The following is an excerpt from our guide "Master Your Next Interview: Your Complete Guide"

The interview is over, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to relax just yet. This section will recommend a few steps you should take post-interview to maximize your job search success.

Reflect

Take time to jot down notes and think about how the interview went. This will help you write up your thank you note/s and prepare for potential follow-up interviews. Think about questions you may not have answered as well as you should have and what information was left out. If you were interviewing with multiple people, you may also find it useful to jot down with whom specific things were discussed. Some questions you can ask yourself as you reflect include:

• How well did you present yourself and your brand message?
• What important information was provided about the company and the role?
• What role does each person with whom you interviewed have in the hiring process?
• What were the agreed-upon next steps?
• What do you believe you have to offer that your competition doesn’t?
• What problems does the interviewer have and what solutions will you recommend?

Follow Up Promptly

Send a personal thank you email the day after the interview to each person with whom you interviewed. In that email, thank them for their time, mention a detail or two from your conversation, reiterate your interest in the role and company, and end the email by emphasizing your skills and competencies and the need they will fill at the company. If necessary, you can also clarify something you didn’t answer completely during the interview. If further interviews or follow-up projects are requested, make sure you arrive or submit the requested deliverables on time and as instructed. Candidates who cannot keep up with the process will be taken out of the running.

Leverage Your Network

After an interview, you should connect with those in your network who helped you find this opportunity and update them on how it’s going. They may be able to provide additional advice or insights into the company hiring process. You could also reach out to anyone you know who might have a connection with someone at the hiring organization to see if they could provide a reference. You’ll also want to make sure your references are prepared in case the hiring company or search consultant requests a reference list.

Follow Up

If the interviewer or search consultant doesn’t get back to you by the time specified during your interview, then follow up. Hiring often takes longer than expected, but following up every so often will remind the search consultant and hiring executives that you are still interested. For example, you can say: “I am following up to see if you have everything you need from me to assist in your decision making since you mentioned that the second round of interviews would begin this week.” 

Accept Rejection Gracefully

If you’re not chosen for the role, send a thank you email to the search consultant and hiring executives reiterating your appreciation for being considered. This can set you apart from other top candidates and keep you in mind should a future position open up. In addition, be sure to stay connected with the search consultants with whom you worked during the interview process. Doing so will keep you fresh on their mind should similar searches come up at other organizations

Prepare Now For The Best Results

Interviews can be intimidating, even for the most experienced executives. Like with any major career step, the key to a successful interview is preparation. Recruiters and hiring managers are looking to see if you have the ability, skill, and fit to succeed in the role at their organization.

“Our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

~ M. Scott Peck

Download the full guide "Master Your Next Interview: Your Complete Guide"