Signs you didn’t get the job after interview

What are the signs you didn’t get the job after an interview?

An interviewer who is naturally disinterested or tries to rush the interview process is a bad sign you didn’t get the job. The interview may hint that there are other candidates, you don’t meet the qualifications, or they discourage you. Another bad sign is when an interviewer ignores your follow up emails.

Imagine, feeling like you blew the interview and playing the waiting game. It’s super depressing to think you’ve lost your dream job.

Therefore, it’s important to know the signs you didn’t get the job after an interview.

Luckily for you, I’ll show you the signs you didn’t get the job and how to tell the positive signs. I’ll show you how long till you get an answer, what to say after not getting the position, or if you’ll even be notified. You’ll be well on your way to finding the right job and better prepared for the next interview.

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What are signs you didn’t get the job after the interview?

Signs you didn’t get the job after an interview include a sense of urgency or rushing the interview. You may get hints that the interviewers have a lot of candidates to interview, the company isn’t a good place, or that you don’t meet the qualifications. Any follow up communications about the position might be ignored.

In most cases, you already have the qualifications needed for the position if you have an interview. The interview is typically a way for managers to get to know the individual and see if they’ll mesh well with the team.

So what things do interviewers say that lets you know you won’t get an offer?

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1. The Interviewer rushes through the interview

It could be a sign that the interviewer isn’t interested in you for the position if they rush through the interview. Essentially, they’re giving the interview as a formality and they may already have their ideal candidate picked out.

Some companies have internal candidates they wish to hire for a certain position. However, to avoid favoritism, companies may be required to open up the position for applicants. This process does nothing but wastes everyone’s time.

For example, you might get to an interview and the interviewer says they “have a meeting in 15 minutes.” The interviewer may also have a hurried pace when going through the interview questions.

A good interview should have the interviewer showing interest. The conversation should almost be like two friends talking. You might have a set number of interview questions, but the interviewer might go off script to ask follow up questions.

2. The interview ends early or suddenly

Good interviews almost never end early or suddenly. In fact, most good interviews go over the scheduled time because the interviewers lose track of time. However, there are always legitimate business reasons to why someone would have to leave an interview early.

Your interview might be scheduled for 30-60 minutes. However, if an interview ends in 20 minutes then you haven’t had adequate time to discuss the position. Either you ran out of topics to discuss or the interviewer had to leave early.

As previously discussed, the interview should feel like a conversation between two friends. Sometimes personalities don’t jive well, so the conversation may feel awkward. The interview asks you the questions, but struggles to come up with anything outside the questions to talk about.

It is not a good sign if an interviewer gets a phone call or is interrupted by an employee during the interview. The interviewer gets called away, which means you’re not getting the interview you need to get the position.

3. The company has a lot of candidates

In some cases, the interviewer may indicate there are a lot of candidates for the position. This can translate to “don’t get your hopes up.” Having a lot of candidates for a job is good for the company, but means you’re facing a lot of competition.

Some companies may state they have a lot of candidates for a position when they really don’t. The interviewer is simply not wanting to make promises or isn’t sold on you as the winning candidate.

4. The Interviewer discourages you from working at the company

You may also find the interviewer discourages you from working at the company during the interview. This is a tactic that is used by interviewers to rethink working at the company. Essentially, they are seeing if you’ll eliminate yourself from the hiring process so they don’t have to.

5. Interviewer states you don’t meet the job qualifications

An interviewer who states or hints at you not having the appropriate qualifications for the job is not a good sign. The interviewer is essentially saying you can’t perform the essential job functions required. At this point, all you can say is that you’re a quick learner and that you would like to be given the opportunity.

6. Your follow up communications are ignored

It is best practice to send a follow up email to the interviewer. Professional edicate is that the interviewer should send you a response to your email. However, some interviewers may attempt to ‘ghost’ you and ignore your follow up email completely.

Essentially, the interviewer is trying to separate you from the position because they aren’t interested. Personally, I feel this tactic is rude because they could just send an email saying you didn’t get the position.

7. The company continues to look for candidates

After the interview, you may see a continued effort by the company to attract more candidates. You might get emails from recruiters saying the company is looking for the same position you interviewed for. Companies will continue to recruit candidates if they’re struggling to get quality candidates.

8. The Interviewer does not disclose the next steps

During the interview, you can ask what the next steps are in the hiring process and estimated timeline for hiring. A company that’s interested will give you a response like, “we’ll submit our top picks to HR within the week. HR should notify the individual within another two weeks.” Disinterested interviewers will not give a detailed response, like “We’ll be in touch.”

How do you know if you’ve been hired after an interview?

Good signs you got the job include the interviewer being naturally interested in you during the interview. The interview may have gone over the initial time limit because conversing felt natural. Ideally, the interviewer was impressed by your qualifications and didn’t try to rush you or brush you off from the position.

Do employers let you know if you didn’t get the job?

Employers do not have to let you know if you didn’t get the job. In fact, most companies do not reach out to let you know you didn’t get the position. However, you can ask during the interview if you’ll be notified if you do not get the position.

How long after an interview should you hear back?

Typically, you should hear back from an interview within two weeks. However, depending on the number of candidates, the interviewers may need more time to interview all candidates. You should ask during the interview how long they plan on taking to make a decision.

Can I ask why I didn’t get the job?

It is ok for you to ask for feedback on why you didn’t get the job for self improvement purposes. Simply contact your interviewer and ask why you didn’t get the job so that you can improve your interview skills. Do not attempt to sell yourself or argue that you were the ideal candidate after the decision has been made.

What to say when you didn’t get the job?

You can thank the interviewer for their time and consideration if you didn’t get the job. Additionally, you can tell the interviewer you would be interested in future positions and they can contact you any time.

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Summary: Signs you didn’t get the job after an interview

As you can see, there are plenty of signs you didn’t get the job after an interview. Essentially, if the interviewer doesn’t seem interested, rushes you, or doesn’t respond to your follow ups is a bad sign. Good signs include running past the interview time, having a good conversation, and the interviewer naturally enjoying the time.

Employers do not have to notify you if you didn’t get the job, but you can ask to be notified. Typically, you’ll hear back within two weeks of the interview, but not always. You should ask the interview for a timeline on when a decision will be made.

You can always ask why you didn’t get a job, but don’t argue or try to sell yourself to the company. The decision has been finalized, but you can thank them for their time and consideration. As for feedback and state you would be interested in future positions within the company.