Do what you said you were going to do
➔ You just had a great job interview and as you leave the premises you’re feeling pretty good about your chances… and yourself. Great job. Now don’t blow it.
Now what?
One very often overlooked aspect of the job interview is what happens when the interview is over. How do you follow up?
It used to be that you just mailed a thank you letter to the person with whom you interviewed. If you’re thinking that maybe that’s not de rigueur any more – considering all the many changes that have overwhelmed the job search process in recent years, you would be wrong. Very wrong.
The only time that it’s wrong to send a thank you letter is when it’s sent too late.
Fortunately, one of the things that has changed is that you can send an email thank you before you’ve even left the employer’s parking lot. Not a bad idea. It’s also not a bad idea to send a thank you letter via the post in addition to that email.
Here’s a potential dilemma. You just had a panel interview (video or in person) where you were grilled by three or four individuals. What to do? One thank you to the lead person? One thank you to each and every person involved in the interview?
Yes. Yes to the latter… with a word of caution. If you’re sending thank you’s to more than one person, do not send each person the same note. You’ll be best served if each note is not just personalized, but specific and memorable to each individual.
The overriding rule of the road is simple: do what you said in the interview that you were going to do. Send your thank you note(s). But if you pledged to call the first of the following week (or whenever), do just that. Not only do employers like that kind of initiative, they love candidates who do what they say they’re going to do.
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