3 Signs Your Interview Went Poorly

John Scott
Posted by in Career Advice •


Searching for a job can be challenging enough, but it's difficult when you didn't have a successful interview and you won't be called back. This is especially true when you went to the interview and everything seemed to go well. There are a few signs you can watch for that will indicate your job interview just didn't go well, though sometimes you may just have a gut feeling you weren't what the company was looking for

Preparing for an interview takes time for both you and the recruiter. You can usually expect a successful interview to last at least a half an hour, if not longer. If the recruiter has looked through your resume, seems bored, and begins reading off questions in a methodical way, it's probably safe to assume the interview is not going well. A successful interview will have an excellent flow of ideas and questions, and you may even go over the allotted interview time that was scheduled. If your interview is cut short because there is little to say, don't expect a call back. Instead, thank the person for the opportunity.

Another sign that your interviewer isn't into you is by mentioning there are many candidates applying for the same job. This may be true, but it can also be a way to help you from becoming too optimistic. If the interviewer mentions this fact once, it can just be a way to let you know you may not receive an immediately reply and you should wait a few days before you follow-up, but if the point is made continuously, it's a good indication you do not have what the company is looking for. If you are told you are not what the company is looking for, it is OK to ask what you could do to improve. This will help you when preparing for an interview in the future, and it will help ensure you have a successful interview the next time.

Once the interview is over and the next step in the process is unclear, it might be a sign your interviewer is not interested. When recruiters are serious about job applicants during a successful interview, they make the next step apparent. If nothing is mentioned at all, ask when the company is looking to fill the position and find out what you should do next. Ask when you can follow-up on the interview. Chances are, if the company is interested in you, you will hear back before you can make the follow-up call. Waiting to hear back is one thing that makes a job search daunting, but it's important to be patient.

Applying for a job is only the first step in the process in finding a position with a company. The importance in having a successful interview is in learning what your mistakes are and correcting them so that you can eventually find your dream job.

 

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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  • Lajoi Hale
    Lajoi Hale •
    I have had a phone interview and was called back for face to face interview overall I feel that it went good I was there longer than scheduled and before I left my last question I ask them so how did they feel the interview went she she liked the question and said after all people that interviewed me got together and made their decision they would email and to give them 2 weeks so I waitI like
  • Paula Bernard
    Paula Bernard •
    This post is enlighten, it is clear from reading this article, if this article is correct that my interview was successful. Thank you.
  • Gaetano Lardieri
    Gaetano Lardieri •
    Grammatical error.Paragraph 3 Line 5 should read immediate not immediately
  • GARY VAN ALSTINE
    GARY VAN ALSTINE •
    I think you are worthless
  • NINA NWAOBILO
    NINA NWAOBILO •
    I have a problem with Non-Profit Organizations that have Adult ESOL Programs under Adult Education putting their Position Ads for Adult ESL Teacher who is available to teach in the mornings, evenings, and weekends. When I send my Resume and receive either an either an email or a phone call to come for interview. They interviewers change the subject, which I think is sort of lying. "Oh we need people for evenings and weekends." If  the Non-Profit wanted the Adult ESL Teacher to teach during the day, why don't they just people put evenings and weekends? Are they putting the mornings on purpose to get more candidates to come to the interview. I have also heard some interviewers from some schools with Adult ESL programs say on the very first day of the interview, "Oh, we already have somebody for the morning, we need people for evenings? When I look straight to the face and eyes of the interviewer, I can tell that they are lying. Some give excuse that they are looking for a real Native speaker of English. When I say that I am a Native Speaker.  The responds is "You don't sound like a Native Speaker." My respond to that is I have lived abroad, when i speak to a group of people from different cultures, my accent changes. I am well qualified for the positions that I have been applying for and in some cases, more qualified than the interviewer. I feel that when I have somebody who is less qualified than me is interviewing me, they are trying to steal some ideas from the person that they are interviewing to add to their experience.

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