Chapter 8 - How’d It Go? (Evaluating Interview)

How was your performance? If you can answer this question you can anticipate and begin to prepare for the next step. The next step may be an offer, a follow up interview, or your interview with a different employer.

The first step to evaluating your performance is to be objective. Eliminate any emotions and anxiety. Often times when a candidate is immensely interested in a job they will feel so excited that they will not realize that they really weren’t the right fit. Other times a candidate that is feeling down about their job search will not realize that they just had a great interview. It is important that you try to evaluate “just the facts.”

When you leave the interview, but before you drive away, write down your first impressions. As soon as you get home, write down any other thoughts that came to you on your way home. Then evaluate. We have included some questions that can help get you started.

Interview Evaluation:

Were you on time or a few minutes early?
Yes is good, no is bad. If you were running late, how did you handle it.

How long did you have to wait before the interview started? Were you filling out an application during that time?
Hopefully, you did not wait long, indicating that the interviewer was ready to meet with you. If you did need to wait long, were you feeling impatient or did you use the time to further prepare yourself? You should not consider the time spent filling out an application as waiting time.

Was the interviewer rushed or focused on the interview?
If the interviewer was focused, that’s good. You kept their attention. If they were rushed, it’s not necessarily personal. How did you respond? Did you mimic and begin to feel rushed? Or did you use your time wisely to get your selling points across?

Did you feel confident and knowledgeable about the majority of your answers?
If you didn’t know ALL the answers, it’s o.k. Many times interviewers will keep asking increasingly harder questions as a means to get a good understanding of how much you know. Even if you didn’t know every answer, you may have made a good impression.

Did the interviewer offer selling information about the employer?
Many interviewers routinely offer selling information. The key is how enthusiastic were they?

Did you feel they were making an effort to convince you that is was a great place to work?

Did the interviewer answer your questions completely or at least offer to get the answers for you if they did not know right away?
If the interviewer was able and/or willing to answer your questions, that is a good indicator that you were asking relevant questions.

How long did the interview last? Was it longer or shorter than you expected?
A short interview is not necessarily a bad indicator; maybe you made an immediate good impression. A long interview is not necessarily a good indicator; maybe things kept getting off track. Be sure not to base your evaluation only on time spent.

Did you get a tour?
Again, this is a form of selling. For many interviewers it is a routine part of the interview. Evaluate the interviewer’s enthusiasm.

Who were you introduced to?
Were you introduced to senior management? That’s good. Were you introduced to your peers? That is better. Were you introduced to the HR manager to discuss benefits? That's Great! Managers need to meet you in order to make their decision, the more non- management people you meet, the closer you get to the top of the short list.

Did you interview with everyone you were scheduled to meet? Did you interview with anyone that wasn’t on the initial schedule?
If you did not get to meet someone that was on the schedule, were you invited back to meet with that person at a later date? Is that person an integral part of the decision making process? If so, and no one mentioned coming back, well… However, if you met with people who were not on the schedule, good job.

Did you develop a rapport with anyone you interviewed with?
Were you both comfortable with each other. Were you both engaged in the conversation? Did things remain professional?

Did the employer ask you about your salary expectations?
Good sign if they did. It means they are thinking of an offer. Was your answer within reason? If salary didn’t come up, don’t worry. That may be HR's department.

Did the employer ask for your references?
More importantly, when did they ask for your references? If they were requested for in the beginning of the interview or on the application, it may just be part of the employer’s process. If they were requested for at the end of interview, it could mean you have been added to the short list.

How did the interview end? Did you ask for the job?
This is a key indicator. Do you know what the next step is or did they leave you with a vague idea of when you may hear from them?

What Did You Learn About the Employer, the Position, and the People?
Now that you know how you performed, it is time to evaluate the employer’s performance. Unlike the previous section, this time you are allowed to let you emotions be involved. If you get and accept this position, you will need to work with these people for approximately 30% of your waking hours. You will need to depend on them to help you achieve your goals. You need to count on a paycheck to maintain your lifestyle.

Many times when a candidate has left an interview, their recruiter will ask, “If you receive an offer, are you willing to accept it?” Most candidates perceive this question as the recruiter trying to “close the deal.” Well, yeah, if it’s the right deal. You do not need the offer in your hand before you start considering whether or not it is the right opportunity for you. If the employer’s philosophy and atmosphere are in line with your ideas and you feel that you would enjoy working with and be motivated by your peers and managers, then you should know if you are willing to accept the offer. You should be able to draw a line that says, “If the offer comes in at least this much, I will accept.”

Thank You Notes
Whether the employer or position was a good fit or not, ALWAYS send thank you notes. If you know the employer will be making their decisions immediately, e-mail is an acceptable means to say thank you. However, many people under-estimate the personal touch that snail mail can offer. Make you thank your card brief, thank the interviewers (one for each person you met) and restate your interest if you are interested. If you are not interested in the employer or position simply say thank you, and cordially request to be withdrawn from consideration. (Be sure you really are not interested, because you may not be able to change your mind.) Once an employer knows you are not interested, they may be able to refer you to a position that is a much better fit.

What Did Your Background Check and References Reveal?

Did You Know that the Fair Credit Reporting Act Protects Your Rights During Reference Checks?

Many employment firms will check a candidate’s references for their client in order to determine eligibility for employment. The Act protects you by imposing certain requirements upon the person(s) providing reports on candidates to third parties.

For example:
1. Information obtained cannot be used for any other purpose than the one set forth.
2. Background checks should be made by a person who routinely performs such checks.
3. The candidate must consent before any background check is performed, orally or written.
4. You have right to know the nature and substance of the information. The source does not need to be disclosed.

Most employers do some type of background check. If you are working with money in any format, the employer can base their decisions on your credit report. Many employers routinely do criminal background and reference checks. Be sure you know what type of background check the employer is planning and know what type of information they are going to receive. If something is going to come up in the criminal report, let them know before it is a surprise. This gives you an opportunity to explain your side of the story. Provide multiple references. This way if one comes across negative, the employer will have a number of other references to compare it to. Again, you should have a good idea of what your references are going to say about you BEFORE you provide them to a potential employer.