You have read a few examples of job hunters turning job interviews into offers. They had to think hard about what to do next. They objectively and methodically analyzed all the interviews they had and developed strategies for addressing every issue for each person they met with. They thought about who their likely competitors were, and what the hiring managers probably preferred. Who are your likely competitors? How do you stack up against them? Prove you're better than they are, or you won't get the job.
Why Bother With Follow Up?
- To influence both the decision makers and the influencers
- To move things along
- To show interest and competence
- To knock out your competition
- To reassure the hiring manager
- To turn a losing situation into a winning one
- To make it difficult for them to reject you
- To set the right tone buy yourself time after you are hired
In a tight market, follow up helps. But still strive to have six to ten contacts in the works at all times. The job you are interviewing for may vanish: the manager may decide not to hire at all, or hire finance instead of a marketing person. There may be a hiring freeze, or a major reorganization. Follow up techniques will generally not help in these situations. If you are in a competitive market, put extra effort into those job possibilities that are still alive.
And if you have lots of other contacts in the works, you will be less likely to allow yourself to be abused by hiring managers trying to take advantage of "desperate" job hunters. You can assess ridiculous requests and be more willing to walk away.
The following Interview Record is a checklist of items to consider in assessing your interviews and planning your follow up. Try to remember everything that happened at each of your meetings. Many job hunters take notes during the interviews so they will do a better follow up. After all, wouldn't a consultant take notes during a meeting? How else can you remember all the important issues that come up? At the very least, take notes immediately after the meeting. Some job hunters keep track of every person they met with by using the Interview Record. Make plenty of copies of the form for your job search. Keep them in a folder or a three ring binder, in alphabetical order within target area.
Assess The Interview(S)
Effective follow up depends on knowing what happened in the interview. In fact, you will begin to interview very differently now. You now know you are there to gather enough information so you can follow up, and to give enough information back so the interviewer will be willing to meet with you again. As your counselor, I'd want the following:
Background Information
- How did it go? What did they say? What did you say?
- How many people did you see?
- How much time did you spend with each?
- What role does each of them play?
- Who is important?
- Who is the decision maker?
- Who is the hiring manager?
- Who most influences the decision?
Who else did you meet (secretaries, receptionists, future peers or subordinates, bosses from other areas)? How influential might they be? (Do not dismiss them too readily. They may be more influential than you think. A trusted secretary, for example, has a lot of influence. She had better want you there.)
How quickly do they want to decide? A year? A month? Next week?
What do you have to offer that your competition doesn't?
What problems did the interviewer have? Do you have any solutions to those problems?
How badly do you want this job?
Follow Up Information For Each Person
For each person with whom you interviewed, analyze and craft a follow up note that addresses:
- The tone of the conversation. This is the tone you should use in your follow up. Was it friendly? Formal? Familylike?
- The positives about you, why this person would want you there. If you interviewed with peers, why would they want you on the team? In the interview, it is your job to make sure each person you meet can see the benefit of having you as an employee.
- The objections to hiring you for each person you met, whether or not these objections were expressed. For example, you may know that the company typically hires someone with a background that is different from yours, or you may not have certain experience it is looking for, or your past salary may be too high, or it may see you as overqualified. A future peer may see you as a threat (let that peer know you are not) or thinks you will not fit in. You may be seen as too old or too young or too something else. If you think the company is worried about having you on board for some reason, address that reason. For example, if someone sees you as too old, think of the benefits that come with age. Then you might say, "I hope you are interested in hiring someone with maturity and a broad base of experience."
Many job hunters want to ignore or gloss over the objections; instead, pay attention to why each person may not want you there. Joel DeLuca, Ph.D., author of Political Savvy, noted that if you are observant, you should come out of a meeting with a good sense of how hard a sell this is going to be, as well as some idea of the political lay of the land.
If [a man] is brusque in his manner, others will not cooperate. If he is agitated in his words, they will awaken no echo in others. If he asks for something without having first established a [proper] relationship, it will not be given to him. Ching
- The key issues. Was the interviewer concerned about interdepartmental relationships? Work overload? The political situation with a key vendor? How you will support people in other areas? How you can make their job easier? What makes you different from your competition? Identify those issues that are key to the interviewer(s).
- Your feelings about the job. If this is the one place you really want to work, say so. If you would enjoy working with your prospective manager and peers, say so. In addition to competence, people want someone they'd like to work with and someone who wants to work with them. Write your follow up note with enthusiasm. Let your personality come through.
- The next steps. Regardless of who should take the next steps, what exactly are they? What will move the process along?
For example, the next step could be:
- another meeting to discuss something in greater detail.
- meeting(s) with other people.
- another meeting after the other candidates have been interviewed.
- an in depth review of documents.
- discussing a few of your ideas with them.
- drafting a proposal of how you would handle a certain area.
State the "next steps" in your follow up note. For example, "I'd like to get together with you to discuss my ideas on..." or, "If I don't hear from George in a week or so, I'D give you a call."
If you were the first person interviewed, try to be interviewed again: "As you interview others, you may more clearly define what you want. I would appreciate the opportunity to address the new issues that may arise."
