One of the most nerve-wracking parts of job hunting is the stretch of time after a job interview. We’ve all been there, and it’s tempting to just go home and sit in front of the TV or take a long nap — anything just to move on from the experience. But the hunt isn’t over yet, and following some crucial post-interview steps might just end up getting you that job! Here is what you need to do:
Write a post-interview assessment
If you know you did badly in an interview, the immediate reaction after exiting the building may be to attempt to forget all about it. Try your best to fight that urge and grab a pen and paper instead. Write down everything you can remember from the interview, like the questions you aced, those you didn’t quite answer right, and points you wish you could have raised.
In our previous article on the ‘3 Ways to Curb Your Post-Interview Anxiety’, we discussed how going over questions you had a hard time with can help you learn from your mistakes. Moreover, it will give you something to do while waiting for the outcome of the interview. These notes will definitely come in handy if you get called in for a second interview, or if you apply for other jobs.
Send a thank you note
Prepare a simple thank you note or email to send to your interviewer as soon as you can. In Special Counsel’s post on the art of the follow-up, they emphasize that a thank you note should be delivered within 24 hours of the interview. Any more than that and it may come off as awkward or as too much of an afterthought.
In your note, convey your appreciation formally and thank your interviewer for their time and consideration. Use your post-interview assessment as a guide to recall points in the conversation that you liked. You can then relate these to your continued interest in the position. For example, if you are applying as a guidance counselor and you learned from the interview that the school values compassion above all, include in your note how you value empathy and consideration and would love to work with like-minded people. This will not only reinforce your suitability for the position, but it will also keep your name in the interviewer’s mind. Keep it brief, but do avoid being presumptuous with sentences like, “I look forward to working with you.”
Call your references
If you haven’t already, reach out to your references after the interview. The importance of what they say to the recruiter cannot be underestimated. A survey by OfficeTeam reveals that 1 in 5 candidates are eliminated because of reference checks. Let your references know beforehand what the position is, and talk to them about qualities that you want them to emphasize or avoid if they get a call.
Follow up with the interviewer
In your post-interview assessment notes, include important details about when to expect the results, and if they will notify all candidates or only the successful ones. Refer back to this information when sending a follow-up email.
If you weren’t able to take note of these, CNBC recommends contacting your prospective employers two weeks after sending them a thank you note. Do make sure that your follow-up sounds more like a gentle nudge rather than a desperate request.
Perhaps the most important tip at the end of it all is to just relax. It can be unnerving to wait forever for the outcome, but it’s all part of the process of finding the right school or organization. Next time you’re gunning for a position, go into the interview with these steps in mind so that you don’t forget to pay attention to the tiny details that will be important post-interview. After these steps, reward yourself with a long walk with your dog or binge that TV show you’ve been putting off, and generally take time to unwind. When you’ve done everything on your end, the rest is out of your control, and all that’s left is to patiently wait. You got this!
We hope all of these tips were helpful to you! What else would you add to this list? Let us know!
And if you know someone who would use any advice during their job search, share this on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn! I’m sure your friends would appreciate it.
Since we’re on the topic of job hunting, if you need help finding your ideal non-teaching job in education we can help! You can browse through the roles on our education job board TrulyHired! Or you can complete a WorkMonger profile, where we’ll explore everything that makes you an awesome candidate: your experience, work personality, work ethic and work preferences. We know you’re more than a resume, and employers should know that too! We can help you communicate that message to them.
Until then, stand out and do good!
