Following Up after a Job Interview: Tips and Examples, Lecture notes of Business

Download Following Up after a Job Interview: Tips and Examples and more Lecture notes Business in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Network to Work Meeting Resource Materials - December 2015 Tips for Following-Up after a Job Interview Your role in the job search process doesn’t end with the interview. Following up after the interview in a professional manner is crucial if you truly want to land the job. So here are rules and suggestions regarding how to show your interest without seeming desperate: 1. At the Interview itself: As the interview is ending, ask about the timeline for the employer’s next steps in the hiring process. Specifically, ask when they expect to make their decision. If possible, get the business card of each person who participated in your interview. If no card is available, be sure to get the correct names and titles of all the individuals who interviewed you. If the employer hasn’t mentioned this, you should also ask about the best time, method, and contact person for follow up. Finally, don’t forget to reiterate your interest in the job and the company. 2. Before you get home: Once you leave the site of the interview, write down everything you can remember about the interview and what was said by each interviewer.  Focus on what they seemed to like or reacted positively to.  Did you hear or sense any concerns? Write those down.  Did anything come up that you might want to research and mention in your follow up?  How about sports teams or other shared interests? 3. Thank you notes: Within 24 – 48 hours of your interview write a personal thank you note to each person who interviewed you. This is a must! Why?  It impresses employers and shows them respect.  It indicates you understand professional courtesy.  It provides another opportunity to be in front of the interviewers & remind them who you are.  It allows you to mention anything you forgot to say in the interview, and to clarify things you might have said poorly.  It demonstrates your communication skills. 2 It’s recommended that you write a separate note (or email) to each person. Ideally the content of each note should be a little different for each person. Perhaps you can respond to a comment made by each person in the course of the interview. Handwritten? Emailed? Typed? Don’t worry about the format as much as choosing a method that is best for reaching the people who interviewed you. Consider using the same format that was used for your last contact with the employer. For some it may be email; for others, regular mail may be better. A CareerBuilder survey says that nearly 90% of employers feel an emailed thank you is okay. In some cases you may want to immediately send an emailed thank you note, and follow up with a hand written note (that says something different). What to say? Show appreciation for their time and their interest in you. Reiterate some reasons why you believe you are a strong candidate for the position. Also, be sure to proofread for errors, misspellings and typographic errors. If spelling isn’t your best skill, ask someone else to review the note for you. Thank You Do’s and Don’ts:  DO highlight the things the employer seemed to like about you;  DO cover anything positive you forgot to mention in the interview;  DO express your skill in any area the employer seemed to be concerned about;  DO keep it short; just one page / a couple of paragraphs;  DO proofread it very carefully.  DON’T send a generic, canned thank you;  DON’T claim to have experience or qualifications that you don’t;  DON’T provide a thank you note as you leave the interview. 4. Phone calls and written inquiries: If you don’t hear anything back from the employer after your interview and sending your thank you, it is important to follow up with a phone call or email to ask where they are in their hiring process. The timing of this contact should be in line with statements made at the end of the interview regarding the next steps in the hiring process. Reiterate your interest and gently remind them of your strengths and skills. If you don’t hear anything in another week or two, one more follow up inquiry is okay. After that, only call again if the employer asks you to. The squeaky wheel gets the grease but too much squeakiness is annoying! A well-written follow up note is a reasonable alternative to a phone call. In either case, take a friendly tone, not an accusatory or demanding one. Be friendly, conversational and polite, but also concise and to the point. DON’T say “You indicated you would get back in touch with me and I haven’t heard from you”. Instead, DO say: