Learn From Every Interview

29 February 2024

People have all sorts of post interview reactions and no two people leave an interview the same way.

For some there is a huge feeling of relief, sometimes there is excitement and optimism, and for others they get stuck in self-doubt and rumination of what they should or could have done.

While there is no right way to be after an interview (or any other high stakes situation) taking time to pause and proactively reflect is an important step, not just for doing better in subsequent interviews, but also for developing deeper self-awareness and confidence in yourself.

The following are useful questions to help you learn from and move on from a job interview:

• What did I do well in the interview and what do I want to acknowledge myself for?
• What things did I do in preparation that I am proud of having done?
• The question I answered best was:
• If there were one piece of advice I would give others preparing for a similar interview what would it be?
• Next time I participate in an interview I will be more courageous in the following area:
• What am I holding onto from the interview that is not useful to hold onto? 
• What small thing could I do in future interviews to either prepare myself better, establish rapport with the interviewer(s), handle nervousness or stress, present my strengths, or recover from challenging or unexpected questions?
• Am I telling myself a ‘story’ about the interview that isn’t true or helpful?
• One thing I could have done that would have enhanced my interview performance would have been:...

Reflection is just the first step, the next is to take action on what you learn.  At a minimum schedule your reflection to come back to you at a date in the future where you can track and see the progress you have made.

As always, wishing you a flourishing career.

Katherine