(Read time 3 min 56 sec)

Have you ever felt that sinking feeling after a job interview?

The gut-wrenching, “I could’ve done better,” or “Why did I say that?” moments?

On the flip side, have you ever absolutely crushed an interview where it felt like everything was effortless?

You hit all the right points, built a personal connection with your interviewer, and (like Neo from The Matrix) you almost could see every question coming before it left your interviewer’s mouth.

You exited the interview saying, “How did I do that?” and wondering how you could repeat it.

You’re not alone.

Many job hunters find themselves in this cycle.

Frequently feeling unsuccessful or stagnating after interviews and left in the dark about what went wrong.

Or unable to identify what led them to create their interview success and an inability to replicate it.

Every interview is a chance for growth.

But only if you take the time to analyze it.

Thankfully there’s a way for you to learn from every interview experience and, in doing so, speed you toward the offer from your dream company.

Don’t worry.

The process I will share can 10x your interview ability and guarantee you land a role faster using just six simple questions.

The Interview’s Over, My Job’s Done

When the interview ends, 90% of people close their laptops, sigh deeply, say a hail mary, and move on with their day.

And why shouldn’t they?

They put in hours of preparation and then underwent an hour or more of interviewing.

It’s exhausting.

I know.

But those 90% of people don’t realize they’re brushing off all the details of that previous interview.

By moving on immediately, they’re pinning their hopes on the notion that “maybe the next one will be better.”

But as academy award-winning director James Cameron says…

Not So Fast

Without reflecting on the previous interview in the moments after it finishes, you miss out on vital learning opportunities.

You may forget the exact wording of their pointed question that had you stumped.

You might not remember the resource you promised to provide the interviewer that you thought would be valuable.

You might miss the critical piece of data you left out that only now you remember would have been vital in your explanation.

You risk repeating the same mistakes in future interviews, overlooking your strengths, and potentially losing out on roles that could have been a perfect fit with just a little bit more preparation.

The Immediate Post-Interview Reflection

So what can we do to capitalize on the immediate reactions after the interview?

One thing you can do is use your phone to record the interview using a tool like Wave.

That way, you don’t have to remember what the interviewer said.

You’ll have their exact words at your fingertips whenever you want to look back, review, and practice.

The second thing you can do is an immediate post-interview reflection.

This is not about being hard on yourself but about understanding what went well, how to replicate it, what went poorly, and how to eliminate it.

Here’s what it looks like.

Step 1. Immediate Post-Interview Cool Down:

Right after your interview, find a quiet space, open a document, and jot down your initial thoughts and feelings. The first impressions are often the most telling. Dump everything onto the page that comes out of your mind.

Step 2. Answer the question, “What went well?”:

Write down in detail everything you felt went well in the interview. Don’t leave out any large or small detail. Where did you feel like you crushed it?

Step 3. Answer the question, “What didn’t go well?”:

Write down any aspect of the interview that didn’t go to plan, that you kick yourself about, or that wasn’t ideal.

Step 4. Answer the question, “Where did I feel most prepared?”:

Were there any parts of the interview that mirrored the scenarios you had practiced? Did your research come in handy during the conversation? Note where you felt like you were in the zone and your preparation paid off.

Step 5. Answer the question, “Where was I unprepared or stumped?”:

This is your time to highlight all the opportunities you missed. Highlight them in as much detail as possible so you can prepare for them properly in the future.

Step 6. Answer the question, “What can I do to improve my preparation in the areas that didn’t go well?”:

You’ll likely be able to think of areas where your preparation fell short in the immediate aftermath of the interview. For example, “I should have rehearsed that answer a couple more times,” or “I should have asked the recruiter for the names and titles of each interviewer so I could craft specific questions.”

Step 7. Ask the question, “What follow-up can I provide to improve any areas that didn’t go well?”:

Did you think of an example that better highlights the experience they asked about only after the interview ended? Note that here and craft an email or deliverable to display that example to the interviewers.

Step 8. Relax:

You did it! You’ve done the necessary work to take note of all the details from this interview. You can now use these notes to recreate the circumstances that led to your interview success or to improve your preparation in areas that didn’t go well.

Regardless of the outcome, every interview is a goldmine of personal growth and learning.

By actively engaging in post-interview reflection, you enhance your future performance and show prospective employers your proactive approach to self-improvement.

Don't let these opportunities slip by.

The job hunt is all about progress, not perfection.

Embrace reflection, learn, and land that job!

We’re midway through August, and 83 companies with HQs in the US have raised over $3 Billion.

The good news is they’re hiring and looking to put some cash and equity in your pocket to help them build world-changing companies!

Click here to learn more about those 83 companies and the positions they’re hiring for.

There you have it, six questions to 10x your interviewing abilities through reflection, identification, adjustment, and application.

If you use the immediate post-interview reflection, you’ll capture all that valuable emotional response to the interview and the tactical information you can use to win over your interviewers or crush your next interview.

But until then… let’s become career champions together 🏆

Kyle

Hiring Season Is Coming - Are You Ready?

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