WAITING GAME

How to survive the interview waiting game

BY: Tracey Mesken05/08/2019

​Have you ever felt like you totally nailed an interview? You prepared thoroughly, answered the questions well and the interviewer seemed to really be engaged with you. You leave the interview on top of the world, confident that tomorrow morning you will receive a phone call or an email. You wait all day but hear nothing.Three days later and you still haven’t heard, you are starting to wonder what is going on, did you, or didn’t you get the job? The waiting game seems like it is going on forever!A week later and you still haven’t heard. As each day comes and goes your mind is now consumed with questions and you can think of nothing else, what is taking so long? Did I say something wrong? Should I send another email? This inner state of turmoil you are experiencing is often referred to as job offer anxiety. While your mind struggles to find answers to all your questions your confidence is slowly disappearing, you begin to blame yourself for not getting the call back and are second guessing your skills and abilities.Many of us have experienced these feelings of anxiety while waiting to hear back after an interview, so what can we do to ease this inner turmoil? The tips below should help you to keep perspective and survive the post interview waiting game.Establish next stepsIt is always a good idea to establish the next steps of the process before you leave the interview. This can help give you a realistic idea on when you are likely to be contacted. Don’t be afraid to ask your interviewer when they will be contracting you or if you can contact them in a few days to follow up.Discuss and review with your recruiterIf you are working with a recruiter you may find a follow up discussion regarding the opportunity beneficial. Your recruiter will often know the client better then you and can help you sort through your thoughts on the interview in addition to an objective opinion based on their own experiences with the company. We do not recommend you call your recruiter every day for an update, they will call you as soon as there is news. This will usually be after an offer has been made to either yourself or another candidate.Continue your job searchWhile this may seem obvious, many of us become so focused on waiting to hear back from an interview that we forget what our goal was in the first place – get a job. Continuing your job hunt is a perfect way to distract yourself and take your mind off the interview call back, not to mention using your time wisely. Sitting around waiting for your perfect job to call you will not get you any closer to achieving your end goal. No matter what you were told in an interview, do not resign from your current job until you receive an offer in writing that is ideally signed by both parties.Review your ResumeA great way to boost your confidence and ease your anxiety is knowing that your resume is in top shape. Spend some time reviewing your resume and basic cover letter, remembering that each cover letter should be tailored to the job you are applying for. Passing your resume out to some friends is a great way to gain some valuable feedback and fresh ideas. You can also use this time to work on your interview answers. Think about all the experiences you have had where you have created a new process or solved a problem that an employer might want to hear about - these may or may not be industry specific, the goal is to highlight your strengths.Maintain PerspectiveYes time does feel like it is creeping along at a snail’s pace when you are playing the waiting game. However, while we might like to believe that the person responsible for making the decision to call us is focused solely on hiring a person for this job, reality is, this is often not the case. It is easy for us to forget that they will have other responsibilities and like in every job, have things unexpectedly pop up that requires their immediate attention. They are not deliberately making you wait, many of them would have experienced the same anxiety you are now feeling waiting to hear about a position Always remember silence is not an indication of anything, especially your chances of finding a job. Job searching for even the most talented people can take many months. Stays focused on all the positives and prepare yourself for any outcome. If you have done your very best and you are the perfect candidate for the job, you will receive the call.