10 Indicators of a Successful Interview

http://www.gulfjobsmarket.com/career-advice/10-indicators-of-a-successful-interview

When you have been for an interview you will probably have an idea whether you think it went well or not. Sometimes you might be too hung up on what you said wrong to remember all the things you said well. Although there is no way of knowing at this stage whether you are actually on the shortlist for the job there are a number of indicators that show that this may be the case.

The following ten indicators are all hopeful signs that you are getting the thumbs up:

1. If you have been asked to return for a second interview then you can take this is a positive indication that you impressed them this time around.

2. Have you been asked to confirm your references? If so this is a positive sign as they would be very unlikely to ask you for references unless they are going to check them out with the intention of offering you the job. Always provide relevant, constructive references and have them with you at the interview.

3. Can you take a few minutes to meet the other people in the office team? This is a very hopeful indication of success. The manager would not risk introducing you to his colleagues if he didn’t think you were suitable for the job be careful though as he will probably ask the team if they think you are suitable in later discussions.

4. How long before you could start? If the potential employer asks you how long it will be before you would be available to start then this is a very positive sign as he is already thinking in terms of when you could start work.

5. Your Salary Expectations: If an employer is seriously considering you he will want to know what you are expecting to earn. It is often good to counteract this question by asking your potential employer what is your standard rate? Then take it from there.  Have the answer to this question clearly thought out before the interview remembering that pay packets can on average start at a 20% lower rate than they did two years ago.

6. Try to read the Human Resource Representative: Pay close attention to the representative from the company’s Human Resource Department are they appearing happy and impressed or are they looking bored and restless? You can usually gauge from their reaction how the interview went.

7. Have you got any questions? If the interviewer seems happy and enthusiastic about answering your questions then this is a good indicator that they want to sell the company to you if however they feel the interview has not went well they may be brusque and brief with their answers.

8. Length of your interview: Typically the interviewer will have allocated a general time scale for each interview and if you find him wrapping up the interview before this then it is not generally a good sign. Alternatively if your interview goes over the average time length then this is normally a good indicator that you are seriously being considered.

9. Body language speaks louder than words: There are normally many non-verbal indicators of what the interviewer is thinking. Watch for note-taking, eye contact, head-nods or the amount of questions asked. Consequently if the interviewer doesn’t take any notes, avoids eye-contact, asks very vague, unspecific questions or starts looking at his watch these are not good signs.

10. How would you fit into the team? The manager will undoubtedly be wondering how you would fit into the team if he is seriously considering you. So if he asks questions about how you would cope in his specific team situation or starts describing the mechanisms of the team to you this can be a positive sign.

While the above indicators can mean you have impressed the employer it is impossible to know if you have definitely got the job from them as you never know who is going to walk in the door after you who may change the interviewers mind.