Follow-Up After the Job Interview
Oct 24th, 2008 | By Bill | Category: Employment NewsBy being pro-active regarding follow-up, you stand to gain an edge over your competition for the position. A word of caution though – you want to appear enthusiastic, not desperate.
Start your follow-up work at the close of the interview by asking:
1) Will second interviews be a part of the process and if so, when?
2) When the employer expects to make a final decision.
During the interview, obtain the correct names and titles of all the people you speak with. Asking for business cards makes this job a lot easier. Within two business days, send a thank you note or email to each person involved in your interview. If you are writing notes to two or more people at the same company, tweak the wording of the notes slightly so it will appear you had each individual in mind as you composed the message. Also keep in mind, even if the job is not one you really want, you should still send a thank you note.
Be sure to alert your references about the possibility of a call from ‘John Doe with Acme Finance’ regarding the ‘secretarial’ position. This way they will not be caught off guard if the call comes through.
Depending on the time frame for the final decision mentioned in the interview, do a follow-up phone call to the employer within a week or ten days to see if a decision has been made. Use this opportunity to build additional rapport with the company and sell your strengths one more time.
Do be patient. Though you may be anxious to get to work and the employer may be anxious to get someone hired and move on with other things, the hiring process sometimes takes longer than either you or the employer might expect.
Even if the job goes to someone else, do not burn the bridge you just created through the interview. Consider asking the interviewer for referrals to other companies they know which may be hiring someone with your skills.
Do not stop looking. Just because you seem to be a perfect fit for one position, this is no reason to terminate your search. You may find another for which you are suited even more so than this one. So, until you hear the words, "You’re hired," do not cease to explore all your options.
Article by Steve Boulden. Steve has extensive knowledge with job interviews, resumes and skills for following up without ruining the chance of obtaining the job.
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Never underestimate the power of follow-up calls, preferably within a few days after the interview, especially if you are interviewing for a position with a large number of qualified candidates. Keep in mind that, if the company has scheduled a large number of interviews, the company feels that these candidates possess the qualities they are looking for. The follow-up call can immediately set you apart from the crowd by showing the company that you are eager, that you have etiquette, and that you are intelligent enough to ‘not’ rest on your interview alone. It also shows initiative, which every employer appreciates. If you make a follow-up call several days after your interview, hopefully your name and face will still be fresh in the interviewers mind. It may not be after 10 long days or more. Keep your follow-up call short and sweet. Let the interviewer know that you enjoyed speaking with him on such and such date and thank him for his time. End the call with “I hope to hear from you soon†and leave your name and contact information. I have used this technique several times and it works wonders. Some employers may even thank you for propelling them forward in the process or they may let you know that they remembered “you†because you were one of the few candidates that called to follow-up. Remember, don’t fade into the crowd – follow-up!
Never underestimate the power of follow-up calls, preferably within a few days after the interview, especially if you are interviewing for a position with a large number of qualified candidates. Keep in mind that, if the company has scheduled a large number of interviews, the company feels that these candidates possess the qualities they are looking for. The follow-up call can immediately set you apart from the crowd by showing the company that you are eager, that you have etiquette, and that you are intelligent enough to ‘not’ rest on your interview alone. It also shows initiative, which every employer appreciates. If you make a follow-up call several days after your interview, hopefully your name and face will still be fresh in the interviewers mind. It may not be after 10 long days or more. Keep your follow-up call short and sweet. Let the interviewer know that you enjoyed speaking with him on such and such date and thank him for his time. End the call with “I hope to hear from you soon†and leave your name and contact information. I have used this technique several times and it works wonders. Some employers may even thank you for propelling them forward in the process or they may let you know that they remembered “you†because you were one of the few candidates that called to follow-up. Remember, don’t fade into the crowd – follow-up!
be relentless in your follow up…I use the rule of 3…
3 follow up calls without a response is when you can begin to believe they are not interested….and call after 5PM (closing time), you are more likely to have the hiring manager answer the phone directly rather than be pre screened and shoved into voice mail
be relentless in your follow up…I use the rule of 3…
3 follow up calls without a response is when you can begin to believe they are not interested….and call after 5PM (closing time), you are more likely to have the hiring manager answer the phone directly rather than be pre screened and shoved into voice mail