Jenna Goudreau, Forbes Staff
You did it. Your resume stood out from the stack. You landed an interview and expertly dodged the hiring manager’s trick questions, smartly answered the toughest queries and even asked a few good questions of your own. Think your work is done? Think again.
“Each step along the way is critical,” says Steven Raz, co-owner and managing partner of recruitment firm Cornerstone Search Group. “Just because the interview is over, don’t believe you’re no longer being interviewed.”
In an age when communication and building relationships are key business skills, how you handle the interview follow-up can help you stand out from other candidates. But being overly aggressive or thoughtless about following up may get your resume tossed. Job experts offer these five crucial steps to seal the deal—and point out the dangerous pitfalls.
Immediately Send A Follow-Up Email
Regardless of the type or experience level of the job, a thank-you email should always be sent within 24 hours of the meeting. “Time is of the essence,” says Raz. “You want to make sure your email gets to them quickly.” If you’ve collected a business card from each person you spoke with, you’ll have the correct titles, email addresses and name spellings. Raz warns that any correspondence needs to be impeccable, noting that too often qualified people send off a quick email riddled with typos and grammatical errors. He advises always asking someone to proofread it first.
The follow-up email doesn’t need to be long, but it should be personalized enough so that it doesn’t read like a standard form letter. Interview coach Pamela Skillings suggests using the email to thank the interviewer for their time, reference what was discussed in the interview, highlight again your interest and key selling points, and reiterate how you can be contacted. It should be no more than three paragraphs of two to three sentences each.
Check In With Your References - Read the rest of the Forbes Article for steps 2 - 5
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