Learning from job interviews

To improve on your interview performance, treat every job interview as a learning opportunity by reviewing your performance and getting useful interview feedback.

The learning process begins as soon as you get the call to invite you for an interview. Prepare yourself by anticipating commonly-asked questions and learning more about the company. Find out the nature of their business, their products or services, their organisational structure, the name of their key managers, and so forth. You can do this by browsing through their website or talking to friends who are currently working with the company.

Job interviews should be a two-way process. It is not just about the interviewer assessing your suitability. You should see it as an opportunity to assess the company and the position being offered. This will help you make an informed decision about joining the company if you are eventually offered the job.

Ask relevant questions during the interview, such as:

• What are your requirements for the ideal candidate for this job?
• How well do you see me fitting into this position?

Remember to raise these questions only towards the end of the interview. Otherwise, you will create the impression that you are assuming yourself to be the right candidate.

Always take note of all the job applications that you have sent out. If you think you might forget, make a list of the company names, the contact persons’ names and the positions that you applied for respectively. This will avoid embarrassing and awkward moments when your potential employers call you for the first or subsequent interviews. Avoid the situation where you have to ask the caller which position you have applied for within their company.

No matter how well you thought you performed as an interviewee, go through the interview session in your head. Be very honest with yourself in answering these questions: What went well and what didn’t? Did you develop a rapport with the interviewer? Did you link your answers to suitable examples of what you have done in the past? Did you highlight your strengths? Were you relaxed?

If you do not hear any news regarding the interview with your potential employer, you could make follow-up calls. This will show that you are very keen in the job. However, do not call too often as this will be a turn off to busy hiring managers.