Summary

The article outlines three positive signs to look for during an interview that may indicate it's going well, including casual banter, extended conversation time, and the use of definitive language by interviewers.

Abstract

The author, recently laid off and in the job market, shares insights on subtle cues that can signal a successful job interview. These signs include engaging in non-work-related conversations, interviews running over the scheduled time, and interviewers using language that assumes the candidate's future with the company. The article emphasizes that these indicators can boost a candidate's confidence during the interview process. While these signs are not guarantees of success, they can be encouraging when they align with the interviewer's usual demeanor and the overall atmosphere of the interview.

Opinions

The author believes that relaxed, non-work-related chatter is a sign that interviewers are comfortable with a candidate's qualifications.
Overrunning the allotted interview time is seen as a positive indicator, suggesting that interviewers are interested in learning more about the candidate.
Interviewers' use of language, such as saying "when" instead of "if" regarding a candidate's potential employment, is interpreted as a favorable sign.
The author suggests that when interviewers reveal their actual personalities, it may signal a good fit and a positive impression of the candidate.
It's noted that these signs are not foolproof and should be considered in the context of the interviewers' behavior and the company's culture.
The author advises candidates to be aware of these subtle cues but also to be mindful of potential caveats, such as interviewers' speaking habits or scheduling constraints.

3 Signs Your Interview is Going Well

Look for these subtle indicators — they will give you confidence and make your performance even better

Having gone through a handful of interviews recently, I’ve become a good prognosticator of how well the conversation is going.

I was laid off some weeks ago. Actually, it’s been months now. I only did start looking for my new position about a month or so ago. I consider myself a very good interviewee as I’m generally very relaxed during the conversation. I give my responses as thoughtfully and as succinctly as needed.

Quick side tip: Speak in a lower register of your voice. Lower tones exude confidence.

I’m not going to make this a list of all the things you can do during an interview to improve your chances. That’s not the point of this article. There are enough of those pieces out on the interwebs.

This post will highlight the subtle signs you can watch for that may give you a clue that your interview is going in the right direction, which in turn should boost your confidence.

1 — There is a lot of non-work banter

When you and your interviewers are discussing a lot of non-work-related topics, this can mean that they already believe that you have the chops for the role.

They’re no longer grilling you on the specifics of your abilities. Instead, they’re either talking about their own work issues, laughing about recent events at their workplace, or just about anything else. They’re simply enjoying talking to you.

Obviously, any talk of politics, religion or any of the sensitive topics will be best avoided.

Caveat

They may not be asking you about your abilities anymore because you miserably failed at the basic questions and there was no need to bother going any deeper.

2 — You go over the allotted time

When the panel decides to quickly end the meeting before using up the entire block of time, it usually means that they’ve already determined that you’re not a fit, for whatever reason.

If you were not able to answer the qualifying questions, or your personality didn’t jive with the panel, you can almost bet that the meeting will end fairly quickly.

Conversely, if the time passes quickly and effortlessly and goes over the scheduled time, this usually means that the panel is using the entire time to really get to know you. Combine this with Point #1 above where the conversations are freely flowing about various topics, and you can almost be sure that you’re golden.

Basically, the longer the better.

Caveat

Maybe there was a scheduling mishap and the panel just needed to cut it short. If this happens, having the meeting end quickly may not mean that it didn’t go well; they just really needed to go.

Or, in certain situations, you may be floundering in your responses, but the panel knows that you are still the best candidate they’ve seen in a small pool and they’re simply trying to test your abilities every possible way to make you really stand out over their other candidates — in contrast with Point #1 above.

3 — The interviewers let certain words slip

In my case, various members of the panel made statements like “When you get started, we definitely will give you more details. I mean, if…”

This is the weakest point I’ll make in this post. It’s the most subtle indicator when interviewers happen to say “when” instead of “if.” Bonus points if it happens multiple times.

When this happened in my interview, I played it up. Instead of saying “if I get the role,” I purposefully said, “When I get the role, I mean, if…” and then smiled to tease them on their slip-ups and to make light of the situation. In my mind, I was also planting that seed in their heads.

When they made the tiny verbal faux-pas, I took it to mean that they were eager for me to start, and I playfully and very openly went with it.

Caveat

Maybe that’s just their way of speaking. Simple as that.

Bonus — You see their actual personalities

If your table seem to act like you would envision them in their normal day-to-day work, it may also be a good indication.

If the interviewers are acting like stoic interviewers and simply firing questions and waiting for answers, they may be just going through the motions, or they actively don’t want to give any clues to how they’re perceiving you.

Every interview is different

While every meeting and discussion will have very different feels and vibes, there is really no sure-fire way to tell that you are moving on to the next round or to an offer.

Sometimes interviewers want to maintain poker faces throughout the entire discussion to establish control. Or it could be that the panel believes in “acting professional” and not give way to lighter banter.

In the cases where the entire table is more open and conversational, these three points may provide that little insight to give you that tiny bit of confidence and hope.

In my most recent interview, I was witness to all three points above. By the way, I got an offer.