THE ART OF THE FOLLOW-UP

Follow up…an important but often overlooked part of interviewing.

Following up can be what makes you stick out above the rest. Companies receive several employment applications each day. As an executive search firm, we receive several resumes and interview hundreds of people. I can tell you that the candidates who I remember most, are those that follow up.
Here are a few ideas on following up that may help in your next interview.

1. Follow the time period that the recruiter or hiring manager gave you during the interview. You should always ask what the next step is in the interviewing process. This is your guideline of when is too early and when is too late. If they tell you they will make a decision in a week, follow up in the middle of the week with a phone call or email and ask if they need any other information from you. This keeps you at the top of their mind right before they make their final decision.

2. Send a Thank you! This is probably the most important follow up that you can do. Thank you letters not only thank the person for their time, but let them know that you truly appreciated the opportunity and that you really are interested. You can say something as simple as “Thank you for the opportunity to interview with you. I really enjoyed learning more about the position and your company.”

Make sure you send it promptly, as in, the same day. And if you really want to make an impression, send a hand written card thanking them for their time. This can be especially effective because in this digital age, we have become so used to email that it can oftentimes be overlooked. Sending a hand written letter shows that you actually took the time to sit down and write a thank you. Also, don’t forget to thank the recruiters. We do prescreening interviews before we send candidates to our clients. The majority of the time the candidates will send thank you’s to our clients, but it really goes a long way when a candidates send us a thank you too.

3. Lastly, simply ask if you can keep in touch with them for future opportunities. This especially works well for recruiters because you can follow up periodically to see if they have any opportunities available as well as sending them up-to-date resumes.

Following up can go a long way when it comes to interviewing. If you stay on top of the interview process, you will stay on top of their minds when making the final decision.