After the Interview

While the job interview is very important, what you do after the job interview is also critical. If you just sit around waiting for a call, you could be letting some other applicant take your job right out from under you. Be proactive!

After a job interview, you should send a follow-up letter. This is basically a thank you note that lets the interviewer know you appreciate the time they took interviewing you, and how very interested you are in the position.

You want to be sure to include the following:

• Sincere appreciation for the time the interviewer spent interviewing you
• A reminder of some points in the interview that you really enjoyed
• The hope that you will hear from the interviewer soon

The point of this note is to be respectful and appreciative. It is NOT to beg for the job. It is NOT to remind the interviewer of your qualifications. It is NOT to ask the interviewer to contact you faster or give you the job.

The pupose of this note is solely to show the interviewer that you are extremely interested in the position, and that you are the type of kind, respectful individual they would like to have working for their company.

If you do not hear back from the company for a couple of weeks, you could always call the company to ask for the status of your application. Just mention that you are highly interested in the position, and since you hadn’t heard back, you were calling to find out of the position had been filled. If it has still not been filled, you could politely ask to speak to the interviewer and remind them how interested you are in this particular job, and tell them you’re ready and willing to start immediately if they wish.

If you still don’t hear back, you should probably just wait, and spend some time applying for positions at other companies. If you aren’t able to get the job after the follow-up letter and the phone call after two weeks, you probably won’t. You can’t afford to spend time waiting around forever.