“What am I forgetting?” asked a young PR pro last week as she prepared for her interview with a major corporation.
She had already studied the company’s website, scanned recent Google news articles, read the last few earnings reports and listened to the CEO’s analyst call. She also had prepared a solid list of questions she would be prepared to ask when given the opportunity. In short, she nailed her pre-interview home work. Now, she simply needed to plan for her post-interview follow up.
Here are the five interview etiquette follow-up suggestions I encouraged the hopeful job candidate to remember:
- Ask about decision timelines at the conclusion of an interview. Normally, hiring managers will tell you when they likely will finish interviewing other candidates. Ask when they feel it would be best to follow up. Their response grants you permission to call.
- Get business cards from everyone you meet. I’m surprised about the reluctance of some candidates to ask for contact information. Having the business card saves a lot of organizational forensics later.
- At the conclusion of your interview, be sure to express your sincere interest in doing the job—and clearly state two or three reasons why you are a good fit.
- Promptly say “thank you.” Send separate personalized notes to everyone who interviews you, and don’t forget the HR person who likely worked hard to coordinate calendars for your visit. If the hiring decision is coming soon, be sure to send same-day email notes. Otherwise, become totally memorable by sending a handwritten thank you.
- Follow up. Unless you’ve been told of a specific decision time-frame, allow two weeks before inquiring about the decision. If a decision date was mentioned, wait two days past that date before making your inquiry.