You nailed the interview, right? Now close the deal! One of the best ways to do that is to send a thank you note (email) to each of your interviewers. Why send a thank you note?
Interview
What to Do After a Job Interview
Congratulations, your interview went well and you’re excited. It is not the time to rest on your laurels—you’ve got work to do! Here are the steps you should take following your interview to keep the momentum going:
- Send a thank you note. Send a separate note to each person who interviewed you. Your thank you notes should be sent no more than 2 days after your interview; the next day is even better. For government interviews, you should use an email note.
- Keep applying for positions, even while you wait to hear back on this one. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. For one thing, there’s no guarantee that the jobs will actually get filled. The budget for the new position might not be approved. Or the responsibilities of the job opening may be distributed to one or more existing employees. Or an internal candidate may have suddenly become available, and the position is offered to him or her.
- Develop any specific skills that were mentioned in the job interview but that you’re weak in — for example, specific software platforms. Not only will this give you something to do while you wait, but it’s also an opportunity for you to demonstrate your serious interest in the position, because you can mention what you’re doing to strengthen your skills in your follow up with the interviewer.
- Reach out to your network. If someone you knew at the organization had passed your resume along to the hiring manager or endorsed your application, be sure to check in with him or her after the interview. Your contact may be able to provide you with insight about the number of candidates interviewed, how your candidacy was perceived, and other valuable information about the hiring process and the organization culture.
- Tap your references. Let them know that you’ve interviewed for the position (give them the job title and organization) and that they may be contacted. Make sure they have an updated copy of your resume. Ask them to let you know if they hear from the organization.
- If this was a first interview, start preparing for a second one. The second interview requires even more preparation than the first one—get busy!
- Follow up. If the interviewer didn’t mention a timeframe for making a hiring decision — or you didn’t ask — you have a couple of options. The first is to wait a week and then reach out to inquire. How should you follow-up? Unless the interviewer has stated otherwise, a phone call is usually the best method for follow-up. Try to reach the person directly; only leave a voice mail if you can’t reach them after a couple of tries. Don’t forget to check USAJOBS as well to see if the status of the job has changed.
Remember, even if you aren’t selected for the position you were interviewing for, many organizations do keep your application and resume on file, and you might be contacted later about another opening.
The Top 10 Reasons You Were Not Picked for an Interview
Over and over I hear, “if I could only get an interview, I could get the job…” Yet, far too many times, you’re not called for an interview. What could have happened…you thought you were the perfect fit…and you may have even received an email saying that you were referred to the hiring manager.
Of course, truly knowing the precise reason for not getting interviewed for a specific position is difficult to figure out but here are some of the more common reasons why you were not called for an interview:
Questions to Ask Your Interviewers
Interviews are for both the employer and you, as an applicant. A great way to ensure “fit” is to ask questions during an interview.
Never walk into an interview without specific questions for the interviewers. Even if you work in the unit where you’re interviewing, it is important to demonstrate that you have thought about the position and are interested in the interviewers’ needs and wants, not just your own. Typically, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions toward the end of the interview; you want to be prepared!
You should not ask questions about how you will be trained, when you will get promoted, or whether you can work at home; instead, focus on demonstrating that you are interested in the employer’s needs.
You may want to prepare 5-6 questions; you may not get to ask them all (3 is probably plenty) and it is possible that your interviewers will have answered at least a couple during the process. Here are some questions you could ask; you should prioritize what is most important to you.
• What are the next steps in the process?
• What are your goals for the person who fills this job in their first 90 days? First year?
• What did the person who held this job before do well that you would like to see continued?
• Are there major organizational changes in the works that might change how this position functions? (Or if you know of those changes, you can ask how those changes might affect the position)
• What do expect to be the biggest learning curve for the person who fills this job?
• Since this position has been vacant, what topic or issue of this position has taken up the most time?
• What is a typical day like?
• Describe the organization culture.
• What do you most like about working here?
• Is there anything else I can provide that would be helpful to you in making your decision?
8 Tips to Ace Your Phone Interview
Phone interviews are more and more common; either as the first step, or the only step in the interview process. If you do not make a good impression on a phone interview, the chances are that you will never get an in-person interview. Here are 8 tips for handling your phone interview with finesse.
1. Prepare. You should prepare as much for a phone interview as an in-person one. This includes scheduling the interview (find out the time of call and clarify time zones; who is calling whom and on what number; how long the call should last; whether there are any specific requirements for the call; and who will be on it—get the name, title, and phone number). You should also analyze the job posting, identify key words, and match your achievements and experience to those key words, with specific achievements. You should also prepare for the questions you will ask the interviewers.
2. Practice. Practice answering questions out loud. Tape yourself if you can so you can see how you sound.
3. Use a landline, if available. Landlines are more reliable than cell phones; call quality is better too.
4. Remove distractions. Turn off your other phones, keep your fingers off your keyboard, put pets (and children) outside. Call from a private place—not from Starbucks or outdoors.
5. Dress for success. Even though others cannot see you, you’ll sound better if you’re dressed as you would be for an in-person interview.
6. Slow down and smile. When you are nervous it is easy to talk faster, which makes you more difficult to understand. So talk a bit slower than you normally would. And when you smile, your enthusiasm will come through.
7. Consider placing empty chair near you when you are interviewing. “Talk” to the empty chair as if there was a real person sitting there. You may also want to consider standing up while interviewing on the phone. Your voice will sound stronger when your erect, rather than slumping in a chair.
8. Don’t allow “hi” or a mumbled “hello” to be the first words out of your mouth. Expect the call, and be sure to give your name when you answer.
Tell me about Yourself—They Don’t Really Mean It
Most of us dread the standard “ice-breaker” question, Tell me about yourself. As someone who has interviewed applicants for more than 30 years, I have rarely heard this question answered well. More often than not, applicants launch into their biography — starting with where they were born! Trust me, I (and most interviewers) don’t care. In addition, this kind of biographical response can lead you to share information that I would rather not know: how many children you have, that you have a spouse (or don’t), etc. It is illegal for me to take these things into consideration and once you tell me, it’s hard for me to forget them. So please do not share this kind of information.
Instead, I want to know who you are and what you bring to the table, in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for. Look at that last phrase again: in the context of the job I’m interviewing you for.