10+ Signs An Interview Went Well (Signs For Interview Pros)

You just finished with your interview. You’re at home and wondering to yourself if the interview went well. This is natural. Let’s review some signs that the interview may have gone well so that you can calm your nerves.

The first thing to understand is that interviews that don’t go well usually end sooner than later. That’s going to the best indicator. That you were told the interviews were going to last around 4 hours, and they ended in 2 hours.

If you spent the appropriate amount of time at your interview, you might have a good chance of receiving an employment offer.

What To Know About Successful Interviews

You won’t be able to tell if the interview went well. It’s true. Unfortunately, those who are interviewing you will be sure that they don’t get your hopes up. Usually, after an interview session, the group who interviewed you will reconvene on your interview. These on-site interviews mean that the team who spent time with you will all have some type of factor they were looking to measure you on, hence the group interview. And they’ll need time to review you before they decide to reach out.

Before You Waste Too Much Time

Before you spend too much time worrying about if your interview went well or not, be sure that you jump right onto sending them a thank you email after your interview. Even if the interview seemingly didn’t go well, sending them this thank you email will make you seem professional and uphold your reputation in the job market. Be sure that you do this before spending too much time thinking about how well your interview went.

Indicators Your Job Went Well

There are some small indicators which will tell you that your interview went well. And when I say small, they are definitely small. HR departments will ensure that you aren’t being led on in any way possible. So they will hold their cards close to their heart, which is a poker reference for not revealing too much of their thought process.

1. The interview went the full amount of time

Yes, this is still the best indicator. Interviews that are cut short are a terrible sign. It means that the HR department wasn’t receiving good feedback about you after your first interview session. And that the professional who spoke with you told the hiring manager that. They decided to cut the time short as not to waste time. If the interview went the full allotted amount of time, that’s a wonderful sign.

2. Everyone showed up on time

This is a small but great indicator. The people who interviewed you were on time. When they aren’t on time, this means that they aren’t necessarily holding your interview as a high priority. When all of the colleagues who were tasked with speaking to you decided to show up late, that’s a bad sign. If they were all on time, that’s a wonderful sign.

3. They asked you leading questions

If they asked questions like when you might be available to start or what else you might like to know about their company culture, that’s a good sign. Any question that seemed as though it’s related to them proving you more information to decide to get hired with them is a sign that the interview did, in fact, go well.

4. They showed you around the office

This is another small but great sign. If they showed you around the office after your interview, this means they were genuinely interested in you. They spent additional time telling you information about their cafeteria or employee benefits all around the office. If they did this, that’s a great sign.

5. If they said they’d email you soon

It’s a great sign when they give you some action item or task for themselves after the interview. If the hiring manager said, “I’m going to send you an email in a few days for the next steps,” then that’s a wonderful sign. Any commitment that you might have heard, small or large, is a wonderful sign.

6. If you got feedback on the spot

If they said anything like, “everyone really enjoyed talking with you today,” then that’s also a great sign. Though, I wouldn’t expect this to happen in many circumstances until after all of the team members have reconvened on reviewing your interview session as a group.

7. The conversations seemed natural

If you felt like it was “easy” to speak with the colleagues you had been interviewing with, that’s a wonderful sign. Ideally, you want chemistry with your colleagues. When it felt as though the conversation during the interview went fairly natural, that’s a sign that things are going to go well for you.

8. People shook your hand

If the colleagues you spoke with took the chance to shake your hand, that’s a good sign. It shows some level of respect. Especially if they did so right after the interview. That means that people were holding you in high regard and that they felt good about the conversation.

9. They didn’t seem like they wanted to be doing other things

When the hiring manager or HR representative handling the interviews seems as though they want to take their time to ensure that you comfortably leave the building, that’s a good sign. If they appear as though the body language is telling you “they’d rather be doing something else,” then that’s not a great sign. You want them to be showing you respect, and having the hiring manager feel like hiring you would make them hit a milestone.

10. They ask about salary or employee benefits

This most likely won’t happen during the interview. But if it happens right after the interview by email, that’s a good sign. That means that they are trying to use their employee benefits to their advantage. Hoping that telling you what they have to offer will encourage you to sign the employment agreement that they send over to you. Again, this won’t happen in person. But if it happens by email, that’s a good thing. Any type of email correspondence after the interview is good. If you haven’t heard back from them, you might want to send a follow up email after you haven’t heard anything.

11. They tell you about the rest of the interview process

When the interviewer or hiring manager tells you more about the hiring process, it means they have every intention of providing you a job offer or moving you forward in the candidate pool. This can be a great indicator that the interview was a success and that you will move forward.

12. They ask you to meet the team

If they ask you to meet with the team on the spot, that's a great indicator. This shows that they feel you are such a great candidate that they can't wait for you to meet with them. This could be either right after your interview or a few days following. Either way, it shows you left a lasting impression on the hiring manager.

13. They ask you to meet with the decision makers

This might be the manager who runs the team you're applying for or someone else. At times, it may be only the hiring manager or HR team member who is hiring and not the person you'll be reporting to. If they ask you to meet with them, that's a great sign.

14. They make significant eye contact

When the interviewer is making a strong connection with you, they will make good eye contact. This can be a great way of knowing that you two are having chemistry with the discussion and that your interview is good or great.

15. They highlight perks and benefits

If the interviewer starts telling you their perks and benefits as a company, this can mean you have left a strong impact on them and that they want to ensure you feel the environment is going to be conducive to advancing your experience and resume as well as providing you work-life balance.

Conclusion

You won’t truly know whether the interview went well or not. But if you have any of the events above happen, feel confident that they are taking your job opportunity seriously. Even if you have one or more of the above signs, it doesn’t mean that you’ll receive an employment offer. This is because another candidate may have been more qualified or may have asked for a lower salary. Be sure that even if the job interview seemingly went well, that you continue your job search so that you put yourself first and not hold yourself back, hoping the opportunity will pan out.

Interview Signs FAQ

Questions from job seekers about measuring a good interview.

How can I tell if it was a good phone interview or a second interview?

A lot of the signs are the same. The interviewer will compliment you and ask you to move onto the next steps pretty quickly. If you don't hear them say that, then they'll be evaluating whether or not you're a good fit and get back to you by email. A good interview is always concluded by the interviewer expressing their interest to have you move forward as a job candidate.

I should be looking for them to invite me to the next interview?

Yes. That's always a good way of measuring the success of the initial interview. You want them to indicate the next stage in the hiring process and invite you to it.

What body language should I pick up on?

The interviewer's body language during the interview can be very revealing. Do they look bored? The interviewer's reactions to your answers should be positive. Or at the very least, unrevealing. But if they look blank, then that could be a bad sign and an indication of a bad interview in progress.

What question should I be on the lookout for if a recruiter feels like an interview is going well?

A successful interview with a recruiter is one where they start asking questions about salary. If they say anything about a salary expectation, then that could be a really positive sign.