Sometimes people still hope where they shouldn't. And it is OK to hope for something and continue working on new opportunities, but when job seekers wait for a call from a hiring authority for a month after the interview. Many people ask how can one tell if the interview meeting was successful enough to get hired? Well, there are several signs that can indicate that it went not very well and most likely you didn't get the job. If you haven't noticed any of the signs mentioned below you can hope for the better...
1. You didn't do your homework. If you weren't well prepared for the interview then you will likely fail. Without researching and analyzing relevant information about the opening, requirements, and company values you won't be able to demonstrate your desire to work in the company. Most candidates are rejected because of ill-prepared answers which clearly indicate that they are not prepared for the interview. The thing is when you take time to research and analyze position information hiring authorities will notice it. It will mean that a candidate cared enough to invest time and efforts to get hired.
2. Met with fewer people. If you were supposed to meet with three or more people to complete your interview but met with just one or two - that's a bad sign. Chances are that you will unlikely hear back anything from the hiring manager.
3. You were late. It is always better to plan to arrive 10-15 mins before the arranged time. Showing up late for the interview is considered a red flag to any interviewing authority that you are not the most responsible candidate. It is disrespectful in a way too...
4. Distracted and lukewarm interviewer. If you are of any interest to the interviewer (therefore, for the company), he/she won't be checking email or looking at the watch every 5 mins. If you notice anything like this it means you have to "turn the interview upside down" to generate the interest of a hiring manager, because if you don't do this someone else will take up the spot. Also, if an interviewer looks lukewarm and doesn't smile either during or after the meeting, avoids regular eye contact it means that you are missing your chance to get the job.
5. "Overqualified" and "Looking at more candidates". If you are told that you are overqualified that means that interviewing authorities don't believe that you are the right person for the job. All you can do in this case is reiterate your interest in the position and ask whether there are other roles you will be a good match for. That obviously doesn't give you any guarantees, but that is something you can try. If they told you that they Were still Looking at other candidates is another way of saying "Sorry, we don't think we want to hire you". If a hiring manager will be interested in your candidacy, he/she won't hesitate to express the interest and intention right at that moment.
