Examine Your Interviews
After an interview has ended, immediately make note of all the important points that were discussed. Be sure to include the responsibilities the interviewer emphasized, the areas in which you feel you impressed him the most, and any tasks he seemed uncertain you could handle. You'll be using this information in your follow-up activity with the company
Then study the interview to determine what changes you could have made to have enhanced your presentation. You might find that you missed opportunities to ask important questions, failed to tell the interviewer about certain strengths, accomplishments, or experiences, could have provided better answers to certain questions, or said something that made a poor impression. Each interview should be regarded as a "dress rehearsal" for future appointments, with the company in question as well as with others. By reviewing your meetings, you'll continually sharpen your interviewing skills and make more successful presentations.
When you see the manager, you'll make an even more favor able impression. Your inquiries will be that much more insightful, because of the research you just conducted and due to what you learned during the first interview. In addition, since the manager has agreed to this appointment, he's indicating that you're a top candidate. You now have an opportunity to convince him to hire you, and preempt your competition.
Regardless of the amount of follow-up activity you conduct, any at all will convey your interest in the position. This will always work in your favor, since a manager's selection decision is often subjective and not based solely on an individual's technical competence. Other factors can come into play:
For example, it isn't unusual for a manager to have met several equally qualified candidates and to have difficulty determining which one to hire. Here, he may opt for the individual who has expressed the most interest in the position. This guarantees him of an enthusiastic and committed new staff member.
Demonstrating your desire for the job can help you in another way. As already discussed, most managers consider the interviewing process to be a time-consuming and burdensome ordeal that interferes with their primary responsibilities. On top of this, they face three potential problems when deciding which candidate to hire:
- The person they select could reject the offer outright.
- This individual could request some time to think the offer over and then turn it down. (This would cost the manager time. He might also lose other highly qualified candidates in the process and have to start interviewing all over again.)
- This person could accept the offer but never actually start work, either because his current employer persuaded him to remain with the company or he received a better offer elsewhere. (Again, the manager would lose valuable time.)
For these reasons, don't hesitate to tell a manager that you want the job and ask for the offer. There's clearly no better combination in an applicant than the right qualifications and a keen interest in the position.
As a conclusion to this discussion, the following matters need to be covered.
The timing of your follow-up activity must be adjusted to the individual situation.
If a manager tells you that he isn't planning to hire someone for a month or two, or that he's uncertain about the specific experience he needs and intends to clarify this through interviewing different people, defer part of your follow-up activity. Certainly write a thank-you letter after the interview, and also call the manager one week later. During this conversation, however, limit your questions and comments and don't mention that you conducted further research. Save the majority of such a discussion for a later date, when the manager is closer to making his hiring decision. At that time your remarks will have greater impact.
As a general rule, the higher the level of a position, the more people a manager will interview, the more appointments he'll arrange with each one, and the more time he'll need to make his decision. Asking the questions that appeared in "Closing an Interview" will enable you to decide how to time your follow-up plans. If you're being pursued by a company through an executive search firm, conduct a minimum of follow-up activity. Send a manager a thank-you letter after the initial interview, but don't call him on the phone. The search firm, on behalf of the company, made the initial contact. It's best not to disturb this momentum. Besides, the recruiter's follow-up with you will keep you apprised of where you stand.
Your follow-up activity for positions being handled by executive search firms will usually have less impact on a manager. Because these organizations are so proficient, a manager expects to find the ideal candidate, one who is both highly qualified and interested in his company and job. He'll usually withhold making an offer until he meets such a person.
If you decide to take the additional step of conducting research after an interview, understand that it will be the most effective for job-seekers who are pursuing entry- and junior-level positions or who are making a career change. In these cases, people are hired more for their potential than for the immediate contribution they'll make. You'll always demonstrate your potential by conducting this research and by the insightful questions you will ask as a result.
The main value of doing research for senior-level positions is that it's a vehicle for staying in touch with a manager. He won't be impressed by the fact that you took the time to learn more about his company; he will expect you to have done so.
Finally, many job-seekers fear that demonstrating their interest in the position will result in their receiving a lower offer. This will seldom be the case; a manager won't assume you want the job at any price.
Your primary goal should be to get the manager to make you the offer, and then you can turn your attention to obtaining the highest possible salary.
