How to wrap up a job interview; Five tips to boost your offer success.

What happens in the final moments of a job interview can be an easily overlooked aspect of the entire job seeking and hiring process. How you conduct yourself at these critical final moments can sway the likelihood of success either way, particularly in the current candidate market, which is rich with highly qualified competition.

Naturally, you must always focus on crafting compelling resumes and cover letters, answering the tough questions, and negotiating offers. However, the way you wrap up the job interview is usually the last face-to-face interaction you’ll have with a potential new employer, and you want that final exchange to be meaningful and positive. There’s a lot to be said here for “leaving on a high note.”

So how do you make sure to leave a positive lasting impression at interview?

Reiterate your enthusiasm for the position

Take the opportunity to reiterate just how interested you are in the role and the organisation. Considering that interviews are not just about identifying candidates that have the right skills for a job, employers also want to know that they’ll be bringing on loyal, engaged colleagues who are excited about contributing to the organisation and that genuinely care about the quality of their work. They want employees who will invest in them, just as they are investing in you. The final minutes of an interview are a great time to convey your interest in the position and excitement around potentially joining their team.

Affirm what a great fit you are

Even if you’ve expressed this clearly during the interview, succinctly reaffirming a few key reasons why you believe you are a perfect fit for the position is an excellent closing for any job interview. You’re driving home the most important takeaways about your candidacy for the interviewer and making it abundantly clear why you’re the best choice. This is impactful.

Ask about next steps

This is not only useful information that you need to know, but also a smart way to convey that you’re still a very interested, committed candidate who wants the job and is proactive about moving things along.

This is also an appropriate time to mention that you’re happy to provide them with any additional materials or information they might need to make their decision. If there are some outstanding materials or information they requested or that came up in the interview, mention again that you’ll ensure you get this to them ASAP, and then follow through immediately.

Mind your manners

In the hiring process, manners matter, and you want your very last touchpoint with your potential new employer to be as pleasant and positive as possible. Remember to thank them for their time and their thoughtful questions, smile, make great eye contact, and offer a solid handshake.

And remember, it’s your grand finale. Act like it!

Realise the importance of the final moments of the job interview. This is the perfect opportunity to reiterate your interest in the position, recover from any mistakes or fumbles in the job interview, establish future contact, or in general just leave a great impression of your interpersonal and social skills. Your interviewer isn’t just thinking of you as a collection of skills or competencies, they’re also interviewing what kind of a colleague you’ll be and how well you’ll fit in with their team on a personal level, so let your personality come through in these more informal interview moments.