Follow-up of the job interview

A judicious analysis of the first interview, after it has happened, can help you draw important insights that will make you well prepared for the second interview. In the phase after the interview, it may be useful in certain circumstances, to contact the employer again or prepare for further rounds of the selection procedure. Being turned down can still lead to success.

Regardless of the outcome of your job interview, a self-critical scrutiny is useful to learn from the experience for the next one and, at the same time, to reflect whether the employer and the range of activities suit you. To analyse your interview we recommend the following points:

Analysis

The following questions may be helpful for reviewing your interview:

  • How was the discussion atmosphere? What effect did the interlocutor make on me?
  • Was my appearance appropriate for the employer and the sector?
  • How did I carry myself? Did I act genuine? What could I add or omit? Were there any contradictions?
  • How credible were my motivation and interest?
  • Was I sufficiently informed about the scope of duties and the employer?
  • What questions was I not prepared for?
  • Has the employer convinced me?
  • What is my impression of the corporate culture?
  • What new information did I gain?

Further enquiries

In a brief letter of thanks to your contact person you can renew your expression of interest for the job. In the United States, this form of thanking is customary; in Germany still rather unusual. In this way, you can once again emphasise that the interview was very stimulating for you and has encouraged you in your resolve to be active for this employer. If the employer does reply as expected, you can certainly ask for the status in your application process.

Other stages in the selection process

There may be several selection rounds to enable the employer to detect certain personality traits and skills of a candidate more precisely. They may be followed by, for example, by another interview, a group discussion, an assessment centre or a test. There are special workshops, individual coaching or training, to prepare for all these selection methods.

How to handle being turned down

There can be many reasons for being turned down after an interview. Out of fear for the consequences of the Equal Opportunities’ Act, many employers shy away from specifying concrete reasons. Therefore, they often formulate rejections in a deliberately neutral tone. You should consider an unsuccessful job interview as an important experience from which you can benefit for the next one. Moreover, it happens from time to time that a selected candidate does not take on the job or ends up proving unfit. You could then move up to the top of the list.