“I Was CERTAIN I’d Get the Job—Then I Didn’t”
(The #1 Mistake People Make After a Job Interview and How to Avoid It)
I hear stories like this all the time.
You just had a great interview—you vibed with the team and left thinking…this could be it.
And hey—maybe it will be. It totally could be…
But with so much outside your control, there’s always a chance it won’t be.
Real quick—I’m Tessa. And over the last 13 years in the talent and career space, I’ve wracked up over 7,000 hours of interviews—that’s the equivalent of watching every season of Love Island UK more than 10 times (you heard me😅)
And this is one of the biggest mistakes I see job seekers make: they stop everything after a great interview.
👉🏽 Pause their search.
👉🏽 Stop applying.
👉🏽 Halt all interviews.
👉🏽 Convince themselves they’ve got it in the bag…
And, in doing so? Fork over all their momentum to one opportunity.
I get it—I really do. When you’re two months in and six interviews deep, it starts to feel like you’re the chosen one, a part of the team already.
I mean, how could they not pick you?
…but then somewhere in between picking out your first-day outfit and deleting your interview tracker, you notice something. No emails. No phone calls.
It’s just…quiet.
Then one of two things happens:
1. Either an uncomfortable rejection lands in your inbox at 5pm on a Friday (you know the one):
“Thanks so much for taking the time to interview with us, the team really enjoyed meeting you. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to go with someone who more closely aligns to the needs and skills of this role. We’ll keep your resume on file for future opportunities”
2. Or worse—ghost town. You never hear anything at all. 👻 The most strategic job seekers keep moving. So what should you do instead?
So…here are the 3 most important moves I recommend making right after an interview—whether it went well or not.
1️⃣ Keep Your Momentum
Momentum is like compound interest—it builds when you consistently take action. But once you stop? It stalls out fast.
A lot of job seekers convince themselves they’re “just taking a breather” after a promising interview. But more often than not, that breather morphs into:
Hard overthinking
Constant inbox refreshing
Replaying every word you said
All while the opportunity you were so sure about? It might be going through something you don’t expect—and will never see.
I’ve had to reject candidates who were our top choice—not because they did something wrong, but because of:
Last-minute budget shifts
Org changes, or
Internal politics
All of which I had no control over. That’s the reality behind the scenes.
You’re not just dealing with one decision. You’re navigating a whole system of moving parts you’ll never be looped into. And when you pin all your hops on one opportunity? You’re gambling on something you can’t control, either.
Momentum matters—and keeping it going is the easy part. But rebuilding it after you’ve paused?
That feels a lot like starting over.
👉🏽Do this instead: Even if that interview felt like “the one,” keep your search in motion. Apply to another role, message a recruiter, schedule a networking chat. It’s not about chasing anything and everything—but staying focused, visible, and prepared.
2️⃣ Protect Your Mindset
When you’re all-in on one role, it starts to feel like that company holds all the cards.
You become hyper-focused on their timeline, their feedback, their decision. And that pressure bleeds into evvvvvverything—from how you follow up to how confidently you interview (or negotiate—more on that in a bit).
But when you’ve got other irons in the fire, your mindset shifts.
You’re no longer clinging to ONE outcome. You have options—and babe, I LOVE THAT for you. It changes everything.
That shift shows up in how you carry yourself. Because instead of chasing down the first company to glance your way, you show up like someone who knows what they bring to the table.
That energy is magnetic.
Hiring teams feel it. There are few things more attractive to a hiring team than a confident (not arrogant) candidate who knows:
What they want
Their value, and is
Clear on how they can make an impact.
With other options comes choice.
And choice is powerful.
👉🏽Do this instead: Take small, strategic steps to keep your power intact. Apply to that role you bookmarked last week. Reach out to someone in your network. Book the intro call you’ve been putting off.
You don’t need 10 interviews on the calendar—you just need to keep reminding yourself that you’ve got options.
3️⃣ Strengthen Your Negotiation Power
You know what makes it easier to ask for more money? Knowing you’ve got other leads in motion and options on deck.
When you’re only interviewing for one role, it’s easy to slip into scarcity mode:
💰 Afraid of “asking too much”
💰Appearing unreasonable, or
💰Coming across as “difficult”
So you stay quiet, hope they come in with something decent, and convince yourself it’s “good enough” when that offer comes back subpar.
Shifting your mindset changes the game, entirely.
Instead of negotiating from fear—you negotiate with leverage, because you know the value you bring and that this isn’t your only shot. That confidence changes your tone, posture, and entire energy in the room.
When I landed my first six-figure job, it wasn’t luck—it was strategy and momentum built up over time.
My LinkedIn was dialed in
I’d positioned myself for the kind of role I wanted, and
I had multiple interviews lined up
So when I interviewed, I didn’t feel desperate or panicked. And when the offer came in, I negotiated for $20K more…and got it.
(Click here to read more about my strategy)
No playing hardball or taking what I could get. I was prepared, clear on my worth, and had the confidence to ask.
👉🏽 Do this instead: Keep stacking your pipeline, even after a great interview. You don’t need five offers—you just need one more in play to shift your confidence and give you the leverage to ask for what you’re really worth.
Here’s the Big Picture:
Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The most strategic job seekers don’t wait to be chosen. They build a search that puts them in the driver’s seat.
✅ Momentum creates confidence
✅ Confidence leads to stronger interviews
✅ Strong interviews lead to better offers
Because momentum isn’t something you wait around for—it’s something you build.
So if you just had a great interview? Amazing. Celebrate it. Follow up.
And keep going.
Ready for the support to build a job search that actually leads to offers you're excited about? Book a free Clarity Call with me. We’ll talk through what’s working, what’s not, and how to build a strategy that gives you confidence and control at every step.
👇🏽 Click here to schedule your free call!
P.S. I talk about this in one of my most popular TikToks, where I break down exactly why it's important to keep interviewing. 🎥
