Thank you for taking the time to attend an interview with us.  I am sorry to inform you that, on this occasion, you have not been successful…

Here we go…

You didn’t get the job.

• Was it your first job interview ever and you panicked?
• Have you been out of work for a while and couldn’t handle the questioning?
• Have you not had an interview since you got your last job and are a bit rusty?
• Are you in full job seeking mode but someone else was better?

Doesn’t matter. 

Rejection can hit anyone.

Being rejected is hard but I’ve got 5 good reasons for you to stay positive after hearing the news.

First, let me tell you a story:

When I was on maternity leave, a job opportunity came up. I was ready for a step up so I applied, and got an interview. 

The day before my interview I felt as prepared as I could be. I had spent a week thinking hard about what questions I’d be asked and writing down well constructed examples.

On the big day, I sat in the interview room ready to open my notebook full of all the great answers I prepared.

But as soon as I was asked the first question, my brain froze! I realised I’d left my mojo at home (or in the delivery suite). 

I couldn’t remember any examples (or even that they were right in front of me in my book), could barely string a sentence together, half way through an answer forgot what the question was and to conclude I did a nervous over the top laugh… 

It was awful!

And it won’t come as a surprise when I tell you that I didn’t get the job…

But I didn’t beat myself up. 

Why?

Because I focused on the positives. 

When you interview for a job, regardless of how well you performed, you’ll go home thinking about all the stuff you should have said. 

You’ll spend the next week constantly checking your phone for your outcome and if a rejection email hits your inbox, you will feel like crap. 

It’s normal. 

But pick yourself up, you have 5 reasons to stay positive!

1. Be proud of yourself: You got out of your comfort zone and pushed yourself to go for it. This rejection means that you’re one step closer to getting your next job! 
2. Learn from it: Yes, the interview was a disaster, but you know what went wrong. Ask for feedback too. And use your insight to avoid making the same mistakes twice.
3. Don’t dwell on it: You know what you could have done better and what questions to expect next time. Instead of thinking about what you should have said, just write down ready for next time. 
4. This was just practice: And practice makes perfect. This job just wasn’t for you. Keep looking, your dream job awaits.
5. You’re worth it: Maybe you could have done better. Maybe there was someone stronger. Maybe the interviewer failed to see your worth. You haven’t been successful but you should never tell yourself that you’re not good enough! You WILL find the job you deserve. 

Remember that any interview experience, good or bad, is an opportunity for you to get even better.

So f*** it! Go for the job and give it your best shot.

If you don’t try you don’t get and if you don’t fail you don’t improve.

You’ve just had an interview and it went well.

Now you’ll be anxiously waiting to hear the news. 

But instead of just waiting, there’s something much more proactive you can do to show your interest and initiative. 

Follow up! 

Before I tell you all about when and how to reach out, I want to give you my 4 golden rules when following up after an interview:

• Don’t be a Ghost 👻 

Rule number 1 to follow up: follow up! 

I’m not saying they’ll forget about you if you don’t but a little message after an interview won’t hurt. 

It’s polite and it reminds them you’re the ideal candidate for the job. 

• Don’t be over-familiar 🤬 

I cant wait to work with u xx

Nope!

Ok, you’ve had a good feeling with the interviewer, doesn’t mean you’re mates.

Your message should be professional. 

Check your spelling and don’t use any familiar  language or emojis 😊 

• Don’t be creepy 😏 

Do you have an update? Any news yet? Have you made a decision? Why are you not answering? 

I said follow up, not harass them. 

Don’t turn into the psycho girlfriend who keeps over texting or calling every day until she gets a reply. 

Send your follow up message and patiently wait for your update.

• Don’t embarrass yourself 🥴 

I really love the job, I really need it and I don’t think I will be able to cope if I am rejected. This job is my life. 

Wow!! 

Please please don’t sound desperate and give your life story. 

If you get the job, it’s because you’re good, not because they took pity on you. 

Got it?

Now let me tell you when and how to follow up: 

The day after your interview 

Head to LinkedIn and send a connection request to everyone you’ve met in your interview, if you’re not already connected to the recruiter add them too.

Write them a short message to thank them and reiterate your interest. 

Good morning/afternoon {{Name}}, 

I wanted to send a little note to thank you for taking the time to {{meet with me/arrange an interview for me}} on {{Date}}.

