Job Interview Mistakes

[burbuja0512]

I see a lot of job interview articles, but this is one that I thought might be good for the younger people on the forum who don't have much interviewing experience.

The Number One Mistake People I Interview Are Making These Days

In the article, the "thank you email" is discussed. I agree and disagree, depending on the level of the job and how badly you want to be hired. I would add a suggestion if you REALLY REALLY want to be remembered and don't mind spending a few bucks.

An email is great, but a typed letter is better... the only problem with your letter is that in the three or four days it takes to get to the hiring manager's desk, he or she may have already made a decision and forgotten about you. So, if you really want to impress, send your thank you note via overnight Fedex. Don't wait. Have a rough draft of the letter typed up before you interview. When you leave the interview, with thoughts fresh in your mind, immediately update or change your rough draft to accurately reflect the conversation that you had. Print it up and take it to the fedex office right away and pay top dollar to have it sent as quickly as possible.

You can even do a combination of the email/fedex thank you if you are good enough at writing to make it look like you're very excited, but not desperate. Just keep in mind that the hiring manager may have ten interviews in one day. Unfortunately, the people that will be remembered usually fall into one of three categories: 1) VERY good, but almost everyone that makes it past the recruiter is decent, so this is tough 2) VERY bad. or 3) the last interview of the day

If I do several interviews in a row, especially if I am scheduled like this for a few days in a row, no matter how good you were, I won't remember you if I've seen 15 people after we spoke. Anything you can do to jog my memory is helpful.

So what do you do once you send a thank you note? Wait, but not too long. I would say give it a week at most and then email the hiring manager. You can also call, but you're more likely to get an honest response via email.

If you don't hear back, that's not a good sign, but you may want to wait another week and then try again... it depends on the position. I have been in hiring roles for sales positions. I recall a guy that I interviewed a couple years ago. He was just ok in person, but amazing at follow-up. His persistence in post-interview calls and emails really impressed me and showed that he did have what it took to be successful at sales. However, the number of calls and emails probably wouldn't have been appreciated had he not been applying for a sales job. I am looking for someone that's not afraid to pick up the phone and call as many times as it takes, but that approach would have probably scared off someone in a different functional area of the company.


Hope this info helps someone out there. I'd be curious also to see if anyone agrees or disagrees or has a new and creative approach.