So, now that you have had an interview and you thought you did pretty well, or, maybe, you thought it went poorly. What do you do next?
After every meeting, whether it is for information gathering, career advice, or for an actual open position, you must follow up. This is not simply a thank you letter. This is a reinforcement of what you said, or, in addition to what you said during the meeting. It is also an opportunity to say what you shoulda, woulda, coulda, said but did not. It is an opportunity to overcome any objection they have about your background or skill set.
Follow these steps:
1) If you think it went well -Write a letter in which you thank them for their time, you reiterate what you said during the interview that relates to your skill set to the job description. Show you learned something from listening to them that can help solve their problems. Repeat that you are very interested in working for them, if not now, then in the future.
2) If you think you bombed – You can actually use this letter to recover from a poor interview. Write a letter that thanks them for their time. Say you thought about one (or two ) of their questions and here is how you would have answered them. Do some research and write a proposal that could help them solve their problem or increase their customer satisfaction.
3) Follow up in one week if you don’t hear from them – Call the hiring manager or the person who interviewed you to get some time on the phone to reiterate that you remain interested in working for them.
4) Keep following up every 4 to 6 weeks – with a piece of information that you found that might be relevant, an article you read, a seminar you attended, or some other bit of news that is relevant to the individual’s challenges and to the company.
5) Write to the person who originally introduced you and thank them for the opportunity.
Remember that the interview is merely the first step in the process, it is not the end. You want to be asked back for the second and third interviews and get the offer.
–P.S. “Using LinekdIn for Your Job Search” June 14, 6-7:30 PM at SIBL library, 188 Madison Avenue, between E. 34th and E 35th Streets.
GEFFEN C A R E E R S
www.uspublishingjobs.com