So, you finally had that job interview. You know the one. The interview you tried so hard to land. The interview for which you prepared so hard? The interview you know you nailed? It’s all over. You can sit back, relax, and wait for the phone to ring with a job offer. Right? Wrong!
Winning a job interview is the first part of the battle. Performing well in the interview is the second part of the battle. Now comes the third part of the battle: The follow-up contact.
But, “wait a minute,” you say, “won’t I look desperate if I follow up?” Well, yes, if your follow-up is a phone call saying, “oh please, oh please, oh please hire me. I will die if I don’t have this job!” That would be desperate. A simple thank-you note is showing interest and keeps your name alive.
Here are a few tips on what to do after your job interview which can help increase your chances of getting hired:
* Send a thank you note right after the interview, ideally after a couple of days. This is a way of getting the prospective employer to hear from you again. Will it ensure you get the job you interviewed for? No. But, if you don’t get hired for that particular job, this might impress the company enough to keep your information on file for future consideration.
* Be accurate in getting the contact information of perspective employers. Double check and triple check your thank-you note so that their information is correct and there are no typographical errors contained in the note. In this day and age of e-mail and instant messages, some may think that there are fewer stigmas placed on spelling errors and typos. Remember, this is the business world you’re dealing with. Spelling errors and typos are indications of sloppiness, and no one wants to hire someone who will be sloppy in the work environment.
* If you have left character references with the prospective employer, do alert those references that they can expect a call from the company. It doesn’t look good if the prospective employer calls a reference who is caught unaware. Also, it’s not very considerate to your reference.
* Make sure that you leave all of your contact information, including your cell and landline phone numbers, e-mail address and home address. With regard to your outgoing messages on your cell and home phone answer machines and voicemail, make sure there’s no cute outgoing message which might turn off a prospective employer. Cute’s great for your friends, but might turn off a future employer. Don’t give anyone a reason to dislike you.
* Always be on the positive side. Should you not get hired for a particular position, do thank the company for the consideration, and ask they keep you in mind for future hiring.
While these tips can’t guarantee that you’ll receive the job for which you interviewed, they can at least help tip the scales in your favor, if not for the current position, but for future positions within the company.
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Shari Hearn is a writer and creator of Training for a Different Career, where you can learn all about At Home Career Training
