After awhile, you learn some signs that it is more likely you are going to get hired.
One of the major ones is when they help you. The best way I have found is the length of time between the job posting and when you are contacted. If this happens in a few days to a week it means that you are in the first draft of choices. If you get an interview even a screening one within two weeks, you are definitely in the running.
Another sign is when after the first interview you don’t have to ask what the next steps will be, they tell you. Compliments are another good sign that they liked how you presented yourself.
The time to the second interview is also a sign of how interested they are with you. If that happens within a week you are prime for the job. The longer the wait until the second interview, the more they are interviewing other candidates or have decided on someone else. That’s ok, there are plenty of smart and talented people out there.
If you get the second interview, and they have a process of 3 interviews or whatever, it is very likely you will complete the process. Overwhelmingly when I have gotten a second interview, I have finished the process that had. There were a few exceptions when I removed myself from their process since they wanted an unreasonable amount of interviews 8-10 and I had already accepted another offer.
Another positive sign in the interview is when they say things like “That was my next question you answered.” Many times those of us who have interviewed know what people want to know and so it is easy to answer the first question and several others at the same time. In fact recruiters/hiring managers like this because it shows them that you have experience in interviewing and that you are making their job easier already.
You want to make it easy for someone to like you. Be friendly and professional. Don’t say anything controversial. You are here to get a job not solve world peace. Stick to just answering the question, but also not giving one word answers. Recruiters like to see that you are someone that is easy to deal with. If you make the process difficult, then it is very unlikely they will want you.
That means that getting a job is either about: connections, education or charm. If you have one of these three you usually get the job. Interestingly it is not necessary to know the skills for the job. Many times I have worked in IT with people who didn’t know how to do the job but because they had a college degree, charm or connections they had an IT job. I always found this interesting.
Don’t worry if you didn’t get the job. They didn’t deserve you if they can’t see your obvious talents and skills.