You also answered all the interviewers' questions and you could see from his smile and warm handshake that you had nailed the job. The interview is over and done with. Now what do you do?
With every passing moment you are getting more and more impatient and anxious. How do you convey your anxiety to the company and let them know how keen you are to work for them and how desperate you are for some feedback?
How do you attach the next link in the process chain? There are two ways how you could have got the job, either independently through the company or through a recruiter.
If it is the former all your communications will be with the hiring manager or the human resource people who are synchronizing the hiring.
However, if you are working with a recruiter, here's how he can earn whatever he is being paid. If you are working with a recruiter, then these suggestions will come in handy.
Get Feedback Of The Interview From The Recruiter
Call up the recruiter, after the interview, while everything that happened during the interview is still fresh in memory. Summarize the interview to the recruiter. Replay it for him. Tell him what went right and what could have gone better. Tell him how you felt about the interview and how you would rate yourself, on a scale of say 1 to 10.
If there is an answer you gave and in hindsight wished you had said something else, bring it up with the recruiter. He will bring it up with the client and set right any damage that it may have done to your prospects.
The recruiter will provide the feedback to you from the company. How you fared and what, according to him, are your overall chances. He will also tell you what your strengths where and what your weaknesses were and what the next step in the process will be.
It is always advisable to keep the recruiter in the know, regarding your communication with the hiring manager. His first question to you will in all probability be, “Have you sent him a thank-you note?”
The value of the note can never be understated. It should be , preferably be a single page, two-paragraph note, mentioning a few things, beginning with how much you appreciate the opportunity of being interviewed and that it was a pleasure meeting him/her. Mention that the interview has convinced her that, this was the job she was looking for and looked forward to be moving to the next step in the interviewing process.
Sneak in a line or two, about the skills that you have that will be extremely beneficial to the company.
Although a thank you note to the interviewer is an unavoidably imperative, a letter to the recruiter also will reflect on your propriety and etiquette.
It's The Recruiter's Turn Now
If things went off well, as you feel they did, in the first interview, the company will shortlist you for the second round of interviews and let other people at the company assess you. It is for the recruiter to coordinate the ensuing interviews and find out who are the personnel who you'd be likely to encounter. He should have details about them, their titles, their names and what they will be expecting from you during the interview. The recruiter should also brief you on the type of questions that you may be asked this time round.
Don't forget to send thank-you letters to the people who interview you this time. Follow the same rules as the first time. Given that the recipients of the letter will be different this time, you can say most of the things you said in the first letter without the fear of being repetitive.
This time too, expect your recruiter to provide you with the feedback.
The recruiter is not doing you any favor, or at least not any free favor. Remember it is his duty and he is being paid to do the job. He is the link between you and the company and it is his duty to liaison between the two of you.
Moreover, this is part of their habitual function; they have developed a personal rapport with the hiring manager and can ask him for his honest opinion of how your interview was and what he thinks of you. Ensure that you leverage the recruiter's personal relationship to your utmost advantage.
