Planned and
effective follow-up after an interview is a must. Failing to do so might
cause you to lose out to another candidate.
Although it is
important to provide a great impression during an interview, closing the
interview strong is just as important. In addition it sets the stage for the
next phase of the process, the follow-up.
Prove to your
interviewer that you want this position and you are in this for the right
reasons. Here are some questions you can ask before you leave the interview....
- How
do you view my qualifications for this position?
- Can
you tell me what steps need to be completed before your company can
generate an offer?
- Is
there anything else I can provide to help you make your decision?
- What's
your timeline for making a decision, and when can I expect to hear back
from you?
Now that you have
an idea how you may stack up, an idea as to the process and steps and an idea
as to their timeline, this helps determine your follow-up steps. The line
between being persistent and being a pest can be a tightrope walk. So this
process must be managed well.
To a degree, your
planned follow-up depends on the type of role you are interviewing for. If you
are in a more relaxed profession (e.g., accounting), I would wait seven days
after your last contact to call or e-mail again. Why? Accounting is not as
aggressive as sales, and therefore to apply sales pressure might frighten off
your boss-to-be. Balance the aggressiveness of your follow-up with the field
you are in; the more aggressive the job is, the more aggressive you should be
in following up.
THE THANK YOU NOTE
A thank you note
is a MUST. Send one via email within 24 hours of the interview. However,
a handwritten card still can’t be beat.
Include supporting
documentation that illustrates your ability to do the job. You don’t want to
overwhelm the interviewer, but adding one or two carefully crafted examples of
your work (non-confidential work samples, etc.) can be a good way to show off
your expertise.
Provide a
follow-up response to one of the key interview questions. We all leave
conversations thinking we would have responded with this or that. Use your note
to modify, correct or amplify one of your responses.
Always be
professional. Always be courteous but with the enthusiasm.
Keep in mind —
many companies don’t tell you their hiring decision. If no one returns your
e-mails or voice mails after several weeks, let it go and presume that there
will be no offer. If the hiring company were interested, your contacts would be
picking up the phone. No worries, the right job will come.
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