48 Days to the Work You Love Revised Edition

I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. . . . If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Positions are attained through the process of an interview, yet many job seekers fail to develop good interviewing skills. Interviews are commonly viewed as a necessary evil and are approached with a great deal of anxiety and apprehension.

But change is inevitable and “security” in the workplace no longer exists, so it seems advisable to focus on developing interviewing skills to deal with these changes as smoothly as possible. Interviewing is a fine art and should be studied, prepared for, and practiced. Your ability to interview well will translate into job satisfaction and higher income.

Simply stated, a person who does not interview well will not receive a job offer. You may have an exceptional résumé and credentials and qualifications, but if you do not present yourself well in the interview, you will not receive job offers. If you cannot present yourself with confidence and project a professional image in the interview, all your preparation will have been in vain. You must develop and practice your interviewing skills.

Remember that in the process of a job search, you are marketing yourself. If you are uncomfortable with selling, you must prepare yourself for this process. You must have knowledge about, belief in, and enthusiasm about the product.

Contrary to popular belief, the interview is not designed to be an inquisition or interrogation. The word interview is derived from a Latin word that means “to see about each other.” It is important to keep this definition in mind when interviewing. “To see about each other” implies that an interview is a mutual exchange of information. This exchange process not only provides the employer with the opportunity to assess your skills and qualifications, but it also provides you with the opportunity to evaluate the company and proposed position to determine if they match your qualifications and needs.

Do not view the interview as a one-sided process. If you are completing a well-planned job search strategy, you will have several interviews leading to 2 to 3 job offers. The interview should be an information-gathering process for you as well as the interviewer. The keys to successful interviewing are preparation, knowing what to expect, and practice. Yes, practice is a reasonable ingredient. Most of us do not interview often enough to become proficient at it. Recognizing that interviewing skills translate into satisfaction and income, you would be well advised to practice as you would at improving at golf or tennis.

Preparation is the single most important factor in successful interviews. Your preparation should involve 2 primary components: knowing yourself and knowing the company.

Critical to presenting yourself well and securing a position that will be meaningful and fulfilling is the process of self-assessment. You should be intimately familiar with your (1) skills and abilities, (2) personality tendencies, and (3) values, dreams, and passions. Only by having a clear understanding of these areas will you be prepared to search in a targeted, focused direction. Obtaining a job is your goal; however, be sure that what is required in the position—and the environment connected with it—are a good fit for you, your abilities, and your interests.

Be prepared in this regard to answer the following questions in the interview (more questions will be presented later, but these few are critical in thoroughly knowing yourself):

Tell me a little about yourself. This is a standard question in almost every interview. In some ways, it is probably the most important question in your interview, and you must prepare your answer well in advance. The interviewer will expect you to have developed an answer for this question, and if you have not, you will appear ill-prepared, and the interview will be off to a very poor start.

This is your opportunity to sell yourself. Tell the interviewer what you want him to remember about you. You can refer to information you may want to bring up later in the interview.

An interviewer can quickly determine if you are knowledgeable and prepared or just another wandering generality hoping to land any job.

Remember, your answer to any question should be no more than 2 minutes in length. On this particular one, you might spend 15 seconds on your personal background, 1 minute on your career highlights, a few seconds on your strongest professional achievement, and then conclude by explaining why you are looking for a new opportunity.

Ask yourself, “What can I contribute to this company?” and let that guide your response. Regardless of the content of your answer, you should outline the answer to this question on paper then practice it many times until you can repeat it concisely. Ask a friend or spouse to listen and critique it for you.

What are 3 of your strengths? If you cannot clearly identify and describe your strengths, how do you expect an interviewer to pull them out in the brief encounter of an interview?

Tell me about a weakness and what you have done to work on it. Don’t play ignorant or modestly claim perfection. Be prepared to talk about something you struggle with. At the same time, stay positive in regard to what you have done to improve.

What skills do you possess that have prepared you for this job? Obviously, you need to have researched the company and the job, or you will be unprepared for this question. Again, self-assessment should have made clear identification of your skill areas and competencies.

What are your short- and long-range goals? Talk about personal goals as well as business goals. Companies today are looking for balanced individuals who are interested in things other than work. Feel free to share these goals. Talk about the opportunity to move up in the company if that is your true desire, but don’t say you want to be president.

Knowledge of the company or organization, its products and services, its standing in the community, and the key individuals involved is essential. In addition, you should obtain information about the company’s annual growth rate, annual sales, number of employees, location of the company headquarters, and its major changes such as buyouts or mergers and industry trends. The information you have, which will lead to questions you can ask, can easily tip the scales in your favor during the interview.

