Important questions to ask yourself after an interview

Head to any search engine and there is a plethora of articles and videos surrounding what questions you should ask your interview depending on your niche and interview type. However, we found very little information that dealt with self-reflection post interview.

Asking yourself the questions in this article after each interview, regardless of the stage will help you analyse the current opportunity against others or your current role in more granular detail. This will help you pivot your search, cancel processes or continue with the ones that you feel are most accurate for your personal career plans.

It is far better to stop a process early on when you don’t feel it is a match giving you more focus on others that are. I would recommend leaving it at least an evening for the interview information to sink in and the initial excitement to wear off before tackling these questions, that way you can answer them from a place of neutrality, it is best to be all in than not sure.

Do I want to do this type of role?

Consider here the responsibilities on offer and the actual day to day tasks within this role. You might be considering a step-up, step-down or to the side depending on your personal situation and with each of these might come a slight change in your working role, be fully behind what would be expected of you.

Anything than a resounding yes here might mean you are focusing on the wrong types of roles and should re-consider what you really want from your next move.

Can I see myself in this project?

Here firstly focus on the project at hand, is it green-field or maintenance, maybe it is legacy or a re-write in a new language.

Each opportunity will present different challenges within the project they present you, the key element here is if you could see yourself working happily on what they are specifically doing,

You might also want to consider future projects within the company if they explained why the current project is set-up to help with future.

If you are not excited about the current or future work they are doing, time to focus on something new.

Can I see myself working with that specific team?

This is such a key element, but it doesn’t need to be just your immediate team. You might be considering a brand-new start-up and as a result could be the first technical hire they are making. Therefore, factor in the team at large (CEO etc.) as well as your immediate team.

Are they the type of individuals you could trust, learn from and grow with?

A team is so important to your development and mental health at work, joining the wrong one could be costly but also not possible to always spot so best to follow your own instincts. If you feel the team is one you could and would like to work with then support your own thoughts.

Can I see myself working with that specific leader?

Similar to the previous question but focusing specifically on the leader who would be working with you.

Do you feel they could teach you what you are looking for? Do you feel they have the teams best interests at heart? Do you believe in them and could get behind them in their decisions?

Almost practically impossible to be 100% sure during an interview as good leaders can turn bad during the actual work and bad can turn good.

I would encourage speaking with employees at the company without the presence of the leader to get more honest insights to try and answer this question.

Will taking this opportunity on develop my skills / career in ways that I want?

Reflecting on your own career development path (Career Advice (perituspartners.co.uk)) determine if the opportunity is really going to help you in how you want or if you are being blindsided by perks, salaries and titles.

Remember, not every opportunity has to be taken if it doesn’t bring you closer to your ideal end role.

Do I want to invest more time into this process?

This should be the last question you ask yourself after each interview. Some of the above can be answered at each stage and others require certain talks to happen first, but deciding to invest more time is something you should always have an answer for.

Time is the only resource you cannot get back, therefore before tackling a task, meet and greet or even signing a contract to join, be sure you are aware how the opportunity will impact your career and if you are fully behind the decision knowing what you know.

You might still need further information especially at the beginning of the process, but if you are still unsure at the end, it is often a clear indicator to me that it is not right.

The questions covered in this article are just some I ask those I represent in our debrief meetings post interview, they have helped hundreds over the past decade find the decision right for them, give them a try after your next interview and see if you either have more excitement or a clear no quicker.

Feel free to save this article for the future or share it with a friend if you feel they could benefit and lets collectively bring simplicity to the chaos of recruitment.