This one step in your job search is potentially the difference between a successful and unsuccessful job search.
Okay, every step is important. If you refuse to make a resume, then it’s going to be tough. But your resume is table stakes. Everybody has one, and it won’t differentiate you.
But doing an effective after-action report is both highly effective and uncommon.
Does this mean you won’t be able to get a job if you don’t do one? Of course not.
But your search will be longer, and you’ll miss out on a lot of opportunities along the way.
What's An After-Action Report (AAR)?
Well, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. It’s a review and analysis after the completion of an action or event of some sort. It’s pretty common in the military, which is where I think the term came from.
The point of an AAR is to evaluate the successes and failures of the mission, in this case, “an interview,” with the goal of improving in the future.
This is important. The point is not to beat yourself up but to learn how to be better next time.
It’s also to analyze any information that was gathered so you can act on it.
Doing AARs post-interview is so powerful; you’ll be able to see your progress pretty quickly.
Unfortunately, most people don’t bother doing one.
Why don't people do it?
Most people have never heard of the concept of an after-action report, much less applied it to an interview, so of course, they don’t do one.
A lot of people are busy and can’t be bothered to make the effort to do AARs even though they don’t take more than 10–15 minutes at most.
I suspect the biggest reason is that they just don’t see the value in them.
Whatever their reason, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors if you do one.
How To Do An After-Action Report
Doing an AAR is actually pretty simple.
Take up to 15 minutes after your interview, whether it’s an informational interview or an actual job interview, and go somewhere quiet.
Either digitally or on paper, make notes on
- What you did well
- What you did poorly and how to improve
- What questions they asked you
- What questions you asked them
- Notes from the discussion
I treat the AAR as a bit of a reward.
I’ve just finished an interview, and while I’m doing my after-action, I’ll treat myself to a nice coffee and a bit of relaxation at a coffee shop.
What You Did Well
Highlight the things you did well, especially those that you’re working on improving. For example, if you did a good job on a couple of questions you stumbled on before, highlight that.
Until you’re really good at interviewing, you should go into each interview focused on a couple of things you want to improve and then evaluate how you did on them.
What You Did Poorly and How To Improve
This is the place to be brutally honest. You will not improve until you candidly assess your weaknesses.
This is easiest and most effective to do when it’s fresh.
It may include anything from the substance of your answers to certain questions to how effectively you delivered your key messages.
Think of the report card you used to get as a kid. It would not only include a grade but commentary with more details on how to improve.
You may even choose to start the AAR with a checklist of things you’re focused on improving. This will speed things up and reduce friction (and therefore increase the chances you’ll do it consistently).
What Questions They Asked You
The main purpose of this section is to help you build a database of questions people ask you. As you have more interviews, you’ll start to notice patterns and it can help you figure out where to focus your preparation.
If you do this with a couple of friends who are doing a similar job search, you can really build a solid question bank that will help all of you.
This sets you up to be able to prep for a broader array of questions. It’s not the topic of today’s email, but remember to make your answers
- Bullet point — don’t try and memorize in your preparation, and
- Modular — so you can mix and match parts of different answers.
The bullet points could be more detailed or just contain a reference to your hero stories and where you want to insert your key messages.
What Questions You Asked Them
This ensures you’ve kept track of what you’ve already asked someone.
It’s awfully embarrassing if you end up meeting the same person again and asking the same question.
It’s also a good place to make notes on whether you are finding a certain question more or less effective.
Notes from the discussion
This is self-explanatory, but here are some examples of what you might include here.
- Information you gathered about the company
- Anyone else you should be talking to
- Terms or language that seem industry or company-specific
- Things about the company that they seemed proud of
- The interviewer’s interests
- Anything to refer back to when you talk to them again.
This is also where you make notes on your follow-up and what you’re going to include in your thank you email.
In this section, you should include some way to add things to your to-do list to capture them immediately while it’s still fresh in your mind.
You may know by now that I’ve built a Job Search Organizer with an After Action Report template that integrates with all your other job search prep.
Why Should You Bother doing an AAR?
Hopefully, the benefits of doing an after-action report are obvious now.
- As you’ve probably worked out by now, I’m a big believer in using diagnostics to figure out where to improve when we’re lucky enough to have an opportunity. This is a big one. We only have so many opportunities for real, live interviews where we can assess our “game day” performance to identify weaknesses. Take advantage of them.
- It’s a really useful way to track your performance and see the improvement. Progress can be very motivational and is a way to keep your spirits up and stay positive even if the results in your job search aren’t there yet. It’s a process, and your odds of success increase as you continue to improve.
- Following up and doing what you say you’re going to is really credibility-enhancing. An after-action report helps you keep track of any loose ends you need to follow up on. This will make you look like a champ when you show you do what you say.
- Keeping track of tidbits of info can be valuable. Here are some examples:
a) You are going to send a quick thank you email to your interviewer, right? After the first line expressing appreciation for them spending the time with you, you can refer back to something they mentioned that you thought was interesting, impactful or whatever. It’s a way to highlight that you thought the time was valuable and you were paying attention. Keep track of what you’re going to include here.
b) Let’s say you’re in an interview for a marketing position and mention you noticed they won a big account. If they responded well to this, then there’s a good chance other interviewers might react the same way. That’s valuable info that’s going to get lost if you don’t have a way to capture it.
c) If you notice everyone you’ve spoken to in a company uses a specific way of phrasing something in informational interviews, gently mirroring this back to others in your actual interviews will make you seem like a more natural fit. Don’t be excessive; they may not even notice it, but subtle things can make a difference. You can’t do this if you don’t keep track of things you may have noticed.
d) More generally, there are many useful pieces of information if you capture them. But they disappear like smoke in the wind if you don’t. Most people don’t bother. Keeping track of these tidbits will give you an advantage.
Tools to Use For Your After-Action Report
You should use whatever tool you’re most likely to stick with that will do the job.
If you decide that a highly complicated system is best but never use it because the friction is too high, then it’s not worth choosing.
My recommendation is, you guessed it, Notion. It is very flexible and versatile and can be used on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop anywhere you can get a cellular connection.
As I mentioned above, I’ve built a full Notion Job Organization system that has all the different parts, including company research, contacts, question lists, a task manager, after-action reports, and more. You’re welcome to contact me by replying to this email if you’re on the fence and need more information about it.
Job Search Organizer
Walk into your interview with confidence.
I created an entire Job Search Headquarters in Notion, and it’s a secret weapon… Read more
If you don’t have Notion, you can download it here. It is free for individual use, but there is a charge to upgrade to the team version.
The Notion link is an affiliate link, which means that if you decide to upgrade, they’ll pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Realistically, though, most individuals won’t need to upgrade. I just put that in for full disclosure.
I would really appreciate it if you would share this with someone who you think might benefit and encourage them to sign up.
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That’s it for this week…don’t be shy to reply if you have any questions.
Announcement:
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