- DO. Address the note "Dear Mr. or Ms." rather than using his or her first name. This is proper even if the interviewer has invited you to call him or her by a first name. Obviously, if the interviewer is a personal friend or acquaintance of you and your family, and if you have known the person for years, you may use whatever name you normally call the person, if you feel comfortable in doing so for this business situation.
- DO. Keep your note short. This is not the time to rehash everything you discussed in an interview, nor is it the time to bring up something you had previously neglected to mention.
- DO. Write about something special, if you can. Bring up something which relates specifically to you and to your interview which may not relate to all the other applicants.
- DO. Spell everything correctly. One misspelled word could torpedo your chances. If you're not a good speller, (many otherwise-bright people are not!) check each word of your spelling with a dictionary or with a friend who is a "born speller."
- DO. Time your thank-you note to arrive on a good day. How can you know this? If the interviewer tells you they'll be talking to candidates over the next three weeks, wait a few days before mailing it. If they will make the decision in 48 hours, you should write the note immediately and take it to a postal facility where it will be processed within a few hours. Or drop it off yourself.
- DO. Put your return address on the envelope. On a small envelope, it belongs on the back; on a business envelope, it can be written on the back or in the upper left-hand corner of the front side.
- DO. Put adequate postage on the envelope. If you don't, it may result in your envelope being returned to you (a possibly fatal delay!) or in the post office generously deciding to deliver it "postage due," which the employer will not smile about.
- DO. Use an attractive commemorative postage stamp. Studies prove that attractive stamps used in direct-mail advertising result in greater sales. Do not use a postage meter for personal correspondence. This is not only improper, but it may lead the recipient to conclude that you may be using "company postage for your personal use."
- DON'T. Use politically-controversial stamps, either for postage or for decoration or for sealing the flap on the reverse side. The person opening your letter may not be as interested in "Free South Africans" as you are.
- DO. Use a good quality pen, with a business-color ink, preferably dark blue or black.
- DON'T. Oversell yourself! The purpose of this note, card or letter is to thank, not to sell.
- DO. Sign your formal name or your conversational name, the name you were called in the interview when writing a note by hand.
- DO. Type your formal name, then sign your conversational name if you are typing a letter.
Have you ever been disappointed with the actions, or in actions of other people ... or with their dependability, or their undependability?
Of course! That is the way most people lead their lives, and that is exactly the way most people conduct their job hunt.
They fail to take responsibility to follow up, to follow through, and to do what they say they will do.
Imagine what possibilities arise when you do things which other people fail to do... which other candidates-for-employment fail to do... and which employers themselves would never imagine that candidates would do!
Follow up. Follow through. Do what others do not do. Do what others do not think about doing.
Following Up Before an Interview
After you make a phone call to an employer, when that employer has invited you to an interview, you might use one of these methods to follow through:
- Write a confirming letter or note of thanks and restating the time when you will be there.
- Call the person's assistant or secretary, probably one or two days prior to the date of the interview, inquiring whether the time is still convenient, and to ask any other questions you may have (for example, travel directions).
Following Up After an Interview
Send a thank-you note, of course. Be certain it creates a good impression and that it is appropriate, both to you and to the situation.
Do not include any other information with the thank-you note. That would be considered "mixing business activities with personal activities."
Other material (transcripts, reference letters, photocopies of credentials, etc.) should be sent separately, in a larger envelope. These things should always be accompanied by some type of correspondence, even if it is only a Post-It Note or a short letter of transmittal.
Following Up After Being Rejected
Should you follow up after being rejected? Logic, common sense and your own personal pride all tell you, "no"
This isn't necessarily true. In fact, if you are being creative in your job hunt, you will think "possibility," not "no possibility." Failing to contact the employer is "no possibility" thinking.
Those who do follow up often do so for the wrong reason: to find out why they were rejected. To find out what they did "wrong."
Will most employers tell them where they went wrong? No. And rarely will they tell the whole truth. After all, it isn't always in an employer's best interest to tell someone that he or she had bad breath, body odor, wore dirty clothes, had dirty hair, wasn't appropriately dressed, had bad taste or displayed poor manners.
So when you do follow up after being rejected, do this:
- Thank the employer for the interviewing process (again); for the consideration you received (again); for any additional materials, interviews, meals, hospitality you have received since your first written thank-you ... and that's all.
- Then, to open the domain of "possibility" for yourself, restate your interest in other opportunities in the organization for yourself. Restate this in one sentence, in a very enthusiastic manner, but don't do it at length. Keep it short!
- Finally, close with a "possibility" statement, such as "I would like the opportunity to stay in touch with you over the next few months. Thanks very much for everything."
"What good this will do me?"
Perhaps none, but perhaps much. I know cases where a reopened door led to an immediate reconsideration of the candidate: "If he really liked us that much, maybe we should hire him."
Or it left the door open, so that when the organization's first-choice candidate rejected the offer she received, the possibility had already been created to call their second choice, the person who "is so interested in us that she sent a letter restating how enthusiastic she is about us."
