Pongo Resume

Alison Green's recent U.S. News & World Report blog post, 7 Signs Your Interview Went Well, got me thinking about how you can tell if your interview went well or badly. Too often, we sit waiting patiently at home for weeks after an interview, only to learn the company is not interested and actually never was interested to begin with.

While I applaud Alison's "7 Signs," I also know that interviewers can be masters of deception. Here are other ways of interpreting those signs:

1. The interviewer gives you a clear timeline.

Interviewers who give you a clear timeline are lying, but they don't realize they're lying at the time. They believe they're telling the truth, but things change and timelines are rarely kept. One example is Melissa G., a friend who interviewed for an accounting supervisor's position here in New England. On a Friday, the hiring manager told her to expect a call on Monday from HR with an offer. Monday came and went, so Melissa called the hiring manager Tuesday morning. When she got no response, she waited a day and called the HR manager, who was to have called on Monday. Melissa never got a call back from the company, never received an offer, and finally got a rejection letter in the mail two weeks later.

The moral of this story is: Don't believe any timeline given by the company. You know you did well on the interview when the company gives you a written, signed offer. Never stop interviewing until you start your new position. And after you start, keep your network active and your resume up-to-date. You never know when you'll need them next.

On a side note, almost every employee is an "employee at will." This means you can be released at any time, with or without cause. It also means you have the choice to leave anytime you like, with or without cause. Be prepared. It's your career and livelihood.

2. The interviewer asks about your timeline.

Interviewers, especially recruiters, ask this question to discern if other companies are interested in you. If you're in demand, then the interviewing company begins to believe that you must be talented because other companies want you.

When you're asked about your timeline, state the following: "Based on current activities, I plan to make a decision within 2 to 3 weeks, if not sooner." This is your plan, and no matter what your actual situation is, you now appear to be in demand.

3. The interviewer tries to sell the position or company to you.

Skilled interviewers are trained to spend a little time selling the company because every candidate knows at least 250 people. One of the best ways to improve a company's reputation is through the hiring process. Just because they sell you on the company doesn't mean they want to hire you. All it means is that they want you to have a positive experience so that you'll talk about it with your friends later. But if they don't hire you and give you the runaround like they did to Melissa, they could easily ruin their own reputation and there go 250 people who might have been interested in them.

4. The interviewer spends a lot of time answering your questions.

Unskilled interviewers are relieved when you ask questions because they don't have to think about what to ask you. If they don't ask detailed questions, they probably don't care enough to understand your talents. Or, more likely, they have no idea how to interview effectively. As I've stated before, most interviewers have no idea what they're doing. If you ever run into a skilled interviewer, rejoice.

5. The interview runs over the allotted time.

This simply means the interviewer needs training in time management or they're trying to waste time because they hate their job.

6. After you're done, the interviewer introduces you to others or shows you around the office.

This is a good indication that you're doing well in your interview. But remember that every person you meet has veto power over the hiring decision. So you must interview well with each and every person you meet, but don't read too much else into this.

7. Your references tell you that the employer called them.

This is also a good indicator that you did well in the interview. It also indicates you're either the candidate of choice or one of the finalists. But in some situations, it could mean the company is trying to recruit your references for the same or another position.

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To really know if your interview went well, ask the following three questions of every interviewer at the end of each meeting:

"What do you feel my strengths are for this position?"
This gets the interviewer to tell you what they understand about you and the value you bring to the position. Don't argue with them. Just agree and listen.

"What concerns do you have about my background?"
This reveals areas of perceived weakness. This is the most important information for you to gather because the perceived weaknesses are the issue that will eliminate you from further consideration. Respond to the interviewer by providing additional information about this dimension of your experience.

"How do you feel my style will fit with the rest of the team?"
This question communicates that you understand the importance of "fit" with the team. Fitting in with the team is often the most important thing. If you're qualified but you don't fit, you won't get hired. If you fit and are less qualified than another candidate, you'll get the offer. Fit almost always trumps qualifications.

Have you seen any of these signs in a job interview? Did you get the offer or not? Share your experiences with us.

Thank you, just in time. I am going on an interview today which sounds promising after speaking with 2 different indiv from the company. I am giving it to the Lord..

This analysis seems a little paranoid to me. I think that some of your points are valid, for example the effects of a poor interviewer can give false positives, but most people can spot that during the interview and will asign the appropriate weight to that factor. I am also in a post interview period after an internal interview. I have done the obligatory office snooping since the interview and found that my positive feelings from the interview were justified. This is not possible for external candidates, unless you have people on the inside, but I believe that Ms. Green's points hold true, much more so than the conspiracy theories that you seem to favor.

