Avoid Being a Pest
Reprint From Column in Palm Beach Post, September 2003 Toby Chabon-Berger
You’re feeling terrific. You just had a great interview. The hiring manager acknowledged all the research you had come prepared with and indicated that your accomplishments and experience were impressive. She even told you that your questions about the company were very insightful. According to the experts you have done everything right. Now its ten days later and there has been no further communication from either Human Resources or the hiring manager. You called once and still there was no response. You fear being labeled a pest if you call again.
Carole Martin, interview advice columnist on major Internet sites and author of The Interview Fitness Workbook and Boost Your Interview IQ to be published in January, “ Follow up techniques have changed because we are experiencing the tightest labor market we have ever seen as well as 9/11 and its aftermath. Hiring decisions take longer because there are hundreds of people applying for each job. Follow ups work best if you have listened very intently during the interview and picked up clues about the company. These clues are perfect for any follow up correspondence. Be creative and be remembered. . . show your human side to make yourself stand out from the other applicants. 9/11 has made new rules on a more serious note. Sending food items used to be a favorite, but now even pizza, cookies, or candy to the staff are suspicious. Many applicants have turned to e-mails for follow up thank you's and other messages. E-mails are fine, but also send hard copies in the event your e-mail gets lost in a long list of emails received by an employer. Hard copies will insure that there is a record of your correspondence. Do not write or call daily, but allow a week or more to pass before writing or calling again.”
Steve Shannon, Contract Career Center Manager for Pratt & Whitney Career Center for the last seven years says, “Think of the job search as a ball game. The pregame is the preparation for the interview. The interview is the game, and follow up are post game activities. Many people require training in post game activities. The ending of an interview is just as important as having good answers to interview questions. I recommend applicants obtain an oral contract before you leave. The oral contract is a mutually agreed upon time when you will call back either for more information or for the hiring decision. Being able to say to a receptionist or an administrative support person, that the call is expected will pass you through gatekeepers. Oral contracts are also reminders in voice mail messages. Make certain messages and correspondence show your individuality. In follow up correspondence immediately after the interview, always begin with you or your, never, thank you. Once you have said ‘thank you’, there is no need for anyone to read the rest of the letter. It might begin, ‘your information or your willingness to share information about the culture and the challenges of your company; or, you certainly gave me a great deal of information in the time we spent. Voice mail messages must sound up beat and assertive. Always write out key points you want to make in the follow up call. Keep messages brief and never send more than one message in any given day. Keep in mind the people you are calling have other tasks and responsibilities to perform.”
Jodi Gooding, SPHR, Human Resources, J J Taylor& Companies, North Palm Beach says, “After interview etiquette includes thank you letters to everyone you met during the application and interview process. That includes the receptionists or the administrative support person. Follow up notes may be handwritten, but the quality of notepaper should be appropriate. Flowery borders are taboo. If you are given a specific time when the decision will be made, do not call before that date. If no date is given, you may call to find out the specifics of the. It is permissible to send a copy of an published article or information from pertinent research that you think may be of interest, but make certain the topic is related to your interview discussion. It is also appropriate to send additional information about yourself that you may have failed to mention during the interview or any information that may needed clarification.”
Never do follow-ups of any kind at a social or business event, other than “it is nice to see you again”. Many people are hesitant to use a written response to a decision not to hire you. The content of this letter should says that while you were disappointed to hear that they had chosen another candidate; you certainly respect their decision. Tell them you hope they will consider you for any additional positions that may open up, emphasizing that you really want to work for their company.. “This type of letter can’t hurt you and it may prove to be beneficial,” says Gooding.
You are leaving yourself open for disappointment if you wait for an employer to call you after an interview. That responsibility is yours. Following up is like a golf pro following through to make a hole in one. Persistence, timing and creativity to be remembered will label you as employed.
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