How to Know If You Got the Job: 7 Signs Your Interview Didn’t Go Well

Recruiters: Are you giving off the right message?

Editor’s note: Recruiters: during an interview, you reveal a lot to candidates through your body language, your questions, and the time you spend with a potential employee. Below, we share a previously posted article on signs to candidates that an interview didn’t go well. Are you giving off the right messages? Why not chat beforehand, and avoid any confusion? Brazen offers recruiters and HR professionals the chance to have a timed, informed chat with candidates even before the interview process begins. We hope this will help you brush up on your interviewing technique to give valuable candidates the right impression.

7 Signs

The most difficult part of the job search? For many people, it’s the interview.

Interviews are designed to test applicants to see if they will be a good fit for the company. They’re necessary, but nerve-wracking. After an interview, you might spend several weeks waiting to find out if you’ll get a job offer.

But if you pay attention to a few details, you can probably already tell if you have shot at the job.

Knowing when an interview didn’t go well is just as important as feeling good when you know it went great. These indicators allow you to stop waiting anxiously; instead, you can continue your search without dwelling on whether that single interview will determine the next step in your career.

Not sure how to know if you got the job, or if the interview fell far from the bull’s eye? Check these seven indicators:

1.  The interview is cut short

Many companies will give you an estimate of how long to expect your interview to last. If it goes longer than planned, the interviewer is clearly interested in you and your qualifications.

But if it seems to run much shorter than you expected, the interviewer probably decided right away that you aren’t the right fit for the position.

2.  The interviewer seems distracted

If the interviewer appears distracted or uninterested in what you have to say, you may not have made a good impression. Instead of cutting your interview short, they’ve decided to stick it out — no matter how painful it becomes for both of you.

Keep in mind, though, that external factors — like illness or a stressful deadline — could prevent your interviewer from being truly attentive. Whatever the reason, it’s on you to continue to provide thoughtful answers to each interview question.

3.  You only get asked the easy questions

Don’t breathe a sigh of relief if you’re only faced with easy questions about your work experience.

So many people dread interviews because of tough questions that require you really to think — and think quickly. But if an interviewer is truly interested in you, they will pitch you the hard questions to try to learn more about you.

These tough questions are a trial for some of the most difficult situations on the job you’re hoping to get.

4.  They don’t try to sell you on the company or position

If a company likes what you have to offer and is truly interested in adding you to their roster, the interviewer will spend time during the interview trying to sell their company to you.

As much as you might want a job offer, the company wants to be sure the chosen candidate  will accept that offer. If there’s very little mentioned about upcoming business developments or company culture, chances are they’re not truly considering you for the position.

5.  They don’t ask when you can start working

If a company really wants to add you to its roster, the interviewer will ask when you’re available to start. Hiring a new employee involves a lot of paperwork and planning for the employee’s arrival.

If your interviewer doesn’t care when you can begin working for them, there is a good chance they don’t intend on hiring you at all.

6.  Salary isn’t brought up during the interview process

When a company is truly interested in you and they believes you will be a good fit, one of the first things they will want to find out is whether or not they can afford you.

If salary is not brought up, or if the interviewer doesn’t want to discuss your salary expectations, it could be a sign that your resume isn’t on the top of the pile.

7.  The interview ends without talking about the next steps in the process

Most companies require much more than just a single interview before you are hired. After that initial interview, most companies will want to schedule a follow up interview, or at least check your references.

If after your first interview there is no mention of what the next steps are, there is a good chance you aren’t getting the job.

All of the signs we have discussed can help you determine how well you did in your interview.  If all signs point to a bad interview, don’t despair. Bad interviews do not mean you are a bad candidate — just a bad fit for that position with that company.

Remember, interviews are designed to help both the company and you determine if the job is a good fit for both parties. If your interview avoids these pitfalls but you don’t receive an offer,  brush yourself off. Be thankful for the opportunity and keep searching until you find that perfect job.

Lisa Rangel is an executive resume writer and official LinkedIn moderator at  ChameleonResumes.com, a Forbes top-100 career website. Follow her on Facebook.