Job Interviews: How Do I Know If I Did Well On My Job Interview?
If you're like most of us, the second you leave an interview room you're already trying to figure out how well you did on your job interview. It's natural to want to know if the interview went well or not – and whether there is any way to tell if the interviewer even liked you! So you start going over each and every thing that happened – what you or the interviewer said or did – looking for important clues to help you tell whether or not you did a good job.
Luckily, there are some positive interview signs that can help answer the burning question "Just how did my interview go?"
Clues that can help you tell how well you did in an interview
Body language
- What kind of body language was the interviewer showing? Was he or she leaning toward you and nodding frequently?
- Did the interviewer smile warmly or appreciatively when you were answering?
- Was there a good amount of active eye contact when either of you was speaking?
- Did the interviewer look at you more often than at his or her notes or watch or the interview room door?
Interview and question duration
- How long was the interview? Was the interview considerably longer than scheduled or did it feel like it could be? (Just know that sometimes the schedules are tight and even if they love you, they move on.)
- If the interview was short, did the interviewer apologize and suggest they may want to continue at a later time?
- Did the interviewer let you complete your answers rather than cutting you off? (Remember not to go on and on.)
- Did the interviewer follow up on some of your answers with interest, rather than going straight to the next question?
- When you asked your questions at the end, was the interviewer eager to answer fully rather than mentally walking you out the door? (You have to trust your gut on some of these.)
Future talk during the interview
- Did the interviewer use phrases that talked about you being in the job, such as "when you are here" rather than "if you are here"?
- Did the interviewer start to tell you about what it's like to work there, as opposed to what the job is?
- Did the interviewer say anything about scheduling a next visit?
- Was your availability to start the job discussed? How did they ask it, as if it's a question they ask everyone, or were they leaning in and really listening – and maybe even smiling – when you answered?
Other positive job interview cues
- Did you feel a sincere connection with the interviewer?
- Did the interviewer seem to respond warmly to your answers?
- Did the conversation flow well?
- Did the interviewer seem to relax and get friendlier as the interview went on?
- Did the interviewer seem to make an extra effort to get you to like the company and job?
- Did you get to meet potential team members and / or see where you would work?
- Did the interviewer add an unexpected interview with a potential team member or manager that same day? (Hint: a very good sign.)
Final thoughts about your interview
If the answer to most of these questions was "yes" … congratulations. You did well. And, although no guarantees, you have a pretty good chance of being called in for another interview. But even if you didn't get a lot of positive signs from your interviewer, it doesn't mean you didn't get the job. In the end, it all depends on the other candidates and what the hiring team decides to do after reviewing all the interview results.
Meanwhile, PLEASE KEEP LOOKING. Not only does it keep your momentum (and spirits) up, but you might just find yourself an even better job – and get more of those positive interview signs next time around. Good luck getting the job. Let us know how you did!
