The economy is slowly opening up and many employers are starting to get their businesses out of lockdown hibernation. At Moneybox, we’ve been lucky enough to continue our growth during 2020 and we’re now glad to see many more of our fellow companies getting back to their pre-pandemic hiring ways. So we thought it was timely to post our final article in our series on interview tips. You can take a refresher with our blog posts – Part 1: Interview prep and Part 2: During the interview.
We all know how much first impressions count, but what you do after an interview may help strengthen that first interaction- or fix some mistakes if any were made!
The interview prep (and the actual interview) has probably taken it out of you. While you may feel like you’re now leaving your fate in the hands of others with nothing to do but wait, there are several ways you can improve your chances of getting that role, as well as to preparing yourself for future interviews…
1. Be aware of next steps: Hopefully the interviewers will let you know about next steps without you asking, but if they don’t it is perfectly acceptable to ask what will happen next and when – either before you leave an interview or on a follow up email. It could also be a part of the thank you note below – but in either case, you will know when to expect an outcome.
2. Write a thank you note: Sadly, one thing that a lot of people don’t always do nowadays is following up with a ‘thank you’ email. It’s not too eager, it’s simply polite. It’s a great way to show the interviewers and hiring managers that you value their time and that you enjoyed meeting them, as well as reiterate your interest in the company and role. Remind them why you are the right person for the role and make it as personalised as you can – and it will go a long way.
3. Do a self-evaluation: Think back to how you performed during the interview. Were there any questions you didn’t quite know how to answer? Did the interviewer need to ask a lot of follow up questions? Did you highlight all your strengths and were you honest about your weaknesses? Reflecting on your performance after you had an interview is a great way to prepare for the future, and to put your mind at ease during the waiting period.
4. Connect on LinkedIn: Following up with a connection request after meeting someone face-to-face (or virtually) in a professional setting is the number one way to grow your network, and it also shows that you value the interaction you have just had.
5. Keep interviewing: Sometimes things just don’t work out – maybe there were candidates who were better aligned with the role requirements, maybe the role isn’t exactly what you wanted, or maybe the company couldn’t offer the progression you were after. Whatever the reason, keep your options open and continue interviewing and applying for roles. Best case scenario, you will have a variety of offers to choose from!
After an interview, it may take a little while to hear back, and that is not necessarily because you were not successful. Maybe hiring priorities have shifted, perhaps there are other interviewees. It may also just be a simple case of admin for the Talent team to get an approval for an offer. However, if the agreed deadline passes by and you still haven’t heard back from the company, you should get back in touch with them and politely ask if there was an update after your interview – it can’t hurt and hopefully it will prompt an update.
We wish you the best with your job hunting endeavours and hope that our tips were helpful – happy interviewing!