Having passed the application stage and sometimes even an aptitude test, getting to the interview stage is often a thing of joy for many job-seekers.
However, the period of waiting for feedback after the job interview can lead to fear for some candidates and thus become confused about the next outcome.
This limbo period following the interview is tough, and while some individuals may have a gut feeling and are confident, they may still be second-guessing how they actually performed.
Some start reflecting on the answers they gave, how they gave it and even the answers other candidates would have probably given too. All of these methods will only lead to having an unnecessary headache, which can be avoided by taking note of these signs as stated below.
How to know if You Nailed an Interview
Many job candidates find it difficult to evaluate their performance after the job interview. You may not be able to say if you would land the job after the interview, but you can tell whether or not you did well.
These twenty (20) signs will help you find out if you nailed your job interview.
Most organizations’ interview process is formal and follows an orderly process. Among the attributes in the process is that it’s scheduled and timed. Each candidate to be interviewed has a scheduledtime often with a maximum time frame. It becomes a positive sign when the interviewer takes more time than what was allocated or more time that is necessary in interviewing only one candidate. It’s seen as a good omen and probably means the interviewer took more interest in that individual and needed to ask more question to clarify some things or further confirm the candidate’s competence.
As said before, most interviews are formal and most HR personnel will want to go by the book alone, thereby focusing only on the prepared sets of questions. However, things become unusual if the interviewer decides to go outside the book and turn the ‘interview’ into what can be referred to as a chat (an informal conversation). Some will even go as far as asking some interview questions unrelated to the job position which can be referred to as ‘personal’ questions. If this happen, tendencies are that you already nailed the interview and those were just extra efforts put in by the interviewer to know you more before you are officially given an offer.
If you are asked when you can resume, then it’s more like you are being given an offer but they are using an informal sentence in expressing it. An interviewer will not ask you when you can resume if he or she doesn’t have prospects of employing you. They just see this question as probably the last factor to consider before you are finally given an offer. If you are asked this, then tendencies are that you did well and you will get an offer.
Some individuals make it a thing of duty to ask their interviewer for a contact – email or phone number so they can probably send a ‘thank you’ mail or get subsequent feedback from them informally. However, if an interviewer already knows that you performed poorly and you will not get the job, giving you his or her contact is just creating for him or herself an unnecessary ‘disturbance’ – as you will keep disturbing since you didn’t get the job. But if an interviewer takes step in giving you his or her number, mail or LinkedIn details, tendencies are that you did well.People find it easier to associate with successful people. Fact!
Most application process has only one interview stage except for few global or very competitive firms that take exemption to this. What that means is that, after the interview, the decision as to whom to give an offer is most time made. Sometimes however when interviewers are still skeptical about a candidate, instead of letting go of the candidate, they schedule for the person another interview. This means the person did well at first, but probably not exceptionally. So instead of sifting him or her along with the other candidates that are not taken, they give the candidate another chance to prove him or herself.
One sign that will give you an idea that you nailed the job interview is when the interviewer introduces you to other team members.
When an interviewer introduces you to other team members, it means:
a. The interviewer already sees you as a part of the team
b. The recruiter wants you to have an idea of what it feels like to work with other people on the team.
c. The recruiter is excited about you, and cannot wait for you to be a part of the team already.
d. The recruiter wants you to start getting used to the office environment.
Being introduced to other team members by the recruiter is generally a positive sign that you nailed the job interview. It also shows that the recruiter is pleased with your personality and can also see a match between what you wrote on your CV and your personality.
When this happens, always remember to remain polite and professional so you do not give the wrong impressions. (Remember that you have not gotten the job until you get an offer letter)
This is another sure sign that will help you know if you nailed the interview. The truth is; many times recruiters do not have much time to spend during the interview section because they have many job candidates to interview.
When you notice during your interview that the recruiter is taking time to give you details about the role and company, then you have nailed the interview.
A recruiter that is interested in you will be eager to give you all the information that you need to understand what it feels like to work with them.
When a recruiter is enthusiastic about you, then they would want to explain the details of the job to you so that you can decide if the job is a great fit for you.
