Did your job interview
go well or badly?

Job interviews are a nerve-racking experience. You have to make a good impression, answer questions well, and try to sell yourself as the best candidate for this job. In this stressful situation, don't forget that you too should put the company you are presenting yourself to to the test – because the company should be selling itself to you as well. Therefore, pay particular attention to warning signs during the interview and correctly interpret the signs.

Your gut feeling will tell you relatively quickly whether the interview went well or badly. But there are also some obvious clues that tell you directly where you stand. All you have to do is observe your interviewers closely and perceive nuances.

Yes, it's the job you absolutely want. But for that very reason, do not set aside obvious negative signs. If you feel uncomfortable talking, feel a frosty atmosphere or the company answers your questions in a rather evasive manner, then you should notice these signs and restart your search for your dream job.

1. Your interviewers are not the ones that they should be

Instead of the team leader, you only meet an employee or even an intern? Appreciation looks different as you know. Someone may not have been able to cancel or reschedule your appointment in time. Alternatively: It doesn't seem that important to get to know you.

However, show that you are motivated and ask why the combination of people involved has changed during the interview (e.g. illness) and whether it would be possible to get to know them at a later stage.

3. The persons involved appear bored or disinterested

Are you in the process of presenting your career, skills and qualifications in detail and have devised an exciting story to tell about this? But unfortunately, your interviewers are not fully focussed, seem disinterested and bored and are constantly looking at their mobile phone or the clock?

It was probably already clear before the interview with you that you wouldn't get the job. But it could also be a stress test. So stay calm and continue as you had planned. Perhaps the tide will still turn. If silence fills the room, use the opportunity to express your feelings and ask what else is of interest.

4. The interviewers cannot show you any development prospects

Changing jobs also often means acquiring new prospects and giving your own career a new boost. Ask about further training opportunities and development prospects during the interview. This also makes sense if you do not have any real continuing education ambitions at this stage. The answer to this question automatically gives you interesting insights into the company.

Do you only get standard answers or do the interviewers deflect away from the actual topic? In the job interview, it is definitely a bad sign if your future employer sweeps the topic of "further training" under the carpet and is unable to clearly outline a typical career path in their company. This will not allow you to estimate how and in which direction you will develop in this company.

If you are pursuing a specific plan, you need the support of your employer. Find out if there can be a common future.

5. There is no mention of the team

Your job can be as exciting as it is. But without the right team, even the dream job can quickly become a burden. A team with a positive attitude is essential for the ideal job, especially if you are to lead it in a professional or disciplinary manner.

If the team does not play a role during your interview, this may be a reason that you get a bad gut feeling after the interview. It may be that the company is rather made up of lone fighters who focus only on their own advantages.

7. Nobody in this company seems to be really happy with their work

It is not always easy to interpret all the signs correctly during the interview – especially if you only capture brief moments. For example, if you are waiting in the reception area before your interview and observe the day-to-day activities.

What is the mood among the employees? Are you noticed by them and do they greet you in a friendly manner? If there is a depressing silence, this is a bad sign that should be able to influence your job decision.

8. The interviewer does not answer your questions

Sometimes you get a bad feeling only after the interview. You probably go through the interview again in your head and work out that not one of your questions was answered in detail. Or worse still: Your interviewers actively avoided your questions. Did they try to hide something? Avoidance is never a good sign in an interview and is probably part of their everyday working life.

9. Your interviewer leaves you in the dark

Stalling, not committing and finding excuses: What may be common in some private areas of life, however, should not apply for your professional future. Uncertainties about your tasks or goals are definitely a bad sign in the interview. This is especially true if the job profile described in the interview differs too much from the one described in the job advertisement. Last but not least, if you are missing information about your salary or benefits, you should sound the alarm bells. It's best to head for the exit – and look for another professional alternative.