The Number One Thing You Must Do After a Job Interview

Posted on February 26, 2010
Filed Under Career | Leave a Comment

Follow Up. Yes follow up, but not many people do this. Once the interview is over, they shake hands and continue with their lives and wait for the phone call. Maybe after a week, some will follow up on the interview’s result rather than follow up on the interview itself.

If you really want the job, you must fight for it. Not only with the preparation before the interview and giving your best during the interview, but after the interview itself. The best follow up after an interview is with a personal note saying ‘Thank You’. Saying thank you is one of the easiest thing to do and if you do it right, the dream job could be yours.

This is not referring to the ‘thank you’ you said right after the interview when everybody shake hands. It’s the one you should send after the interview. A simple thank you note that should be handwritten and sent through snail mail. Not typewritten and not through email.

The first thing you need to do is get your interviewer’s contact information. Please don’t forget to ask for his name card before you leave. If you have not been given one at the start of the interview, ask for it when you have completed the interview. If he doesn’t has one with him, ask the secretary or the receptionist on your way out.

On your way home, stop by a gift shop and get yourself a stationery set. It should consist of an envelope and a blank piece of paper. Don’t get those colored papers with fancy designs. Just get a plain white one. Then write, don’t type, a short thank you note for your interviewer. It should be short and brief and must be handwritten. Handwritten envelope always gets open. Even if the letter reach your interviewer’s secretary, it will get delivered and your interviewer will open it. Try sending two snail mails to your closest friend. One typed and the other one handwritten, which one will your friend open first? Handwritten letters are always considered as personal and it will not only be opened, but the first one to be opened.

In the note, don’t forget to:

1. Remind your interviewer who you are. He must have interviewed a lot of people for that position. So remind him something significant during the interview so that he remembered it is you.

2. Ask for the opportunity to work with him, with the company. Even though you have gone through the interview, ask again. Just don’t look desperate.

3. Include your contact info i.e. name, email, phone, address. Make it easy for him although he already has your resume and everything.

4. And finally, the magic word ‘Thank You’. Actually, this should be the first thing you put in the note, and followed by the above. Tell him that you really appreciated the chance for the interview and look forward to have a future with the company.

Once you are done, ask someone to proof read it and make sure the note can be read. Then put it in an envelope and mail it.

There you go, a simple tip that may land you your dream job.

Stacy writes about career development at JobsMyx. If you need a change of job, head over to http://jobsmyx.com for more interview and career development tips.