You made it through a job interview and now you must wait to hear back. Instead of doing nothing consider the following as ways to “follow up” and increase your chances of either getting a job offer or continue with the job interviewing process.
1. Assess and evaluate your interview performance
Immediately following your job interview when it’s still fresh in your mind, sit down and write up a summary of the questions along with your answers. If this is the first interview, this process will remind you what your answers were in case you are asked a similar question in a later interview. You will be able to remain consistent if you speak to different personnel or expand on what you said if it’s the same person or people. Make sure you jot down anything that you wanted to say but didn’t get a chance to so in the next interview, you will bring it up. This process of writing down your answers also gives you the opportunity to analyze what was said so if a similar question comes up with another job interview, you will be more prepared.
2. Send a thank you note to the hiring manager
When you take the time to thank your interviewer, it can make a big impact. If you do not have the contact information for all the people who interviewed you than you can send an email or thank you note to the person who coordinated the interview. Make sure to mention how much you appreciate their time, as well as those who interviewed you by name. Take the time to personalize the note by mentioning something in the interview. You can highlight your strengths as they relate to the position, but don’t make it a list of all your abilities.
3. Follow up based off of the company’s timeframe
While following up is essential, doing it too much can also be just as negative as not following up at all. Take a cue by what was said as the next steps. If you were told it would take a week than allow for a few extra days, knowing things can take longer than planned. You can send a quick email that lets them know you are still interested, or offer to provide them with a sample of your work. You want to make it short and to the point as longer emails might look desperate and more than likely will not be read. Some advisors will encourage you to connect to the hiring manager via LinkedIn.
4. Notify references
If you have not taken the time to notify your references, now would be a good time. You don’t want someone to receive a cold call asking about you, especially if it was an old coworker who may not remember you on the spot. Always make a point of letting them know if there is something specific they should relay. For example, if in the interview you noticed many questions on your ability to be a team player, than you would want your reference to be aware this might be a question and ask them to provide positive feedback on those abilities. Also make sure to thank your references afterwards, even if it’s a quick email.
5. Be patient, accept and believe in yourself
Nothing happens right away. If you expect things to happen quickly, you’ll get impatient and disappointed easily. Start telling yourself an offer might come in a week, two weeks or maybe a month. Learn to adjust your expectations and go with the flow. The ability to accept has several dimensions. We all must endure personal hardships and accept what we cannot change. Instead of finding despair, remember more strength can be gained through acceptance and knowing what may appear to be negative today may turn into something positive tomorrow.