Interview Tips Part 2: Anticipating Questions and Mastering Follow Up

What kind of answers does an interviewer expect from you? Do you know how to answer the tough ones? Many people feel at a loss trying to figure out the best way to answer questions in the interview, but the first thing you can do to help yourself is commit to being honest. There is a balance between being honest and getting too personal; give a genuine personal answer without going into unnecessary details about your private life. Some questions are philosophical and require more abstract replies instead of intense levels of personal information.

You can prepare for these job interview questions by pretending you are the one giving an interview. Ask yourself what kinds of questions you would ask and what answers would cross the line between professional and personal. What kinds of answers would you expect? Sitting on the other side of the interview desk is a very revealing experience. Even if you’re just pretending to do an interview, you’ll gain a new perspective on the kind of impression your answers give.

The Importance of Following Up After the Interview

After your job interviews are done, the employer usually takes some time to review each of the resumes again to sort good prospects from the ones who won’t be called back. One thing that can help you get into the good prospects pile is how you handle the post-interview waiting time. It’s bad form to contact an interviewer too soon after the session, asking if they’ve come to a decision yet, but it’s definitely good to get back in touch with a thank you note or e-mail to let them know you appreciated their time.

The key with follow-up messages is to keep them short, polite, and free from expectations. Simply thank the interviewer for a good meeting and let them know you’re looking forward to hearing back from them when the time comes. Many people never follow up on their interviews with a note of thanks; so those who do often find they have an advantage later. It may turn out that you didn’t get hired for that particular position, but are under consideration for a different position. That’s just one reason why it’s good to send thank-you notes. It reminds the interviewers about you and shows them you know how to network for business. You could find yourself fielding some additional job interview questions again soon.