Your interview is drawing to a close. You feel you did a wonderful job answering the interviewer’s questions and portraying yourself as a great candidate. While how you begin your interview is the first impression interviewers make outside of your resume, how you end your interview leaves a permanent impact and could be the last memory an interviewer has of you as a potential employee. How you end your interview can allow you to figure out if you are interested in working at the company and make final statements of why you should be hired.
Do you have any questions?
At the end of an interview, most employers will give you the opportunity to ask questions. Not having any questions prepared to ask for your interview comes across that you were not prepared or not an independent thinker. There isn’t a maximum number of questions to an employer, however a good range of questions to prepare is 5-8 questions.
Final statement
Express your enthusiasm about the company and the position. Make a final statement of your strengths and what value you can bring to the company. Your closing statement should be 2-4 sentences long. Restate some of the strong points expressed during the interview and patch up any concerns the interviewer may have about you.
What’s next?
Find out what’s the next step in the application process. Ask if there is any final information that you need to provide to the interviewer (i.e. writing samples, references or transcripts). If you are asked to provide additional information, follow-up with the interviewer within 24 hours of the interview. Establish a timeframe for the hiring process, if possible.
A gracious candidate is a good candidate
Thank the interviewer for their time at the end of the interview with a firm handshake. Ask them for their business card to follow-up with them. Write a thank you note, express your interest in the company again, and one thing you and the interviewer talked about during the interview.
Remember to be confident and enthusiastic. End your interview on a positive lasting impression. How do you want the interviewer to remember you once you leave their office?
What tip(s) do you have to close out an interview successfully?
