Sometimes you walk in cocky and so sure of yourself that you may wonder why you even need to interview for the job in the first place? Come on already you can’t be that good? It’s great to possess self-confidence and to be self-assured when you are handling the interview process so well, but how do you really know you are acing the interview or living up to a higher standard?
Here are five ways to know you are hitting it out of the park whether you ultimately get a job offer or not:
- Body Language: It’s always good to know your audience but do you know how to read them as well? Sizing up someone’s body language is key in knowing whether you are engaging or enraging your prospective boss. Does the interviewer seem relaxed, leaning back in his/her chair, feet up, remaining attentive? Or, is the person sitting across the desk, fidgeting, staring at the clock or looking outside a window, nervously tapping their feet looking like they want to fly out of the room at any given moment? Knowing whether you are setting a relaxing and calm tone in your meeting tells you this is someone who not only likes you but also doesn’t mind spending time speaking with you. This is a good sign so take it for all it is worth.
- Meet & Greet: When they start rolling out the red carpet or ask you back to meet the “family” it’s a good sign that you’ve done something to impress them in the first place. Not everyone gets to meet prospective co-workers or future staff members even on an initial interview. If they happen to say, “Hey let me see if so and so is around as I’d love for you to meet him/her,” you know you’ve done or said something that makes the interviewer think you’d be a “good fit” for the company.
- Checking Your Availability: Kind of like a first date, when they ask you for your number or availability over the course of the following days, weeks ahead, it’s usually a pretty good indication that they want you to be around for future follow-up meetings. Knowing your schedule ahead of time can help you plan for an upcoming meeting while you have their attention and sends the message that you are interested in coming back for more meetings as well.
- Le Grand Tour: It’s always nice to have in person meetings with folks but when the interviewer offers you a “tour” of their campus or offices, it’s a good sign they are seeing how well you’d “fit in”. Giving you a tour is a way to boast and sell other perks the company has to offer, but it also gives the interviewer a chance to uncover other information about, your work environment and preferences in a relaxed setting. Giving you the grand tour helps them visualize you in the physical setting as much as it is determining you as a cultural fit.
- When Will We Meet Again? When you are given a follow up appointment and are ENCOURAGED to call or write in the meantime with any follow-up questions or concerns, it’s a pretty good sign that they like you enough to want you back and to keep the lines of communication open. If they know you are interviewing elsewhere and have asked you to keep them informed on your status, that’s also a good way to know they are interested in you and may not want to lose you to the competition.
Understanding and learning how to read the subtle queues in gestures, communication and body language helps you know whether you are acing the interview or disgracing yourself in the process. If they like you and want you, they will call back, it’s that simple.
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