We all go for interviews with one goal in mind: impress the hiring manager and win the job offer. But how long does it take for you to create a good impression of yourself in the hiring manager’s mind? You will only face theinterviewonce, and there are no do-overs. That’s why it’s sometimes frustrating when the interview ends abruptly without even giving you enough time to get your points across.
If you spent hours or even dayspreparing for an important interview, you want everything to go right on the day. But you should keep in mind that interviews don’t generally last for a long time. A good interview can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. If the hiring manager is really interested, then it might even go on for two hours!
Let’s see what you can discern aboutyour performance during an interviewwith how long it lasted:
If your interview lasted 15 minutes…
This is what we can easily call a short interview. Usually, when you are applying for a part-time position, your interview will end soon. In such a case, a 15-minute interview is ideal. However, if the interview was for a full-time position, then this timeframe is frankly not enough. The chances are the hiring manager is not interested in you. A 15-minute interview doesn’t really give you a chance to ask questions from the interviewer. However, if you are interviewing for a full-time position, and you sense that things are beginning to wrap up after a few minutes, be bold and ask the interviewer about the qualifications you are lacking to fit the position. That way, you will be able tofix your shortcomingsand do a better job at the next chance you get.
If your interview lasted 30 minutes…
A thirty-minute interview can be a good sign. There is enough time for the interviewer to get familiar with your history and qualifications. They might even throw in a few behavioral questions at you in this timeframe if they are interested in you. Usually, hiring managers plan for individual interview sessions to be 30-minutes long. The fact that you used up all the allocated time is good for your chances of getting hired.
If your interview lasted 45 minutes…
Most employers consider forty-five minutes to be a good average time fora successful interview. This gives the interviewer ample time to inquire about the history of a candidate and review their qualifications in detail. A 45-minute interview lets you talk about your achievements and allows you enough time to ask important questions about the company. You can get a good idea of your employers and the company culture with a 45-minute interview.
If your interview lasted one whole hour…
Only a fewstrong candidatesget to pass the one-hour mark on their interview. If the hiring manager devotes more than an hour to interviewing you, it means they are genuinely interested in your qualifications. Also, one hour is the standard time for interviews for executive positions. You might even get asked to meet other people in the company during your interview. Sometimes, you will be asked to perform certain tasks such as an on-site project or an efficiency test.
