You’ve finely tuned your CV…written your covering letter… researched the recruiting company…booked the day off work to go to the interview…answered their interview questions and asked some of your own too. You’ve invested hours in this potential job already and now it’s over, you’re waiting to hear back from them and you’ve heard nothing yet.

So it’s going to go one of two ways, you’ve either got through the interview successfully and the journey continues with this company, or you haven’t and it’s the end of this particular avenue for you. Whatever the outcome is, given what you’ve put into this potential job already, it would be beneficial to get what you can from this experience and then mentally move on.

If you’ve succeeded in the interview, the recruiter will probably be keen to talk to you about what happens next. Do use this opportunity to get feedback as it may give you ideas about what aspects to focus on in the next interview or in the new role itself. Any developmental areas could be training opportunities, maybe even paid for by your new employer.

If you have been unsuccessful, it can be really hard to pick yourself off the floor and get on the phone to ask for feedback but DO IT! By asking for feedback, you can gain a valuable insight into your interview performance that you can learn from for your next interview. You could be made aware of something that is easily fixable for next time. It’s best to simply ask the company for some tips to help you for your next interview as this should get you constructive feedback rather than woolly statements that might make you feel better, but won’t actually be of much use. Some common pointers that candidates receive include:

• Being too reserved and not sounding excited and enthusiastic about the role
• Being slightly aggressive, rather than assertive
• Underplaying strengths and achievements
• Failing to read the room and establish some kind of relationship with everyone present.
• Not researching the company enough before the interview.

Take the feedback on board, thank the person who provided it and then move on.  Look forwards, not back.

We provide feedback to 100% of candidates who go to an interview arranged by Marc Daniels, because we know just how valuable it is. See our latest jobs.