The period after you wrap up your final interview with a company and before you officially hear back from them on a decision is filled with emotion.
You’re reflecting on everything. Analyzing every conversation. Wishing you had responded to that one question just a little bit differently.
And as you’re going through that, you’re constantly refreshing your email to see if a job offer has been submitted.
It’s an exciting time. But also a nerve wracking one.
This article is to help people that are in that very phase…the awkward waiting period. The time after your final interview, but before hearing official word from the company.
Within this post, I’ll cover the top signs you will receive a job offer. These signs are from my own experience on both the hiree and hiring side of the job interview process.
Now, onto the signs you will receive a job offer.
1. The Company Calls Your References
In my experience, the single best sign that you will receive a job offer is when a company calls your references.
And the reason for that is simply time. What do I mean by that? People are busy. And, as I discuss in the signs you didn’t get the job article, for better or worse, once a company has decided you’re not the right fit for the role, the reality is that you’re no longer a priority for them.
With that being the case, a company is unlikely to use the limited resources that it has to follow up with the references of somebody that it is not at least seriously considering hiring.
If a company didn’t collect your references early in the process, and asks for them after your final interview, that’s a great sign!
However, if you provided them to the company early in the process, be sure to ask your references to let you know if you the company reaches out to them. If they do, an offer may very well be on the way soon!
2. The Interview Went Long
Building on the point about time from the “company calls your references section,” a company investing a good amount of time during an interview is another great sign that you will be receiving a job offer.
If you’re not a serious candidate for a role, an interviewer is unlikely to invest a lot of their time into a conversation with you, and may not even give you the opportunity to ask questions at the end.
On the other hand, if you are being seriously considered, a company is going to want to do its diligence and dialogue with you as much as possible. To the point that an interview may even go over the allotted time.
If you find yourself in a long interview, maybe even as long as two hours, that’s a strong sign.
In fact, career coach Linda Raynier calls job interview length the biggest sign that an interviewer is interested in you in this video:
3. The Company Sells Themselves To You
If you feel like you’re being sold on the company during a late-stage interview, that’s another strong sign that you’ll receive an offer.
An interview process is two-sided, meaning that you’re trying to convince the company about why they should hire you and the company should also be trying to convince you about why you should hire them as an employer.
But they’ll only do that if they like you.
As I mentioned in the signs you didn’t get the job article, if a company doesn’t want to hire you, then you’re likely to experience things like them cutting the interview short, not giving you the chance to ask questions, etc.
If they’re doing the opposite of that, and you feel like they’re trying to convince you about why should work there, then you’re likely on your way to an offer.
4. The Company Starts Negotiating Salary During a Late-Round Interview
At the start of a job interview process, it’s likely that you’ll be asked by HR about your salary requirements. They do that so they can filter you out of the process early on if salary expectations aren’t in alignment.
Salary is unlikely to come up again in the process after that unless the company is serious about making you an offer.
If they start talking salary with you during a late-round interview, that is a great sign. They’re unlikely to get into those specifics unless you’re strongly being considered for an offer.
Now, there is no guarantee that you’ll reach an agreement on salary. And, ultimately, you may need to decline the offer due to salary, but the fact that it’s being discussed is a sign that an offer may be coming.
5. The Company Asks If You’re Interviewing with Anyone Else
If you’re asked if you’re interviewing with anyone else, the company is likely trying to gauge how quickly they need to decide on an offer and how competitive that offer should be.
Similar to previous points, they’re likely only asking that if they’re serious about a potential offer. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care who else you’re interviewing with.
6. Interviewers Are Showing Good Body Language and Positive Interpersonal Communication Queues
The last sign that you will receive a job offer requires some gut feel on your part, but can be a very strong indicator if you read the situation correctly.
Coming out of an interview, sometimes you’ll just know that you crushed it.
And often the way you’ll know is just by your ability to read other people.
You’ll see people nodding to your responses. They may start leaning in. You may even participate in a spontaneous whiteboarding session.
If you the interview just feels good, and you are noticing positives engagement throughout, that is a great sign that you will receive a job offer.
Conclusion
Throughout the article, we covered the top signs you will receive a job offer.
While not a guarantee, one or multiple of the five things above happening is a strong sign that an offer may be coming your way.
I hope this article inspires confidence and enables you to breath a little easier as you’re waiting to hear back from a potential employer.