• City business directory (available in any major city; lists size, year started, number of employees, contact principals)

• Hoover’s Business Directory (get all the business directory information and more; latest stock quotes, quarterly earnings, SEC filings, compensation figures, etc.) at www.hoovers.com

• Standard & Poor’s publications, including Standard & Poor’s Register of Directors & Executives

• Thomas Register of manufacturers annual reports (see www.thomasregister.com)

• Bank of America Small Business Resource Centers (a wonderful resource for in-depth information about any company or organization in the United States)

Most of these reference materials can be found in any major library or on the Internet.

→Interviewing Flubs>

I am continually amazed at what people actually do in interview situations.

OfficeTeam (www.officeteam.com), a worldwide staffing company, recently hired an independent research firm to survey hiring executives at the 1,000 largest U.S. companies. The question: What are the strangest things that job candidates have said or done in interviews? Here are some of their more memorable answers:

• After answering the first few questions, the candidate picked up his cell phone and called his parents to let them know the interview was going well.

• The person got up just a few minutes after the interview had begun, saying he left his dog in the car and needed to check on him.

• When asked why she wanted to work for the company, the candidate replied, “That’s a good question. I really haven’t given it much thought.”

• When asked how he would improve sales if hired, the candidate replied, “I’ll have to think about that and get back to you.” He then stood up, walked out, and never came back.

• Asked by the hiring manager why he was leaving his current job, the candidate replied, “My manager is a jerk. All managers are jerks.”

• When the interviewer asked what the candidate was earning, she answered, “I really don’t see how that is any of your business.”

• After being complimented on his choice of college and the GPA he achieved, the candidate replied, “I’m glad that got your attention. I didn’t really go there.”

• The candidate asked for an early morning interview. He showed up with a box of doughnuts and ate them during the interview, saying this was the only time he’d have to eat breakfast before going to work.

• When asked by the hiring manager about his career goals, the candidate replied, “To work the least amount of time possible until I can get your job.”

Need I say that none of these folks were hired? The moral, according to OfficeTeam executive director Liz Hughes: “Think before you speak. The first thing that comes to your mind might not be the most appropriate thing to share with the hiring manager.” How true.

Ten seconds after you’ve walked into the room, before you even get a chance to sit down, you may have won or lost the job. While you may courteously be given an hour to answer questions and describe your accomplishments, studies indicate the interviewer forms a strong positive or negative impression of you within seconds of greeting you. One university study had job interviewers indicate when they had made a decision by pushing a button on a timer. Every interviewer pushed the timer within 10 seconds. This lets us know it’s not the fine print on the fourth page of your résumé but other factors that take precedence in making the hiring decision.

After that first decision, interviewers tend to gather information to support the decision they have already made. In these first few minutes of an interview, the employer is asking, “Do I like this person? Do I trust this person? Is this person fun to be around?” Although it may be camouflaged, this is where the focus lies more than “Does this person have an MBA in marketing?”

• The interviewer will schedule the time for the interview and the place where it will be conducted. If you are allowed to choose the time, avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. Choose morning appointments. Research shows that 83 percent of executives are more likely to hire a.m. job seekers. And 70 percent of all hiring decisions are made before 11:00 a.m. So obviously, if you can suggest the time of an interview, make it before 11:00 a.m. Afternoon appointments should be set no later than 1 hour prior to the close of the normal business day. Again, on Monday, people tend to have too much to do and on Friday they are anticipating the weekend and ready to get out of the office. So the best times for interviews are Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings between 8:00 and 10:00.

• Be punctual; arrive 5 to 15 minutes early. Don’t go in too early, but arrive early enough so you have the opportunity to observe the environment and determine if you would enjoy working there. (Interviewers will be annoyed as much by your arriving very early as by arriving late. Do neither.) To arrive too early indicates overanxiousness; to arrive late is inconsiderate. The only sensible solution is to arrive at the interview on time but at the location early. That allows you time to visit the rest room and make any necessary adjustments to your comfort and appearance. Take a couple of minutes to relax and prepare mentally.

• Know the name and title of the interviewer. Do not use first names unless asked.

→The 5 Fatal Flaws in Interviewing>

Don’t assume the interview is only a formality. In fact, it’s the beginning of the selling process. Your résumé has gotten you an interview; now you have a chance to actually make them want you for a position. Be careful of committing the following flaws.

Lack of enthusiasm: You don’t have to be a Zig Ziglar or a David Letterman, but you must express enthusiasm for a job if you don’t want to be weeded out immediately. Enthusiasm, boldness, and confidence will often do more for you in an interview than another college degree.

