Interviews can be harrowing, and it doesn’t matter whether you are switching your job for the second time in a year or you are fresh out of college, the trepidation that comes with interviews seems to never go away.
So, what are the important things that must be done before and after an interview? Here are our tips about what you should do:
- Arrive early, but don’t go in
You don’t want to ever get to an interview late, if you do, you have damaged your reputation as an eligible job seeker. Nothing also rock your mental foundation like rushing into an interview room straight from the cab. All of that rings only one bell, you have to get to interviews early. Super early is better than mightily late, you can always get a table at the café across the road from your interview venue. That way, you can step out precisely when you need to, which should be about ten minutes to your scheduled interview time. - Be friendly to all
When you step in, remember to be nice and friendly to everyone. Remember the receptionist that offers you a seat, the security guard and your other interviewees (if any)? It is more likely than not that the staff of the organization will be reporting back to the interviewers about how you fared in mannerism. You sure don’t want to score low in that. - Stay calm
There is that natural inclination to feel jumpy when you are getting closer to the big moment, the truth is you only feel nervous. You must never allow stress get to you, it will only cloud your mental process and inhibit your ability to think straight.
Now that you are done with the interview, the process of job-hunting is far from ending. There are still a number of processes to undertake after an interview.
- Take some notes
You can do this on your way home, as the memory of the experience will still be fresh, you will want to note how the atmosphere was, your assessment of how you fared, who raised which issue and other little details. Note that it is not a creative writing test, it is only an honest assessment and it can come in handy when following up on the interview. - Send a follow-up mail
This is where your little notes will come in for you, your mail should not be later than two days after the interview. As such, the memory of meeting you is still fresh with them too. You can use the avenue to ask other nagging questions that you still have, but note, that it is not a counter interview. Stay friendly and do not forget that the ultimate purpose of a follow up mail is to keep your name fresh in everyone’s memories.
A successful interview is a great milestone in the job search process, if you can ace the before and after techniques you are sure to land that dream job.
