ideas that can help you overcome them.
“I will never get a job
If you have held jobs in the past, this is proof that you are capable of finding work. If you have yet to gain any work experience, remember that everyone has to start somewhere and that most people do manage to find a job. If you need some confidence and experience that will help you secure a paid job, find some voluntary work. Not only will it provide you with transferable skills, but your supervisor can act as a referee.
“I will never get the job I want”
It is normal to work in a role that falls short of your dream job, at least in the early stages of your career. You may need to gain more experience or knowledge before you can make progress. Get into problem-solving mode. Could you take an evening or online course that will expand your skills and enhance your CV?
“I am no good at interviews”
Even if you are not good at interviews at present, you will become better with practice. You may not realise how much you are improving.
“I am bound to mess up again”
Just because you have had a few bad experiences, does not mean that all your future attempts are doomed to failure.
“I am not smart enough to pass an aptitude test”
To some extent, intellectual ability is innate. However, skills can be taught - and taking aptitude tests is a skill. It is true that we all have our own profiles of strengths and weaknesses, but practice can go a long way to improving your score. It is also worth remembering that your result will be partially determined by your attitude. If you go into a test situation assuming that you will fail, you are less likely to do well - the situation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Module Summary
You should always make the effort to thank an interviewer for their time, whether or not you have been (or are likely to be) successful. Aside from demonstrating good manners and an understanding of business etiquette, an appropriate message can encourage an employer to reconsider your application and contact you about future vacancies. A suitable follow-up message can also lay the groundwork for a professional relationship.
If an interview does not go as you would like, or if you fail to get a role that seemed an ideal fit, it is easy to lose confidence in yourself and your abilities. However, it is essential that you keep interviews in perspective. Not all interviews go well and most people will experience a few setbacks during the job seeking process. However, every interview - whether successful or not - is a valuable learning opportunity. The best candidates not only do well in interviews, but always solicit feedback if they do not manage to get the job.
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