Interviewing Tips

After the Interview...

Thank You Letter

If you want the job, write a thank-you letter and mail it that day or the next. Address the letter to the main interviewer.

While e-mail is ok if you have been communicating with the firm electronically it could get lost in the dozens or hundreds of e-mail the interviewer handles every day. Or worse, the spam checked could toss it.

Don't copy a letter, such as the one below, word-for-word. Write your own letter in your own words. If you don't use the word "acquaint" don't put it in a letter.

Mr. John Smith AB Company 123 Some Street Atown, XX 12345 Dear Mr. Smith, Thank you for taking the time to discuss the [POSITION TITLE] position at [COMPANY NAME] with me. After meeting with you and observing the company's operations, I am further convinced that my background and skills coincide well with your needs. I really appreciate that you took so much time to meet with me to discuss how I can contribute your organization. It is no wonder that [COMPANY NAME] retains its employees for so long. I feel I could learn a great deal from you and would certainly enjoy working with you. In addition to my qualifications and experience, I will bring excellent work habits and judgment to this position. With the countless demands on your time, I am sure that you require people who can be trusted to carry out their responsibilities with minimal supervision. I look forward, Mr. Weatherby, to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision. Again, thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,

Other Follow-up.

After the thank you letter you can probably get away with one additional contact by calling the interviewer or sending him or her an e-mail. Once is not too intrusive but after that you are bordering on becoming an irritant. Companies try to avoid hiring irritating people.

This additional contact should only happen after the interviewer has indicated the decision would be made, plus several days.

I did this to get my first job in the industry and it worked. They had stalled out because the division president was out of the office unexpectedly and he had to approve the hire. I just reminded them that I was still available (it was for a co-op position so they weren't too surprised). Their answer was "oh, yeah, can you be here Monday at 8?"