When you notice during the interview that the recruiter is deliberately putting in the effort to convince you to accept the job, then you nailed the interview.
Most times, a recruiter will only try to market a job to you only if they feel that you are the best candidate for the role. If you appear as an A+ candidate during the interview, the recruiter may want to entice you by selling the job to you by:
a. Giving you information about perks and benefits that were not mentioned in the job description.
b. When the recruiter makes promises about salary increment after a few months on the job.
c. When the recruiter tells you about the company’s plans and how you fit into them.
It may not always follow these patterns, but when you generally notice that the recruiter is indirectly trying to make you see all the great things about the role and the company, then you did great.
A recruiter will not spend to time to convince you in considering the offer even when you have reservations if they do not see you as a great candidate.
According to statistics, job candidates are interested in working in a company that promises them a growth path. Employers and recruiters know that job candidates are interested in growing their careers.
So, when you notice that the recruiter is taking some time to walk you through your potential growth path in the company, then it is a sign that the recruiter is interested in you.
Sometimes, the recruiter may take the time to explain with specific timelines your potential career progression in the company. Once, the recruiter gives you this information, then you are almost sure that you have gotten the job.
Like I said earlier; recruiters do not like to spend time during the job interview. When you notice that the recruiter is taking more time than expected to find out more about you, then it is a sign.
The sign that you nailed your job interview becomes clearer when the recruiter takes some time to ask you questions about your achievements in your previous jobs or your skills.
When a recruiter asks you questions about your achievements, they are not just asking for the sake of it. They are asking because:
a. They want to understand how you achieved great results in your previous job.
b. They want to see how you can employ the same strategies that you used in your previous job in the current role.
c. The recruiter sees you as the best person for the role and wants to further find out if your achievements align with what the company intends to get.
When the recruiter makes you answer questions as regards your skills, then it is an indication that you are going to be considered for the role.
Even if these can be clear signs that you are going to ace the interview, be calm and polite when answering these questions, no matter how long it takes.
Most times when the recruiter asks about your availability for the role, it is a sign that you are close to landing the job. A recruiter will only ask if you are going to be available for the job when the recruiter already sees you as a potential employee.
So when the recruiter asks you; are you available to resume in a month?
This mostly means that the recruiter already sees you as a part of the company, and wants to be sure if you also want to be a part of the company. At this point, your response will determine whether or not you will be a part of the company.
When the recruiter asks you about other roles that you are considering, then you are a step closer to landing the jobs of your dreams.
If a recruiter sees you as a great addition to the team, then they may want to ask if you are considering other roles. They want to know if you are considering other roles so that they can weigh their chances on the competition and decide whether or not they should make you an offer before someone else does.
So, when a recruiter or an interviewer asks you these questions, then it means that they are interested in you and want to know how many others are interested too.
Sometimes, when a recruiter is enthusiastic about you and already sees you as a member of the team, then they may subtly address you as a team member.
These kinds of conversations can take different forms. For example, if the recruiter makes a statement like:
“When you join the marketing team and start working directly with John (the marketing head) you would understand some of the challenges and the unique solutions that we have developed to tackle them.”
When you notice that the recruiter makes this kind of statement, then you can almost be sure that you nailed the interview and you are a step closer to getting the job.
One of the ways that you can find out if you nailed the job interview is when the recruiter gives you specific details as regards the timeline for the next steps of the job interview.
It is no news that when a recruiter is not interested in a job candidate, the recruiter will subtly discharge the job candidate. Many recruiters will tell the job candidate that they will get back to them as regards the job.
The case is usually different when the recruiter is interested in you. When the recruiter is interested in you, the recruiter will let you know about the specific details and timelines as regards the next steps of the role.
You would likely hear statements like “You would get a call from HR in two days and a follow-up email. Please send us a confirmation email as soon as you get our call and email”
When the recruiter is interested in you, you would get specifics as regards the next steps in the recruitment process.
One of the ways that recruiters show their enthusiasm for a job candidate is by giving the job candidate a tour around the office.
When the recruiter gives you a tour around the office after your interview, then it is a sign that you nailed the interview. Most times, recruiters give job candidates a tour around the office when they want to impress the job candidate with the job.
