Have a little post interview patience

We've all been on the candidate side of recruitment – it’s just you, me: the recruitment consultant, and the hiring manager. We know that waiting for the decision is torture.

Sadly, going for an interview and being offered the role immediately is extremely rare. If you work via a recruitment agency like Ambitions Travel Recruitment, you can be assured that we will be chasing a decision on your behalf. Remember, we also want you to get the job. However, the decision is not ours to make.

A reasonable time should be allowed for the hiring manager to make their decision. We should remember that they may be interviewing other people while doing their busy day jobs. Communication and patience are key. If you've applied directly, we strongly encourage you to send a thank you mail after the interview, together with a request to contact you if they have any further information requests, also adding that you look forward to receiving feedback.

Get back in touch after an unsuccessful interview

If, after the agonising wait, you find that you’re not successful, your job is to sit back and have a think. Everyone hates rejection, so you’re bound to feel fed up. But you should then treat it as a learning experience.

Even though it may be the last thing on your mind, you should compose an email to send them following an unsuccessful interview. This should thank them for the interview, and acknowledge their decision to go with someone else. But also, ask if they can think about you for any future jobs in the company, if this is a company that you think would suit you. This shows that you’re not holding a grudge and that you can dust yourself off and put yourself back out there.

We think it’s also worth asking for feedback – though if you’re going with a recruitment consultant than they can also get valuable feedback for you. They may not come back, but if they do, whatever they say will help you for your next job interview.

Searching for a new job? Have a browse of what we've got on offer this week >