I went to a job interview with the owner of a food service company today.. my interview lasted nearly an hour and I highly doubt he wasted any of his time or his employees time on purpose by asking me questions. He asked many questions on his own and knew good questions to ask me.. I think you are a bit bitter about previous interviews..

Try this one. Had an interview all went well they were to contact me with the final salary offering when they talked to someone in high management where I previously was who gave me a less than flattering recommendation. A company where I spent 10 years giving it my best and due to the economy started downsizing.

The high management person gave information out that legally he should not have done and now I am left with no job. I know this happened as a person in high management at the interview told me this.

No recourse I guess.

Karma. That's your recourse. Sounds sheepish, but things all work out in the end. Good luck with everything Gail.

I think this is a good article. I've had numerous interviews in the past where I've been told that I did a really good job interviewing, given a company tour, went over the allocated time limit for the interview, and even my references contacted, and I STILL did not get those jobs.

I think the main problem is that many people still believe that the hiring process is a generic process, and I've learned that it's really not. At the end of the day, it's really up to the company and their decision on who they want on.

Why am I saying this?

Well I had an onsite interview yesterday, and even though I think I did a terrific job on both the onsite and initial phone screen, I do not think I will receive an offer.

This is nothing to do with negativity but experience.

This may be a far-fetched idea, but sometimes I think the hiring process is more about a representation of the company image. What I mean here is that if the individual is not a "representation of what the company is", then it's quite possible that he/she will not get hired on. Decisions like this are made by hiring managers as soon as the applicant walks in the door for the interview.

So I think the point I'm trying to make is that Companies decide on what jobs are right for us and those that are not.

I am an independent contractor working out of my home office as a lead generation specialist. I received an inquiry from a hiring VP in Boston who saw my resume on Resume Rabbit. I called him and we had a great conversation about my background, their goals, my salary requirements, hours available and general chit chat about the Boston area, the weather etc. We built good rapport. He said he would call me back by Monday and I never heard anything. I waited a week and sent him a 2 sentence email, which he read, and I received no response. I am a seasoned professional and find this behavior totally unacceptable. It takes 2 minutes to hit "reply" and respond. It's the decent thing to do and I am disgusted with these companies who expect employee loyalty. They just don't deserve it.

I have ran into Leslie's scenario time after time including finishing a second onsite interview. I realize that everything doesn't revolve around our specific timeline but it does speak volumes about the individual recruiter or hiring manager. Who knows maybe the company. On the flip side, I have had the distinct pleasure of the few companies that do respond. I think is all about keeping some humaness within the ATS process and that there are still people out there .....not just names. Even an automated courtesy tracking or your name with bi weekly updates!

Bottom line is that people want hope AND closure.

Best of Luck to all!

I think that people are too bitter about not getting a job they really hoped for when 9 times out of 10 there is a simple and respectable reason why you may not have gotten the job. The economy is horrible right now and yes, you may have rocked your interview but how many very qualified and personable candidates interviewed for the same position? Isn't it likely that there may have been 10 other candidates just like you that interviewed just as well and just got the lucky break. Stop trying to analyze why the interviewer is a bad person or if you got the job based on events you noticed in the interview and start honing your interviewing skills to make you stand out. If you got the job they will call, patience is a virtue after all.

I had an interview, 2 weeks later the HR called told me to bring personal information i filled out paper work did my background check, she checked my references and after that i will receive an offer. 1 week went by i called she said the the supervisor was on vacation, next week went by i called she said she still havent heard anything. next week went by i said is everythig ok she said yes it take time and then by that Friday i got a rejection letter. All she had to say was you wasn't selected. Why do people string you along like that? I missed out on so many opportunities but i waited on this one Company. never again i will ever put my eggs in one baskett.

I just had a job interview that lasted over an hour. I think it went pretty well. The interviewer seemed pleased with my answers and gave a genuine smile and said they will contact me by tomorrow if they want to continue things. I hope I get this :/

This is right on. I hate going to job interviews and really get uneasy. I'll be sure to keep all 7 signs in mind the next time I have an interview.

I believe the interviewing process after all, is mostly about to see if you can get along with them. If they think you are "in", then you will be hired. So many people get upset about not hearing from them. Sure, it is nice if the prospective employer call you within the time frame they provided to you. But many cases, they don't - I just think "if they are interested, they WILL contact me". In other words no contact, really is an answer itself. After trying one follow-up, I usually don't bother anymore. Definitely no more than twice. I tell myself "I got the message".

Yes, it is all well and good when we "get the message" after it seemed interviews one and two went well yet still nothing from the hiring manager. In our mind we say "move on to the next one," but in our gut, each rejection hurts just a little bit more. No wonder so people just give up looking for work.