After finishing an interview, many candidates
simply wait for the job offer or letter of regret. As in sports,
follow through makes all the difference in the world. The
question is simply just how and when you should re-contact
your potential employer, not if. Sometimes the only thing
separating you from the position that you want is other equally
credentialed candidates. Keep yourself at the front of the
pack by reminding them of who you are.
The first move is to call your interviewer later and thank
them for their time that they spent with you. This should
be done on the same day, but if the meeting was near the close
of business, the next morning will suffice. If you get their
voicemail, just leave a message expressing the same. Keep
it short and sweet, as you are sure they are very busy. If
you can think of any additional information that would be
helpful to them in making their decision but failed to mention
earlier, now would be the time.
The second move is to follow the call with a note expressing
your thanks again. It should arrive the twenty four to forty
eight hours after the interview and it is therefore acceptable
to fax or email that note. Highlight what was discussed in
your interview and reiterate your qualifications. Finish by
expressing your continued interest in the position. If you
met with several people, the department head and the Human
Resource Manager for example, send each of them a separate
note. Ideally, you will have collected their business cards
so that you can correctly address, by name, each person with
the correct title. Make sure that each person’s note
is unique. Changing the name at the top of each letter will
not do as the department head may bring the letter to the
Human Resource Manager just to find out they received the
exact same thing.
Alert each person on your recommendation list to the possibility
of being contacted by your potential employer. This gives
them some time to think about what they may say. If you have
a person on your recommendation list who could have a strong
impact on your chances of being hired, ask them to follow
through for you with a call of their own. Use only one person
to do this so that you do not come off as being overbearing
and only do this if this is a truly great job opportunity.
You do not want this person to become frustrated at being
asked to repeatedly call on every interview chance that you
get and eventually lose interest.
If you have not heard anything within a week to ten days after
the interview, you may again call to ask if any decision has
been reached. Sometimes the hiring process takes longer than
the employer expects and you want to show your continued interest.
Of course, you do want to be bothersome so always be deferential
and patient during the call. If no decision has been reached,
you may again remind them of your strengths and why you think
you would be a good fit for their company.
Finally, if you have gone on several interviews and receive
an offer on one, but are still waiting to hear from the company
you would prefer to work for, it is recommended that you let
them know of your other offer before accepting it. This kind
of forces a response one-way or the other from your preferred
company as a sort of leverage. You may simply call the person
with whom you interviewed and inform them of the offer that
is on the table. You only need to state the company that wants
to hire you and tell them that you would like to have an indication
from them before accepting that offer. This lets them know
that you are seriously interested in working for them. They
may offer you the job before losing you to someone else.
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