Interview Tips: Asking What The Next Step Is

So you’ve just finished up the whirlwind day(s) or hour(s) of interviews and you’re chatting with the HR person and they’ve asked you if you had any questions. Chances are you don’t because you’ve asked all the ones you’ve had about a company during the other interviews, but the one question you must always ask the HR person is “what is the next step?” This is the best question in the world to ask because it asks several things at once.

1. It should address when the prospective employer will respond with an offer or a polite rejection letter. If they ask you when you need to hear by, tell them within a week.
2. If they need another round of interviews, this should come up as well. If there is any sort of process that should take place between when you leave and when you get a letter, it should be answered by this question.
3. It’s better than having no question at all.

When you walk out the door, you better get an idea of when you can expect to hear something. If you don’t, you’ve messed up.