Job Interviews: 10 Impressions You Leave Behind After an Interview

You work so hard preparing for your job interview – if you’re lucky enough to even get an interview in the first place. Then finally the big interview day arrives – you do your best to make a good impression and before you know it, your job interview is over! And there you are… stuck in the old waiting game wondering what are your chances of getting a second interview and no idea what kind of impression you left behind.

Did I do as well as I could have? Did I make a good impression? Could I have answered my interview questions better? What are they really thinking about me now that the interview is over?

Well…I can’t speak for everyone, but for me a job interview is kind of like tasting fine wine…there’s the initial impression, the way it tastes while drinking, and the feeling you’re left with afterward. And it’s that very feeling that can make all the difference as to whether you actually buy the wine…er…get the next interview and eventually the job.  Too bold?  Too acidy? Not yet mature? Too mild-mannered?  Too complex? Not complex enough? Not memorable at all? Or is it just the right blend of characteristics?

More Ways a Job Interview is Like Tasting Wine

Following up on my analogy, I found this excerpt about wine-tasting on Wikipedia.  Hah! With some obvious differences, it kind of fits after all – especially the second part, which almost reads like job interview tips!

The results of the four recognized stages to wine tasting:

• appearance
• “in glass” the aroma of the wine
• “in mouth” sensations
• “finish” (aftertaste)

– are combined in order to establish the following properties of a wine:

• complexity and character
• potential (suitability for aging or drinking)
• possible faults

Complexity. Character. Potential (for the company). And possible faults. All possible things an interviewer looks for. I couldn’t have written that better myself!

What kind of job interview impression do you leave behind?

In thinking about people I’ve interviewed and helped hire over the years, certain things about the candidates stayed with us after the job interview and, in the end, these “aftertastes” strongly influenced whom we hired. Based on that, I put together a list of things you might want to remember that will help determine the kind of impression you leave:

Do you have good energy? That means good physical energy as well as conveying a positive way of looking at things/approaching problems.

Were you present in the interview or always thinking ahead? Be present. Trust yourself.

What was your body language like? Did you sit up straight, meet my eyes when you spoke, and show confidence in who you are and what you have to offer (with a minimal squirminess factor)?

Did you answer my job interview questions? It’s ok to steer your interview answers toward things you really want to talk about to show the kind of employee you’ll be, but don’t forget to answer what was asked and not stray too far afield!

Do I have a sense of who you are and how you’d be to work with? All else being equal, most employers basically want to hire someone pleasant to work with – someone who will pitch in without being asked  & look for solutions rather than merely pointing out problems or causing new ones.

Do I feel I can trust you? People think they need to lie in job interviews to get hired. Sometimes it works – although most of the time not for long. But if you just do your best to be yourself and answer truthfully, you have a better chance of leaving that all-important after interview impression of being trustworthy.

Are you flexible? I’ve interviewed folks who make it clear they have one way of doing things and don’t like change. The one thing you can count on in the workplace is change and new challenges. Be open to learning and growth. Mostly just be open.

Are you a resourceful self-starter? Are you able to find solutions and suggest new projects or ways to improve things -  and not just waiting for someone to tell you what to do?

Are you likable? Already alluded to above, but so important to the whole job interview process it deserves its own section. You have to be someone people actually want to work with. Hint: Know-it-alls and people who are full of themselves (to try to prove how good they are) are not likable.

Did you leave me with some interesting stories that showed real-life work examples of things you accomplished or problems you solved? A good strong story can have a positive long-lasting aftertaste.

Now I can’t tell you how to make all that happen in your interview. That’s up to you. And I can’t promise you if you follow each and every one of my job interview tips, you’ll get the job. There still has to be a good match.

But while you’re worrying about how to always give the absolutely positively fabulously perfect job interview answers to all job interview questions (no such thing, by the way), I want you to also remember this:  after an interview, what is left behind is a whole-picture impression greater than the sum of your individual job interview questions and answers.  And the more you can relax and be yourself in the interview, the more the sum will be greater than the parts.

Some final job interview success tips for acing your interview

So with all that in mind, I want to leave you with a few final suggestions that summarize what you can do to help yourself give the best interview possible:

• Be yourself and not some idea of who you’re supposed to be
• Keep your job interview answers focused and positive
• Show where you’ve made things happen in the past that benefited your employers
• Sit up and make good eye contact with all the interviewers
• Listen carefully and answer the actual job interview questions you’ve been asked
• Relax as best you can. (Try thinking of it as simply a good business meeting with colleagues you like and respect.)
• Leave with a  smile, a handshake, and the same good energy you showed all along.  It’s the last impression they have of you, so make it a positive one!

Good luck!

What impression do you leave after the interview? Do you focus too much on the details of the job interview questions and answers and miss the bigger picture? Do you have any job interview tips you’d like to share?

Some Posts Related to Job Interview Success Tips: 10 Impressions You Leave Behind After an Interview:

What the Heck Goes on Behind the Scenes After a Job Interview?

After the Interview: Why Haven’t They Called Me Yet?

18 Practical Job Interview Tips to Help You Ace that Interview

Stuck in the Waiting Game After 2nd Job Interview

The Single Most Important Thing in Any Job Interview

BONUS REMINDER:  Never threaten to punch someone in the nose during an interview!

Why “Punch Him in the Nose” Is NOT a Good Job Interview Answer