How effective is your Interview Follow-up game?

How effective is your Interview Follow-up game?

So, you’ve had your interview. You sent your thank you. Now what?

If you are in a lull with your job search it is good to ask yourself, “Who haven’t I followed-up with lately?”

Before I explain how to follow up, I think it is important to mention what you definitely should not do. DON’T do the following:

-Check in aggressively.

-Bluff by saying you have another job offer when you really don’t.

-Stop applying and interviewing for other jobs.

-Go on vacation and become inaccessible without giving the employer a heads up.

-Agonize and obsess.

Why You Should Follow Up:

Ok, now that you know what NOT to do, let’s talk about why you should follow up:

1. It Can Give You Peace of Mind

2. It Gives You a Chance to Strut Your Stuff (a Little More)

3. It Can Move Things Along or Give You Closure

How to Follow-Up

Keeping the above don’ts and whys in mind, here is some solid advice on following up:

-Don’t follow-up prior to the time frame the employer gave you to expect to hear from them. But remember, you should have already send your thank you.

-A quick email or phone call is sufficient

Here are some examples:

Dear [hiring manager’s name],

I hope all is well. I just wanted to check in and see if there’s an update on the timeline or status for the [job title] position I interviewed for on [date of interview]. I’m still very interested and look forward to hearing back from you.

OR

Since we last spoke, I couldn’t stop thinking about our conversation about [business challenge you discussed]. I wondered if the team has considered [your idea for a solution]? I faced something similar at [previous company name] and this [explain positive result, with numbers if possible].

Use the following ONLY if it is true:

Dear [hiring manager’s name],

I hope all is well. I wanted to check in on the status of the [job title] position, as I’ve received an offer from another company. I’m still very much interested in joining the team at [company name], and wanted to get an update on my candidacy and the timeline before making a decision. Please let me know when you have a moment. Thanks!

It’s polite to let potential employers and your recruiter know if you’ve received offers elsewhere, and especially if you’ve taken a new job. Many clients are offered a job but reach out to their dream job employer to let them know as a courtesy that they have been offered a job at a competitive company. Their dream job can do one of 3 things: continue to ignore you, send you a congratulatory message and wish you well, or counter with an offer for employment. Think about it… a 1 in 3 chance of getting offered your dream job. That seems like pretty good odds to me.

How can I help?

Need more job search advice? Could your resume use a free critique?

Contact me today and get started on improving your future.

richardfruscione@hotmail.com