Post-interview checklist

by Michael Cheary

And relax…

So after days of careful preparation, a few nervous hours and a few firm handshakes, that’s it: your interview is over. No matter how much research you put in prior to the big day, you’ve answered all their questions (even that particularly awkward one about the biscuit) and you can’t change them now. There’s nothing more you can do. Or is there?

How you follow-up after an interview can be just as important as the interview itself. To help make sure you do it the right way, here’s our comprehensive post-interview checklist:

1. Say thank you

First things first: as an interviewee, manners don’t cost a thing.

And whilst you might have thanked your interviewer for their time as you were saying your goodbyes, following up afterwards with a quick email to reinforce your kind regards will definitely win you brownie points. Especially as many candidates won’t have taken the initiative to do so themselves.

Never written one before? We’ve got you covered. With our interview email thank you template, you’ll have no excuse not to mind your manners and get your message across.

2. Follow-up

Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to hear specific feedback from every interview you attend.

There are usually a variety of reasons for this, such as recruiters with limited time who might be unable to respond to every applicant, or even a particularly drawn-out interview process that hasn’t reached its conclusion, for example. The hiring manager could have just gone on holiday.

However, no matter what their reason is, you should always aim to act on your initiative and get in touch yourself within a few weeks of your interview. If you asked what the next steps were when you last saw them, you should even have a decent idea of a deadline for you to do this by.

Even if you haven’t been successful, you’d be surprised how much you can find out by following-up. Little wonder then that 82% of recruiters think it reflects well on a candidate when they do.

3. Ask for feedback

Possibly the most important part of the post-interview process is asking for feedback.

Think of it this way: it might just be one thing you’re getting wrong, but if no-one tells you what went wrong, you’re unlikely to improve.

If you have been unsuccessful, your enquiry might be met with some unconstructive feedback, such as ‘you weren’t quite right for the role’ or ‘you’re not really what we’re looking for’, but don’t be dissuaded. Ask if there are any specific ways in which you can improve, or things you could have done different.

It might just be the thing that makes the difference next time around.

4. Be positive

Job seeking isn’t easy.

No matter how well you think you’ve done, or how polished you think your interview technique is, finding out you’ve been unsuccessful is always tough to take.

Try and be as positive as possible, smile and keep your head held high. Maintaining a positive mindset will be a great ally for every role you apply for moving forward, especially when it comes to interview time.

This confidence, coupled with the pointers you got when you followed-up after your interview, will only increase your chances of success even further.

5. Be persistent

Whatever happens at your interview, never give up.

One of the most important attributes every successful jobseeker has is resilience. If you haven’t done enough to get the job, learn from everything you’ve done, think of how you can improve and find a role that fits you just as well.

As a wise man once said ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down’. OK, so the wise man may have been Chumbawumba, but the point still stands.

And remember: you made it this far for a reason. Your application is along the right lines, and was enough for the recruiter to call in the first place. You just need a few tweaks at the interview stage, and all you’ll have left to worry about is how to impress on your first day.

Still searching for your perfect position? Have a look at all of our current vacancies now