Was your interview a disaster?
Interviews are very tricky things, you have at most one hour to impress, prove you can do the job you’ve applied for and get the person who is interviewing you to like you enough to offer you a job. None of us like to admit we have messed up, but here are some tips that will tell you that you are not going to get a job offer:
You weren’t in the interview long
Your interview should last for over 30 minutes at least. If it was shorter than this, it could be sign that it didn’t go as well as expected. First impressions count so make sure you impress from the onset.
You weren’t told much as the job
If an interviewer is interested in you they will tell you as much about the job as possible. They will enthusiastically sell their vacancy to you in order to get you to want their job. If you weren’t told much they probably didn’t think you were right for the role.
You were told lots of negative things about the job
If someone who interviews you goes on and on about the negative aspects of a role, like long working hours or boring work duties, there is a chance they are trying to put you off the job and there is only one reason they are doing this – they don’t want you!
The interviewer didn’t have engaging body language
Verbal and non verbal clues can tell you if the person who is interviewing you is interested in you. If they are smiling and making eye contact it usually means they like you. If they are poker faced and seem uninterested in you – then you haven’t got a chance.
You felt rushed
If an interviewer takes their time speaking to you, this generally is a sign they like you. If you feel rushed through the interview and you are cut short when communicating with them, then most likely you didn’t gel with the interviewer and are not the right fit.
You were not asked about your availability
In a good interview you will generally be asked when you would be able to start the job if you were offered it. Generally if this question is not asked then it is unlikely you will get the job.
You weren’t asked follow up questions
After you have provided answers to questions asked in an interview the interested interviewer will usually ask you to elaborate on your answers or ask you additional questions. Someone who is not interested in you will want you out of the door as quickly as possible.
The interviewer repeatedly reads your CV
When an interviewer keeps checking or reading your CV during an interview there is only one explanation. Frankly they are checking what you have put on your CV because you in person do not match up with the skills and experience shown there. In other words they feel let down by you.
The interviewer talks about other candidates
The person interviewing you may realize during the interview that other candidates they’ve seen could be better for the job. Someone with not a lot of tact may tell you that you lack the experience that other candidates they have interviewed possess. You don’t stand a chance in this situation.
You are not asked any questions
Interested interviewers will ask in-depth questions about your skills and experience in order to try to align them with the job they have available. If you are not asked any questions then it’s because frankly they are not interested in you.
So, to summarize if you look back at interviews you’ve had where you have not been offered the role, it is fairly easily to see why. Consider what you learned from an interview that went badly and use this knowledge to do better next time.
Good luck