And The Clock Just Keeps On Ticking: After You Have The Interview

By Author: Danny Ang
Total Articles: 78
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You wore your power suit and your nicest shoes. Your briefcase was glossed to an almost blinding sheen, and your breath was at its minty freshest. In your opinion, the interview went fairly well, you answered every question without stammering and you followed every good interview rule that you knew. Now the only thing left for you to do is wait for the phone to ring, right? Wrong.

The day following your interview, send a letter or quick email that will express your appreciation for the interview itself, will restate your interest in the job that you applied for, and reinforce and refresh your key, strong points in the interviewers mind. Hopefully if there was a "tie" between you and another applicant with similar qualifications your letter will give you the edge.

Do not panic if your phone does not ring right away- depending on the position and size of the area, there may have been far more applicants than you would think possible. If the interview ended with the assurance that you would hear something by a certain date, let at least a few days go by after that date before you start to panic. Most companies ...
... do not call the applicants that were not selected, but they do send form letters thanking your for applying and assuring you that your application will be kept on file for a certain period ( usually six months) and that if anything else comes open they will keep you in mind. (This does not by the way mean that you should not reapply if something does come open in the near future. Although the company may keep your application on file, they will not actively pursue an applicant that way unless you really stood out.

After the agreed upon date has passed, feel free to give a call to the company, trying to speak directly to the person who interviewed you. Refresh their mind by reintroducing yourself and explain why you are calling. Do not sound irritated or angry, simply state that you had been told that you would hear something by say October 1, and that it is now October 10- had something come up? All you are looking for is the confirmation that the position has already been filled or that you are still in the running. If the news is bad, try to remain positive and professional and thank the interviewer again. Do not berate her for information about why you were not selected, but if she seems open to it, you might ask what you could improve for your next job interview. Sometimes a little bit of insight may be all the help that you need to be successful in your next attempt.

If you are offered the position, do not think that you automatically have to take it. If a better offer came in for instance, you would be foolish not to take it. You do not have to be rude, (never burn your employment bridges), but do be honest. Simply say that while you appreciate the time they took with your interview, a position was offered to you that you feel would be a better fit for your situation at this time. Make it about choices rather than making it seem like the original company was not really what you wanted. Be polite, direct and honest and ask if they would kindly keep you in mind if your situation should change sometime in the future. In some industries, this is more common than in others, but in all companies you are dealing with humans so remember to treat them with respect.
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