Focus on What Happens After the Interview to Get the Job

If you’re like many of the people I coach, you put a lot of time and energy into preparing for (and worrying about) what might happen during a job interview.

You’re probably thinking about all of the potential questions your interviewer might ask — which could be about almost anything.

Preparing for anything can take a lot of time and cause a lot of stress.

What if I told you that you need to be spending a lot less time thinking about what might happen during your job interview and more time focused on what actually happens after your interview ends?

Hear me out.

The critical moments after an interview

Consider what happens right after an interview is over. You say “thank you,” and your interviewer tells you how nice it was to meet you. They say that they’ll be back in touch. You part ways.

What happens next?

At some point, you’ll sit down and write a nice thank you email — but let’s get back to that person who just interviewed you.

Immediately after the interview, or at some point later that day, your interviewer will likely be asked by a boss, a colleague, an HR rep, or a client: “So — what did you think about your interview with (insert your name here)?”

If the interview went poorly, or if you and your interviewer just didn’t connect (it happens to even the most qualified people), your interviewer may say something like: “I’m not sure it’s the best fit.” The conversation won’t go very far after that. There might be some follow-up, but everyone involved will probably shrug their shoulders and think, ‘better luck next time.’

Disappointing, especially for you, but it happens.

If the interview went well, then your interviewer might say: “You know, I think we should probably call (insert your name here) back.” The typical follow-up question is invariably going to be some version of ‘Why?’

Your interviewer's answer in this crucial moment sets the tone for the rest of your candidacy and could heavily influence your chances of getting the job.

Your interviewer has, at most, 20 to 30 seconds to say something that will justify their support for you as a candidate. How much can your interviewer actually say in 20 to 30 seconds?

Three things, maybe four, at the most?

Your interviewer has, at most, 20 to 30 seconds to say something that will justify their support for you as a candidate. How much can your interviewer actually say in 20 to 30 seconds? Three things, maybe four, at the most?

Your primary responsibility in a job interview

As you prepare for an interview, it should be your primary objective to figure out what you want your interviewer to say about you in the critical 20 to 30 seconds I described above.

Preparing to communicate and support those three or four things — or themes I like to call them — is a lot easier than preparing for… anything.

It’s also a lot less risky.

Without clear themes to put the stories you’re likely going to tell in context, you’re putting all of your faith in your interviewer’s ability to listen attentively, assign a relevant theme to your story and then make the connection to the requirements and challenges of the role you’re hoping to get.

That’s asking a lot.

In my experience, most people who conduct job interviews are not especially good at it. Unless they’re recruiters, of course. It’s their profession, after all. But even recruiters get tired and distracted. For non-recruiters, leading interviews is typically a necessary evil. Most people don’t enjoy conducting interviews very much, and they’re not especially skilled at getting the information they need.

To put it simply, they need your help.

You can make their life a little easier. And you can improve your chances of getting the job in the process.

Identifying your key interview themes

How do you pick the three of four key themes that will help convince your interviewer that you’re the best candidate, or at least one of the best candidates, for the job?

Your interviewer will likely need themes — think about them as talking points — from the following categories to feel comfortable making a case for you:

What is your motivation?

Your interviewer needs to understand how the job you’re currently interviewing for is a natural and sensible next step in the evolution of your career.

Consider the mission of the company, firm or organization you’re hoping to join. How are your personal mission and professional development aligned with the company’s mission and goals? Consider how you might be the ideal person to serve your potential new employer. If you’re hoping to join a healthtech company, it could make sense to build a theme around your commitment to improving health and wellness through the application of new technology. That's pretty basic, I know, but you could add a twist to make it authentically yours.

Be careful though not to make it all about you. I see a lot of people go wrong here. Rather than presenting themselves as potentially serving the mission of the company, they turn it around and talk about the company supporting them. I can guarantee you that the person making the hiring decision is primarily interested in finding someone who can further the mission of the company and not the other way around. If you ever catch yourself saying or writing anything approaching “this job would be an ideal next step for me”, then you’re headed down the wrong path. 

Promise me you won't do that.

Will you be able to meet the challenges of the role?

Your interviewer needs to feel confident that you’re the right person for the role and the challenges that it presents. Have you already overcome challenges similar to the ones you’re going to face in this new role? Do you have the right skills and experience?

For junior roles, which are more likely about a particular job function, you’ll probably want to focus on skills and specific experience. You can typically find the relevant skills and experience in the bullet points of a job description.

For more senior roles, which are likely about organizational leadership, it can be more effective to focus on professional challenges that you’ve overcome, similar to the ones you might face in the new role. These are often presented in the opening paragraph or two of a job description as opposed to appearing in the bullets.

Will you be a good fit?

Interviewers are almost always looking for ‘a good fit’ however that might be defined. Think about the hallmarks of your approach to getting work done and leadership. Based on your understanding of the company or organization you’re hoping to join, what about your approach and style would be the most compelling to them?

You can learn about the work culture of an organization by talking with current and former employees or even vendors. Ask people to tell you stories about recent projects and meetings they’ve been a part of. Draw your own conclusions and consider how your personal style and approach would be consistent with how the company or its teams get work done. And potentially consider how your approach might be a force for positive change if that’s what you think might be called for.

Supporting your key themes

Once you have your three or four talking points, or themes, in mind, you can then prepare to back them up with actual stories. From your interviewer’s perspective, your themes are just unsubstantiated claims until you share stories about actual experiences that support those themes.

And this is where the time savings comes in. Instead of combing through long lists of behavioral interview questions and trying to prepare for just about anything, you can focus your efforts on identifying and practicing stories that support your three or four key themes. After all, that’s what your interviewer needs — well-constructed stories that back up the themes they will use to justify their support of you as a candidate in the key 20 to 30 seconds sometime after your interview ends.

The trick will be making the connection between the behavioral questions you’ll likely be asked to the themes you want to communicate in your interview. I’ll be covering that in a future post.

In the meantime, I’d ask you to think about some of the recent interviews you’ve seen of politicians. How often do they manage to cover their pre-planned talking points no matter what questions they might be asked? It's often transparent and just a little eye-rolly, but there’s a lesson in it.

Conclusion

Make it easy for your interviewer to be your advocate in the recruiting process and save yourself time and stress in the process.

1. Determine the three or four themes your interviewer needs to know and believe about you in order to feel comfortable backing you as a candidate for the job.
2. Consider motivation, skills/challenges, and fit as a starting point for determining your themes.
3. Consider the stories you might share with your interviewer to back your themes up.

You know your story better than anyone else. Make sure your interviewer knows it too.