Ask the Experts: Be Cautious if an Interviewer Asks You to Call
Question:
I just had a very relaxed and casual interview, although I was dressed in a blue suit etc for it. The interviewer did not press me hard with questions
but did say that she was very impressed with my skills and resume and she
even asked about my salary requirements. She invited me to call if I had
additional questions. I’m not sure what she meant by that. Was it an
invitation to tell her more or to see me in action?
First Answer:
Who knows? The trouble with interview situations – particularly when you feel under pressure to get the job – is that it can make you
paranoid! The interviewer may just have wanted to be polite or to
reinforce the point that she would be willing to take a follow-up call
from you at any time. The key factor is – do you have anything else you
would like to ask her? If so, then you have a specific invitation from
her to make that call and discuss any concerns or further areas for
discussion. If not, then leave it for the period of time that you’re
comfortable with – then call back if you haven’t heard from her. You
can always start off the conversation with, “You invited me to call
you…”
— Liz Simpson, motivational speaker, workshop leader, author, journalist, and forum panelist
Second Answer:
Sometimes, interviewers that don’t “press” do so because they want to see how you will react and they feel they can judge your personality by how hard you push (or don’t push). Sometimes, too, when you have a relaxed interview it means you’ve “clicked” with the interviewer. If you weren’t asked “do you have any questions?” at the interview, and you didn’t take the initiative and ask a few anyway, the interviewer might just have wanted to assure you that it would be ok to ask some later. If you do have some questions that you were afraid to ask, by all means call back and ask.
Interviewers generally assume you’ll be curious about something! In my book, You Are The Product – How To Sell Yourself To Employers, there is an entire section of appropriate questions you can and should ask. I always feel that it’s best to come prepared with a few questions that show your interest in the particular position and the company (NOT the salary or benefits) and ask a chosen few of these at the interview whether you’re invited to or not. It shows initiative.
— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column
Third Answer:
Here is a tough situation to read. I always recommend that people go with their gut. If you felt she wanted more information, you might contact her again and suggest another meeting to look into this opportunity further. If you felt she wanted you to sell her more than you did, you can still accomplish this transaction in a second meeting. It is definitely worth a try if you think this is something that you want to pursue.
— Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, creator of the JOBWHIZQUIZ, and specialist in cyber savvy strategic job search consultations
Fourth Answer:
It’s courteous when interviewers invite you to call with additional questions, but it doesn’t always happen. Consider yourself fortunate.
Following up after an interview is almost always a good idea, and it
just makes it all the easier when the interviewer actually invites the
follow up.
Taking her up on her invitation will show your genuine interest in the job. You can think up some more questions to ask and/or
mention points you may have forgotten to bring up in the interview or
want to expand on.
The interviewer’s motivation in posing this invitation may also relate to the type of job for which you interviewed.
If it’s a sales job, for example, following up to show your
persistence and assertiveness is almost mandatory. You can read more about
follow-up techniques in the article, The Art of the Follow-Up After
Job Interviews.
— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
Fifth Answer:
Congratulations on having such a good interview that you left the interviewer impressed! You made a wise choice in your attire – whenever it is humanly possible, always “dress for success.”
It is my feeling that you were offered her phone number as a courtesy – again a good sign. It sounds like she made you feel very comfortable on the interview, which is a good indication of the type of work environment you’ll be in.
But until you are actually hired, you are still in the position of being judged and need to continue to impress. Make sure you have sent a thank you note where you thank her for her time and reiterate why you are the perfect candidate for the position. Use this correspondence as a vehicle to emphasize your strengths, mention anything important omitted on the interview, and to clear up any doubts you feel she may have.
If you do not hear back from her within the agreed upon or reasonable time frame, then you may want to make a quick call. Use that call to ask if there is anything further that she would like you to do or need from you in order to be hired.
If you are still wondering, work with a professional coach who can guide you through the process easier and faster. I am offering a 20% discount on one month of coaching to anyone who mentions this article.
— Janine A. Schindler, Professional Coach and owner of the Jas Coaching Company
Sixth Answer:
An interview that you perceive as relaxed and casual does not indicate how favorable an impression you made; it may just be the purposeful setting of a comfortable interview to see how you behave when you are relaxed, or when your guard is down. An interviewer not pressing you for examples of your accomplishments or your motivation to pursue a particular job may be an unskilled interviewer. Your action in this situation is to provide examples of your accomplishments anyway, reinforcing what your interviewer surmised from the resume.
Asking about salary requirements is not necessarily an expression of interest in you: she may still be trying to price the job, or to find out if your salary requirements are “in the ballpark” to what she plans to pay the successful candidate. Inviting you to call with additional questions is a standard statement, and what she meant is if you think of any more questions, she’ll be glad to answer them.
Your last question, if I understand it correctly, suggests inappropriate behavior on the part of the interviewer. If she was in fact soliciting a personal relationship with a job candidate, your only professional response is to pass. “Dipping your pen in the company ink” can be a career-ending move in many environments, and is totally inappropriate during job search.
If called back for a second interview, probably with a different staff member or multiple interviewers, be a more assertive interviewee. Take the lead if necessary in demonstrating how your past accomplishments have prepared you for the specific job under discussion, and be sure to ask questions that reflect your research and criteria for employment, such as how the organization is facing a current issue, how this role works with other departments, and what is expected in the first three months in this position. And no matter how dressed down and casual the staff appear, you must dress more formally than those not undergoing an interview. (If everyone, including the CEO, is in jeans, you can lose the suit, but wear a sports jacket and slacks, or coordinated separates if you are a woman-no sneakers.)
— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City