I have really enjoyed meeting {{Interviewers’ Names}}. {{Projects you discussed / things the company is launching}} sounds great and I’d love to be a part of it. 

I hope I’ve convinced you that I would be an asset to {{Company}}. 

If there is anything you would like to discuss further with me, feel free to contact me on {{Phone Number}}. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

{{Your Name}}

Boom! 

Send this and wait patiently for your outcome. 

You did ask them during the interview when you’ll hear back, right?

If you didn’t, add this to your message above:

One thing we didn’t discuss when we met is your timeline. When can I expect to hear back with {{an outcome / the next steps}}?

Now you can wait…

The day after you should have heard back

They told you they’d get back to you and didn’t… 

They probably have a good reason: too busy,on holidays, haven’t made a decision yet, completely forgot about you…

You’re in your right to chase. 

For this one, go to the recruiter rather than the hiring manager. 

Hi {{Name}}, 

I attended an interview on {{Date}} with {{Interviewers’ Names}} for the role of {{Job Title}}. 

From our conversation, I understand that you were hoping to make a decision by {{Date}}.

Do you have any updates for me?

Thanks a lot, 

{{Your Name}}

Give it a few days…

A week after you should have heard back

Are they ignoring you or what? 

Time to get back to the top of the recruiter’s inbox. 

Hi {{Name}}, 

I just wanted to follow up on last week’s email. 

I was expecting to receive an outcome after my interview for the role of {{Job Title}} by {{Date}}.

Is there any news on my application?

Thanks a lot, 

{{Your Name}}

Now is also a good time to chase the interviewer again. 

Hi {{Name}}, 

Hope you are well. 

We met on {{Date}} to discuss the role of {{Job Title}}. I am getting in touch to find out if there are any updates on my application. 

I just want to reiterate my interest in joining {{Company}}, the role sounds like a great opportunity to {{solve their problem, work on an exciting project, etc.}}. 

If you need to contact me, I’m available on {{Phone Number}}. 

Looking forward to speaking to you. 

{{Your Name}}

That’s it. 

You’ve chased both the recruiter and the interviewer a couple of times. Now leave it. 

They’ll get back to you, or not, when they’re ready. 

Keep applying for other roles… 

And if they get back to you after you found another job, you’ll decide if they deserve you.

What do you expect from a telephone interview?

Phone interviews are a powerful screening tool for employers to make sure they only see great candidates when a CV is not enough to differentiate between them. 

It is part of the interview process and one of the best tips I can give you is to prepare it as you would do your homework for an interview. Research the company and review the job description to build a list of questions about what you don’t know or want to clarify during your telephone call. 

What’s good about screenings calls is that they’re a lot more informal than face to face interviews and you will usually be talking to a recruiter rather than the hiring manager. You don’t need to wait until the end of the call to ask your questions. Instead, engage in a two-way conversation where you both can find out if you are right for each other. Yes, you also need to use the telephone interview to screen the company by asking them killer questions. 

Asking great questions will not only help you decide if you want to continue with the process but will give you a competitive advantage on the other candidates. You will know a lot more about the job by the time you reach the face to face interview stage and will be able to ask even more epic questions! That’s what makes them so powerful.

Enough about how good phone interviews are… Here are my top tips to answer and ask killer questions during a phone screening:

The company: What do you know about us? 

You’ve done your research so tell them everything that you’ve learnt about your potential employer. The recruiter will also give you a bit more information about the business. Ask about anything you couldn’t find on the internet and they haven’t talked about already:

• What are the biggest opportunities for the company in the next 5 years?
• What are the biggest challenges the company is facing right now? 
• Who are your key competitors?
• Can you tell me more about the company culture?
• Can you give me more information about your services / products? 

The job: What is your understanding of the job? 

Here they want to know if you’ve grasped what the job is about. Again, the recruiter will fill in the gaps if you haven’t covered everything. When they’re done talking, ask them:

• Can you tell me more about how this job became available? Find out why they need someone. Are they recruiting because the last person in the job left or was promoted? Is it due to growth or because it was too much work for one person to do it alone? Is it part of a strategic change in the department? 
• What is the typical career path for someone in this role? Here you are asking about career progression in a more subtle way than ‘When can I be promoted?’
• Who does this job report to? Once you know, go and stalk them on LinkedIn to find out more about them.

