Record all that while you are still thinking about it and before you take any other interviews. This is also the time to record your impressions about all aspects of the job. For starters, ask yourself these questions:
What do you like or dislike about the job? Although you made your best efforts to gain as much information as possible during the interview, you may still not know whether your initial impressions would prove accurate if you were to try to learn more. Write down what you liked and disliked, but be aware that both the pros and the cons could change and try to check out your feelings as you gain further information.
What, in particular, would make you a good candidate? With an accurate assessment of the organization, the department, and the job, you should be able to gauge the attributes that you would be able to bring into the position. Were your interviewers especially interested in leadership skills? Which ones? Were they more interested in your accomplishments? On which achievements did they focus? Did they stress your skills as a team player? Which skills were most important? How did you feel about the physical facilities? You will be spending approximately one-quarter of your life in this environment. Will you be glad to come in every day? Is it where you want to spend your business life? Your surroundings must be comfortable if you expect to do your best work. For example, some people aren't cut out to function in an offices-without-walls environment. Others may not enjoy a private office if it is too small and confining.
Would you want to work here? What is your gut feeling? Setting aside your need for a job, if that is your situation, ask yourself that very question: "Would I really want to work here?" Listen carefully to the answer. It's your career.
What about the reporting and supervisory relationships? It is amazing how many candidates walk away from the first interview believing that they know enough about who reports to whom. On the job, many have found that they didn't ask enough questions or didn't ask the right ones. Your interviewer may not want to disclose privileged information, but you will need to know precisely who reports to whom and whether that reporting relationship is a solid line (clear-cut) or dotted line (latch- string) on the organizational chart. If it's latchstring, you may find that this individual, or someone else, has a different concept of the relationship. And it may not be to your benefit.
Are the people to your liking? You don't have to like everyone in the world, nor will everyone always like you. The real question is, can you get along with them? Again, you may need more input. This is where a second interview will work to your advantage. It will give you the opportunity to discover what you need to know about the people who will surround you.
What would Wilkins be like as a boss? Were you able to determine whether Wilkins is what you need in a boss? Will he be critical or never be around? Will he provide leadership, be supportive, set realistic goals and schedules, and enjoy working with you?
Will the job provide what you need to be successful? Perhaps, before your first interview, you gave little thought to what you might need in a job in order to feel successful. You may just have wanted a job, period. After one or two interviews, however, job seekers often begin to reflect on this more. It seems that, just as often, they try to stifle their thoughts about advancement because they may believe that such thinking would conflict with their first need: to become employed. Allow yourself to reflect on this: If the job won't fulfill your needs, the problem will come up sooner or later. Knowing where you want to go with your life helps set the course that will get you there.
What did you like or dislike about the interviewer? Did the interviewer have any particular characteristics that would be discomforting or annoying to you if you were to report to him? Here is a good time to consider such issues as smoking, drinking, language, attitudes, and viewpoints and opinions. Second interviews help candidates as well as employers in this area too.
When did you feel you were at your best in the interview? Was there a high point? A place where you were really all that you could be? What was that feeling? How did it come about? Can you get in touch with it again? Do so, if for no other reason than to fix positive interview experiences firmly in your mind. It will help you with mental rehearsals as you visualize transferring that success into future interviews.
How could you do better next time? Be kind to yourself here. There is no place for "could haves," "should haves,"' and "if onlys" in this evaluation. Simply address the areas where you did the best you could under the circumstances but where you would like to do better next time. These are the areas that you should specifically rehearse.
What do you think about the general tone of the organization? Tone is a difficult attribute to measure. Think of it as the way people treated one another. Did they smile and say hello to colleagues? Did they pause to exchange pleasantries, gestures, or acts of kindness? Or did they seem pressured, strained, and harried? Were they rude, antagonistic, or even hostile? In short, how can they be expected to treat the people with whom they come in contact?
What would your future be like in this organization? Perhaps the interviewer asked you where you see yourself in five or ten years. Ask yourself that question now. Do you know enough about the future of the organization, the department, or your future boss to know the answer? Don't assume anything. I have counseled executives whose companies have folded, whose departments have been downsized, whose jobs have been declared surplus, and whose bosses either broke or couldn't keep their pre-hiring promises.
Would this be a career position for you? More than another way to look at the same question, this one should start you thinking in more depth about where you are headed. Especially if you have had a spotty career record, you may want to start thinking now about whether accepting this position would merely lead you to more of what hasn't worked for you so far.
Do you know enough to make a prudent decision if the employer were to offer you the job? If not, what would you need to find out when you make the next contact with this employer? How could you learn more in the next interview with another organization?
What other reactions did you have? As you ponder these questions, write down any other reactions you may have had. Be as specific as you can, and resolve to check them out in a second interview if one becomes available, or before you accept an offer if the employer makes one.
