You are looking for a job and have mastered the first hurdle: you are now sitting in the company you wish to work for and discussing about your dream job. You of course feel somewhat nervous at the beginning of the interview, which gradually gets better during the discussion. You reach calmer, safer waters, provide convincing examples, feel understood and in good hands. What now?

Be careful: both parties should agree on the next steps at the end of the interview.
So listen up: Who contacts whom till when?

• Should the applicant be the one to get in touch and confirm his interest for the position?
• Or shall the company contact the candidate if interested in his application?
• From and till when should this interest be communicated?
• Who is the contact person: whom should the applicant get in touch with?

A few tips:

• Rephrasing: make sure you got it right by having the information repeated. Repeat verbally the agreed next steps - whenever possible - before saying good-bye. This is called „rephrasing" in professional jargon: „Well, I shall provide feedback to Mister Meier till Thursday, October 20, to let him know about my interest; is that right?" - If you have no doubt, you may also decide to directly express your interest at this point.
• Make sure you have the correct name and complete contact details of the person you should get in touch with.
• Do not let your interlocutor establish an unnecessarily long delay: the given delay is most of the time the last possible return deadline. Till Thursday does not mean that you cannot provide feedback on Wednesday. Quite the contrary: the sooner you get back to them, the more determinate and convincing you appear.

Typical pitfalls:

• Remain correct and reliable: if you have not provided feedback within the agreed timeframe, the recruiter will assume that you are not really interested or do not place high enough priority on the position. In this case, you need to apologize, even if the concerned position is indeed not at the top of your list of priorities at that very moment, since you never know how things develop. Remain correct and reliable at all times - these are major required qualities in this kind of situation.
• Outline your strengths: at that point, the company is probably not telling you yet if your application is considered an interesting option. You must at all costs stand out from the crowd. Avoid such statement as "If you do want me, I could imagine myself working here...". What you need to do is to outline your strengths.
• Do not attach further conditions to your feedback. But clearly define all circumstances which are essential to your interest in the position. For example: „The position is highly attractive, but I could only be interested if there was a possibility to work 80%." Do not forget: it is too early to negotiate the terms of the contract. An expression of interest does not necessarily involve the acceptation of a possible employment contract. You are not signing anything yet!

Express your interest! This is a major point when applying for a job: you should demonstrate a genuine interest in the position and in the people you might be working with during many years.

Because, as the English poet and philosopher Thomas Browne says: „Nobody is as uninteresting as a person without interest."