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Being invited to an interview means you’ve passed the first test - your application must have made a good impression. Now you need to prepare yourself for the interview to make sure you are successful at this stage.
Listen to advice on the steps you need to take after your job interview to give you the best chance of securing the role.
When you're going for job interviews, it's important to remember that they're as much for you to decide whether you like the company as they are for the employer to decide if they like you.
Phew, the interview is over. Wouldn't it be nice if the interviewer handed you a rating slip on your way out the door to let you know how you did.
But without such a luxury, you must learn to review your own performance so that you can learn from the experience. Use this opportunity to be objective about the situation. Were you prepared and practiced, or were you just winging it? Could you have been more effective with additional practice? What will you do to prepare for your next interview?
It's very frustrating when you've been to interview – especially for a job you really want – but then hear nothing for what seems like a lifetime.
Unfortunately, your work is not done once you leave the interview – in fact it's just beginning. You can't simply sit back and wait for the job offer.
Not getting a follow-up call, as promised, happens more than you think. Candidates are sure they are a certainty for the position, they're expecting an offer. Then, they hear nothing. This is not only frustrating for the candidate, but reflects poorly on the company.
If after a Monday interview you were told that a decision would be made before the end of the week, by Friday you'll be having doubts if there has been no call from the company.
Does this mean you're not going to get an offer? Should you call to find out what's up. Or, should she just wait until after the weekend?
It is often tempting to think that upon completion of a good interview, the job search is over and done with. However, it may be worth holding off on calling it a day.
Your CV has successfully found its way to the top of the pile and you have been invited to come and meet your prospective employer. All you have to do now is get through the interview and you’ll be half-way to nailing the job you want.
But, as you walk through the door and see your interviewer for the first time, your jaw drops, your heart starts pounding and all sense of professionalism and composure disappears. You feel like a nervous teenager who has a crush on a teacher.
So what do you do when you fancy the person who has your career future in their hands? Do you chance your luck regardless of the outcome? Or do you place the object of your new-found desire into the realms of pipedream fantasy and focus on landing the job?
Part of preparing for a job interview is making sure you are going to come across as a good addition to their company. Appearances shouldn’t matter, but the plain fact is that you are often judged before you’ve even uttered a word.
Direct approaches (specifically phoning to check the dress code) or indirect approaches (standing outside the office a few days before your interview to check the people coming and going) are both valid ways of determining the general rules.
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but most of us do. There may be a classic novel lurking behind that garish sleeve, but we rarely take it off the shelf and open it to find out. It’s the same with interviews. If you turn up looking a mess or with a scowl on your face, you may as well have saved the bus fare.