The requirements: Can you talk me through your CV? 

They can also ask you specific questions about your work experience or qualifications. Needless to say that you need to only highlight what’s relevant to this role, remember that they have already read your resume (it’s probably right in front of them as you speak).. 

• How often will I use XX skill / method? What systems do you use? Etc. You can ask more technical questions but the likelihood is that the recruiter’s knowledge will be fairly limited. If they can’t answer, keep those specific questions for the face to face interview. If they can answer, great! Use this to build more questions for the next stage.
• Can you tell me more about the company’s induction process? What training will be provided? Find out how much they are going to invest in you when you start your job.

Wrap up: What is your current salary? Notice period? Do you have any holidays booked? When are you available for an interview? 

Those are all the deal breaker questions; if you give them a straight answer it might disqualify you so tread carefully and be as vague as possible. But it’s also your chance to ask for anything that is a deal breaker for you. If it’s one of your top priorities, don’t leave it until the offer stage to talk about it. You’ll be devastated if you have to decline the job because they can’t give you what’s important to you, plus you’ll have wasted precious time and energy.

• Can you talk me through the bonus structure? Especially important for commission-based roles where you are promised a six figure salary if you meet your targets.
• What is the likelihood of working flexible hours / part-time? If they don’t know, that’s fine. Ask them to find out and come back to you with their answer. You can then consider if it’s worth your time or not. 
• How much travel is involved? What is the company policy on working hours, working from home, taking work home? Work-life balance is important and you should understand what your life will be like if you take this job. 

• What is your timeline and what are the next steps? If they haven’t yet explained when you’ll hear back and what’s next, now is your time to ask. 
• Who will I meet for the next stage? Again, once you know, stalk stalk stalk!

Remember than interviews are like dates, you’re both here to decide if you’re right for each other before you commit. Don’t go hitting on the recruiter tho. You don’t want to be remembered as the candidate who epic failed her screening!

When job hunting, there are a few questions you can expect to be asked. In the top ten interview questions you’ll find the dreaded strength and weakness question and one that you might not expect: ‘Why do you want to leave your current job?’.

Don’t let the question throw you off and answer that it’s none of their business. Obviously you want to leave because something is not going well. If it was perfect you wouldn’t even be looking for something else. But don’t take it the wrong way, it is NOT an invitation to bitch about your job. It’s just a way for the recruiter to understand what motivates you. The real question they’re asking is ‘What are you looking for in your next role and why does this particular position attract you?’.

By being honest(ish) about your reason for leaving you won’t make the same mistake twice. And if they can’t handle your answer then they’re not the right place for you. 

To structure your answer use the ‘shit sandwich’ approach. 

• Positive: start by talking about what enjoy in your current job and what you’ve learnt
• Negative: to describe what you don’t like about your it, talk about what was missing / what you need to grow in your career
• Positive: finally, tell them how great their job is and what a good match it is for you

Here are some diplomatic answers you can give when asked ‘Why do you want to leave your job?’

My job is boring → During the past 5 years I have learnt a lot about [product / service / industry] and I am now looking for a more varied role. Your position would offer me the opportunity to expand those skills in a more challenging setting. 

I hate my company → Working in my department has been an enriching experience but I would now like to join an industry I am passionate about / a company whose mission and values strongly align with mine.

I don’t want to work so many hours → My role was really exciting and required a lot of personal commitment. For my next step in my career, I am looking for a change of pace and I know you are committed to your employees wellbeing and helping them achieve a good work-life balance. 

I can’t stand my boss → I have learnt a lot during my time in my company. I would now like a position where I can explore new ways of working and take more responsibilities / work independently / work closely with directors / or whatever your boss didn’t allow you to do.

I didn’t get a promotion → While I love working at my company, the opportunities to progress internally are limited. I am now looking for better career prospects and your position would allow me to grow my leadership skills.

This isn’t the job for me → My time at my company has been an invaluable experience but my real passion in this sector and this role does not exist in my current organisation. Your role is better matched to my long term career goals and would allow me to develop my skills.

I am not paid enough → I thoroughly enjoyed my job at my company and have consistently achieved my objectives every year. I have now reached a growth ceiling in my role and am now looking for a more challenging and rewarding position. 

You get the gist of it…