Competency #21: I Can Follow Up on Job Interviews

So, you’ve had your interview, and it went really, really well.  Congratulations- you’re done with the process, and all you need to do now is to sit and….wait, right?  No, no, and NO.

One of the most important actions you can do after a job interview is to follow up with the interviewer. There are several tasks to this process, however.  The first task is to send a thank-you note immediately post-interview, and you can only do this if you have contact information for everyone you met. (Did you ask for business cards during the interview?) Your correspondence can be sent either via email, or you can pen a short note and send it via  “snail” mail.  This note should thank the interviewer(s) for the opportunity to discuss your qualifications for the job, and also mention (briefly) something noteworthy discussed during the interview.  For example, if you mentioned your talent in writing code in Python, and they seemed very impressed, you could mention it again in the note: “As we discussed during my interview, I’ve had several years experience in developing software using Python.”

Also, in your note/email, strongly consider a statement like the following: “I plan to follow up with you in ten days, if I don’t hear from you, to check on the status of my application.” Of course, this means you WILL follow up. 

If you think I'm crazy, let me suggest to you that this tactic really does work.  Why?  Most applicants don’t even consider this step, assuming they’ve done all they need to do. Employers, however, generally appreciate (and most often expect) your efforts to reach out to them post-interview, as it sends a strong message that you truly ARE interested in working for them.

“Staying in the game” well after the interview will pay off for you.  This means not only maintaining a positive attitude, but also taking action to successfully manage the entire process. The fortune is in the follow up!