Without appearing to be overeager—no overnight mail unless you were specifically asked to send it—get your letter onto the interviewer's desk as soon as you can. Mail it Tuesday afternoon and it may be received before the weekend. That will help reinforce a positive impression.
The follow-up letter is such a perfect opportunity to showcase one's favorable attributes that it amazes me more people don't use it. At the very least, the letter enables you to show that you are a thoughtful, courteous, and considerate individual who knows how to follow through.
Going Beyond the Norm
If you go beyond the vacuous form approach that most people use—if they write at all—you can do even more to showcase your ability to empathize with others. That is relatively easy to do when you follow the formula for such letters given on the following pages. I have provided both a sample letter and a general outline for one.
Travel Expenses
Generally, most organizations will cover your costs of getting to the meeting if they are beyond the average cab fare, but you should negotiate that before the interview. Customarily, expenses that an employer might willingly reimburse include transportation, meals, lodging, and minor but related items such as gratuities and parking fees.
If your prospective employer did agree to pay the expenses you incurred to attend the interview, this is the time to submit them. Even if you already know you are scheduled for a second interview, you should submit an invoice now if for no other reason than to keep your name in front of the interviewer. Do this as a postscript to your letter:
"P.S. Thank you for your willingness to underwrite the costs of the trip for this interview. I have enclosed an invoice, together with all receipts." Sign your initials under the postscript.
The Invoice The invoice, like your resumes and letters, should look professional. Type it on bond paper (20 percent rag content preferred) and balance it on the page. Here again a computer or a word processor comes in handy. The layout of your expense form might look like the accompanying example.
Persevere Patiently
Not all good things happen overnight. It can take weeks for an employer to screen all prospects, check references, and carry out myriad other hiring details while juggling the regular office routine. Be patient, but persevere. Your initial follow-up letter was the first contact. Since it mentioned that you might call, it gives you an opportunity for the second contact. You should think the call through carefully before you make it, however.
What the Follow-Up Call Should Do
Many job seekers have told me that they failed to make any follow-up calls because they didn't know what to say. As one woman put it, while expressing her stress over just thinking about the call: "I mean, I just can't call up the guy and say, 'Hey, did you decide to hire me or what?!?'" Therein lies a dilemma: You know you shouldn't be that blunt, even though you may be convinced that both you and the employer know what you really want when you call. So what do you do? What do you say when you call?
Prepare before you pick up the phone. Start by opening your prospect's folder and reviewing all your notes from the interview. Then review your first follow-up letter. This sequence enables you to pick up as many reminders of the meeting as possible before you home in on what you have already said. The homing in may give you a better focus, but if all you were to do was to read your follow-up letter before you call, you might not have enough information to handle a conversation shift into other topics you discussed at the meeting. On the other hand, looking at the letter just before you call helps remind you of the attitude you will need to help move the call along smoothly.
Once you have done your review, jot down any questions that you might want to discuss. Be sure to make them information-gathering in nature, and not too direct or pointed. You want to show an interest in the job, not get a ruling on whether you are still in the running.
This attitude is important. The prospect is unlikely to have a decision for you and therefore will not react well to pressure, perceived or otherwise. Make certain you keep the tone of the conversation relaxed and as friendly as possible. A relaxed and friendly tone does not mean rambling or attempting idle chit-chat. Your call should be brief, showing respect for the employer's time. It should leave the interviewer with a good feeling about the possibility of having you as an employee.