What’s in it for me? We know you want to know about benefits, vacations, etc., but don’t lead with these questions. First, the employer will want to know what you can do for them. You can’t negotiate for more vacation time before you have been offered a job. Convince the employer that you are the right person for the job, be sure that you want to work there, then you can discuss pay and benefits.

Unclear job goals: Don’t be a generalist. Be clear about the job you are seeking. If the interviewer gets the impression that you are just looking for a job rather than a specific opportunity to use your skills, you will sabotage your chances. You should be able to state without hesitation 3 characteristics that would make you a great candidate for any given job you are applying for.

Poor personal appearance: The key here is to fit in with the organization you are contacting. I will defend your right to wear cutoffs and a baseball cap, but if you really want a job, you must dress appropriately. Many times I hear people who are irritated about not being given a job when they have a nose ring, bad breath, and unshined shoes. Keep in mind that organizations hire people, not credentials and experience. If they don’t like you, it doesn’t matter how great your experience is, you won’t get the job.

Not selling yourself: Even if you would not enjoy selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door, you have to realize that in the interview process, you are selling yourself. Especially in today’s market, you have to promote yourself. Follow up immediately with a thank-you note and a telephone call 3 or 4 days later. It’s a good way to reinforce your interest in the job as well as ask a question or 2 you may have forgotten in the interview.

We have already established that an interviewer decides within the first few minutes if he likes you. While some of the reasons may be subtle and intangible, we can control some of the more obvious ones to your advantage. The impression you want to create for the interviewer is directly reflected in the way you dress and in the way you handle yourself. Therefore, appropriate dress, mannerisms, and behavior are important variables.

There is only one way to dress for the first meeting: clean cut and conservative. You may not see yourself that way, and you know your right to look otherwise, but this is not the time to make a statement about your rights. I am still amazed at the number of people who sabotage any chance of being hired simply by not making the effort to make a good first impression. Your task is to understand how others see you.

• Shower or bathe as close to the interview time as possible. Use deodorant but not aftershave or perfume. You are trying to get hired not courted.

• Make sure shoes are neat and shined. Avoid worn belts, frayed collars, and ragged pockets.

• Use a small breath mint if you have a bad taste in your mouth. If you smoke, by all means, use a mint. Be aware that cigarette smoke permeates your clothing and hair. A strong odor may be offensive to a prospective employer.

I know we have moved toward “casual” everyday in our workplace. But don’t make that assumption when you are preparing for an interview. Being overdressed will seldom work against you while being underdressed may end your chances of being taken seriously.

Try to make the interview as comfortable as possible. Sit straight in the chair, be relaxed, and do not fidget. Use a firm, moderate tone when speaking. Make direct eye contact with the interviewer. Few things will sabotage your efforts quicker than poor eye contact. This is always perceived as shifty and dishonest. Obviously, avoid profanity or off-color comments. Avoid slang or cultural colloquialisms (“fixin’, I done this, ain’t nobody”). These may appear cute on TV but are seen as very unprofessional in the real world.

Think “up.” Prior to the interview, focus on being “up” and on having your body language reflect being “up.” Keep your head up, your shoulders up, and your body straight. This posture sends a positive message, conveying energy and enthusiasm. Match your energy with that of the person interviewing you. It’s OK to be confident and to speak up. You can have energetic body language. Don’t come across as condescending or intimidating, but do be confident.

→Smiling for Dummies

An old Chinese saying goes something like this: “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” I recently ate lunch at a brand new restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee. No one smiled or greeted me when I came in or during my entire stay there. However, there is another established restaurant with the same menu format where I am greeted with enthusiasm every time I visit. Guess where I will go next time.

That same phenomenon has a similar effect on interviewers. In a survey of 5,000 human resource managers, one of the questions was, What do you look for most in a candidate? Of the 2,756 who responded, 2,322 ranked enthusiasm first. The first thing interviewers look for in a candidate is vitality and enthusiasm. Many candidates with the right background experience and skills disqualify themselves with a demeanor that suggests they lack energy.

The easiest way to convey energy and enthusiasm is to smile. Now there’s a tip that you can implement today. No waiting, no paying for expensive degrees, no buying a new suit—just smile.

In the classic little book The Magic of Thinking Big, David Schwartz challenges readers with this test: “Try to feel defeated and smile big at the same time. You can’t. A big smile gives you confidence. A big smile beats fear, rolls away worry, defeats despondency.” That sounds like a great preparation for your next interview.

Body language comprises 55 percent of the communication process. Communication can be enhanced or hindered by standing too close or too far away or being too animated or frigid.