Sometimes, recruiters give job candidates a tour around the office because they want them to have a feel of the work environment and the kind of people that they will be working with.
Recruiters only give job candidates that are a great fit a tour around the office. When you are given a tour around the office, ensure that you are cautious and professional.
Most times, an interested recruiter will enthusiastically explain the daily responsibilities of the role that you are looking to get.
Most times when a recruiter walks you through the daily responsibilities of the role and gives you all the details that you need to know how well you would function on the role. When the recruiters give you details about the responsibilities of the role like:
a. The manager that you would be working with.
b. The software that you need to perform the role.
c. Explains how your typical day will look like in your role, etc.
When the recruiter takes some time to help you grasp what you need to do the job, then rest assured that you are close to signing an offer letter.
A recruiters’ body language can sell them out during the job interview. From the recruiters’ mannerisms during the interview, you can tell if the recruiter is interested in the answers that you are giving.
To find out if you have nailed the job interview, you can simply look out for the recruiters’ positive affirmations and body language.
If the recruiter is smiling or making eye contact, then there is a high possibility that the recruiter is interested in what you are saying. This is the reason you should always make eye contact and positive affirmations like nodding during the interview even when the recruiter is not doing the same.
Smiling and nodding are not the only positive affirmations or body language. Different people express acceptance in a variety of ways like:
a. An employer/recruiter may make direct eye contact with you when they are actively listening to what you are saying.
b. A recruiters’ handshake can also show that they had a great time with you during the job interview.
c. Some recruiters may display a subtle frown/focus when they are interested in what they are saying.
As much as a recruiters’ body language can help you discover if you have nailed the interview, your body language can do the same. So, you have to be mindful about your body language too.
The discussion about the salary for a role usually come up at the end of the interview, most times at the second or third stage of the interview.
In some cases, the recruiter may prefer to discuss the salary for the role right before an offer is made or when an offer is made. So, when the recruiter starts the conversation about the salary for the role, then it means that you are a step away from signing a job offer.
The conversation about the salary for the role is a sign that you have nailed the job interview because;
a. most recruiters want to check out other hiring boxes before starting the salary conversation.
b. Many recruiters only want to have a salary conversation with only job candidates that they want to hire.
When the recruiter starts to tell you about the salary for the role, how you can earn more on the role, or the benefits that you get in addition to the salary. Then it may seem like you are a few steps away from landing the job.
Recruiters go forward to start meaningful conversations only with job candidates that they are looking to hire. Asides from the top 100 job interview questions and answers that you would likely be asked during the interview, the recruiter would want to make the job interview as short as possible.
When you notice during your interview that the recruiter is taking more time to share details with you like the challenges that the company is dealing with, competitors, and their plans to solve the problems.
When the recruiter starts to have this kind of conversation with you, then it means that the recruiter already sees you as a part of the team that is ready to bring innovations.
At the job interview stage, the recruiter is not sure about the particular job candidate he/she wants to hire. Usually, at this level, you would hear the recruiter use words like “if” that shows possibility since the recruiter is not sure at this stage.
When you notice that the recruiter starts to use words like “when” when addressing you, then it is a sign that you nailed the job interview. This is because when the recruiter uses a word like when it
means that they already see you as a part of their team even if you are yet to get an offer.
You would usually get more questions with “Ifs” during your job interview, but when your interview questions start to take a different tone like these:
If you get to be asked these questions during the job interview, then it shows that you have nailed the interview and impressed the recruiter.
Extra Sign
When the recruiter starts to ask you personal questions that do not quite fit into the regular job interview questions, then it may appear that you have nailed the job interview.
Job candidates often get bored when the recruiter starts to ask them personal questions, questions like:
Recruiters do not ask these personal questions for the fun of it. Most times, recruiters ask these questions because they want to be convinced by all means that you are the best person for the job.
Asking these personal questions also helps the recruiter find out if your values align with that of the company/organization.
Conclusion
As seen above, one can easily appraise his or herself and even predict whether to get an offer or rejection. If all or most of these become prevalent in your interview, then you can probably just take a seat, cross your legs, hold a cup of tea and just wait. Good luck!
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