How to Close a Job Interview: Make Sure the Ball is in Your Court
Picture this: you’ve just finished an interview for a job you’re infatuated with, you think it went really well and you’ve gone home in a great mood. You made sure to include all of the appropriate pleasantries when you left, shook the interviewers hand and nodded politely when they said “thank you for coming in, you should hear from us by the end of the week”. You do what you think you’re told and wait to hear from them.
Now, if you were going for a role in Admin, or Retail, this would perhaps be the correct protocol. However, this kind of role is worlds apart from a position in Recruitment. The appropriate way to tackle an interview depends heavily on the sector of the business you’re applying for, as well as the culture of the business. For example, if you were interviewing for a Trainee Recruitment Consultant role in an HR Recruitment firm, it is likely that the company will be on the calmer end of the spectrum, whereas an IT Recruitment firm may be more aggressive in their environment and recruitment style – of course, this is a generalisation, and by no means am I claiming that all IT Recruitment companies are savagely salesy, nor am I saying that all HR Recruitment businesses are soft.
Generally speaking, to be successful in Recruitment, and really any other sales-based role, you’ve got to be tenacious, ambitious and confident. These aren’t illustrated very well if you leave an interview sheepishly, or merely in a polite fashion. In recruitment, it is essential to close an interview, to not only leave a good sense of your personality behind, but also to get the ball rolling for the next stages. It is likely that the interview process will be 2 stages, if not more, so if you don’t make sure to close on the first one, you may not ever get a second one let alone a third, regardless of whether or not you have an excellent set of qualifications.
A key element when interviewing for any job, in any sector, to work within any business, is always to ask solid questions at the end. These are usually around the company’s vision and how you fit into it, what they expect of you, and what team dynamic you will be joining. These are all specific to you actually getting the role and are your opportunity to learn more about what you’re interviewing for. It is important to acknowledge that these questions do not equate to closing an interview, and should be thought of as the body of the interview and not the end.
How to close an interview:
- Ask about the next steps, such as when you should expect to hear back – if you ask for a specific date, they’re less likely to keep you hanging on if you’re unsuccessful. You also need to know whether you’ll be expected to come back once, twice or maybe even 3 more times.
- Make sure to express your interest in the role; don’t be coy or shy, if you are keen and interested on perusing that role, tell them! A good thing to say would be along the lines of “Thank you very much for your time today, I hope I have demonstrated to you my potential and how I would add value to your team. I am very keen on perusing this opportunity and I really look forward to hearing from you again soon”.
- It’s also good to ask whether or not there is anything the hiring manager would like you to provide, so they don’t have to dig for it further down the line. These could be work references, samples of work, background information or whatever else. It is quite unlikely they will need anything else from you, but it is a courtesy.
- Make sure you have their contact details, you need to know what number to ring or what address to email to get feedback if you haven’t heard back from them when you thought you would. This information is also good to have if you want to send a ‘thank you’ follow up email to further cement a good image in their mind.
Hopefully now you’re fully equipped to leave an interview with no doubts as to where you stand with the hiring manager. They will know that you definitely want the job, and you fully know the next steps in the hiring process! If you want any more tips about job searching, or are looking to get into recruitment, get in touch with one of us here at 5Q Consultancy – we connect graduates, sales-people and recruiting professionals with top tier enterprises in London and across England. You can catch any of our expert consultants on 0203 700 8483, or send over an email to caitlin@5-q.co.uk!
