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You have spent the last year or so looking for a job.  After all the resume revisions, the multiple hours spent searching and the 1000’s of emails, the market has changed and you are getting multiple interviews.

Now you need to gauge how well the interview went and if this is the position for you?  Ask yourself these 12 questions to evaluate.

1. Who did you speak with and how much time did you spend with each person? Longer is better, hopefully your interviews went the full schedule or longer, this is a strong indicator of company interest.
2. How did you get along with each interviewer?  This is your potential boss and/or peers.  Your first impression may be your best impression of them.
3. What questions did they ask and did you have any problems answering them?  Evaluate the type of questions and your level of comfort with the questions and interview styles.  This could be your home for awhile, be sure you are comfortable with the expectations.
   
4. Were you able to give full details regarding your experience?  How well did you communicate your thoughts?  If a question threw you off and you now have an answer, add it to your follow up!
5. What information did you learn about the company that you did not already know?  The internet and static web pages are great, but did you learn something about the culture or environment that you could not find on-line?  Was the information positive or negative?
6. What did you like most about the company?  Position?  People?  Evaluate this closely; this may be the most important question you ask yourself.
7. What are the negatives in your mind about the company?  Position?  People?  This is a lot like dating; can you live with the negatives of the company?  Yes, they do have them, so if none were identified then you should have more questions.
8. What did you think about the location?  Consider the commute or geography of the company.  Be realistic and consider the impact to your personal life.
9. Based on what you know now, if an offer was extended, would you accept it?  (If yes, what is the bottom line base salary)  You may even want to take out the dollar figure and decide if this is somewhere you would work regardless of compensation….higher salary will only make a place bearable for so long.
10. (If no) What questions do you need to have answered to accept the position?  Create a list and get them answered, you may be surprised at the clarification too many of them.
11. Are you willing to walk away from all current and pending interviews to accept this position?  Why?  Why not?  The real key is why or why not!
12. Do you want the job?

The next step is to follow up with expression of interest.  This should be a handwritten “thank you” note and/or a phone call to reiterate interest.  You would be surprised how many candidates forget this step and how many companies still put stock into this practice!