Practice your handshake. A weak handshake indicates a weak personality. Reach for full palm-to-palm contact. Don’t offer only fingers or grab only fingers.

Sit comfortably in the chair. Don’t get too relaxed and slouch down. Sit straight and lean forward slightly. This shows interest and energy. When you are excited about something you are relating, lean forward in your chair. When you want to show that you are very knowledgeable and confident, then you should lean back, and that will indicate your expertise. Sit with your arms comfortably in your lap or on the chair arms. Do not cross your arms; this is still universally seen as closing off or holding back.

Do not put your hands to your mouth. This is perceived as a deceptive gesture, showing that you’re trying to hide the truth. Avoid repetitive gestures. Avoid pointing or any excessive movements.

Tone of voice is 38 percent of the communication process. Excessive tone ranges, loudness, or softness can open or close the doorway of communication.

Be aware of unique personal habits. (I recently interviewed a client who had a very annoying, sucking-sound laugh, which she offered approximately every 30 seconds. She was totally taken aback when I mentioned it and was genuinely unaware of its effect.)

Words make up only 7 percent of the communication process. The proper words can effectively communicate your message but only with proper body language and tone of voice.

Do not be uncomfortable with silence. Experienced interviewers may purposely allow silence to see how you respond. Use the silence to rehearse what you may want to offer or what you may want to ask.

Watch the overuse of “uh-huh” or filler words. I once coached a struggling salesman who seemed to think that controlling the conversation was an effective selling technique. Without drawing attention to it, I counted his saying “basically” 19 times in a 3-minute period. He had allowed this 1 word to be used as a quick filler anytime his mind was momentarily blank. Trust me; silence is better than the obnoxious overuse of a filler word.

Smile. Few things convey pleasantness, enthusiasm, and comfort like a smile. Successful people smile a lot. People who frown are not perceived as happy, productive professionals.

Be pleasant and outgoing. Do not attempt to take over the interview but respond easily and spontaneously to questions.

Show self-confidence. Fidgeting, nervousness, glancing down, not accepting compliments, and self-deprecating statements all convey poor self-confidence.

Do not run down former employers or coworkers. Prepare positive reasons for leaving any former position.

Show sincere interest in the company and the interviewer. Remember, your task is to sell yourself to the interviewer, not to just convince them you are the best candidate for the position.

Know your résumé thoroughly. Be prepared to elaborate on part of it. Keep in mind that you are selling yourself in the interview process. Effective salespeople know their product, conduct research to determine their customer’s needs, and use that knowledge to sell their product. During the interview, the employer or company is the customer and you take on the role of the salesperson. Just as products do not sell themselves, neither do job candidates.

Note: Much of this may sound like a very old-fashioned approach to interviewing—conservative dress, watching posture, not chewing gum, etc. And it is! We are seeing a return to the embracing of these and other “traditional” values. Many companies are discontinuing “casual days” and are encouraging a more professional look. The casualness of recent years has backfired in lowering customer confidence. So in the interviewing process you can tip the scale in your favor by leaning toward the conservative side.

The interviewer may initiate some small talk about non-controversial matters. Many times the interviewer will find something on your résumé to talk about. Warm-up topics may include weather, sports, or one of your hobbies. The purpose of this warm-up is to help you feel relaxed and to develop a comfortable atmosphere, so you will speak freely and spontaneously about yourself. Remember, however, that from the first instant, you are being evaluated, even if you are not covering issues pertinent to the position.

The question-and-answer section usually takes up approximately 75 percent of the interview process. The candidate is asked to review her qualifications as presented on the résumé. (Remember that anything presented on the résumé is fair game, so be ready to discuss it. Thus, it’s important to have on your résumé only items that are sales tools for where you want to go.) After questions about your qualifications and skills, the interviewer will provide you with information about the company. Ideally, you then will be given an opportunity to ask questions. By all means, have 4 to 5 questions ready to ask. The questions you ask may create more of an impression than how you answered the previous ones.

The following are some sample interview questions. Write out your answers to these questions; just thinking about them is not sufficient preparation for the actual answering. Writing your answers will help you be more comfortable handling the same or similar questions in the interview. Remember, the interview is not just a formality since the interviewer has seen your great résumé; the interview is the most important part of the whole process. Prepare a 1- to 2-minute response to each question. If you take longer than that, the interviewer may feel you are taking control of the interview.

2. What are your greatest strengths? What are 3 characteristics that would make you a good candidate for this position?

5. What have been some of your most significant accomplishments? Were you able to achieve those accomplishments?

6. What have you done that has contributed to increased sales, profits, efficiency, etc.?

7. What types of situations frustrate you? What are your weaknesses? What have you attempted and failed to accomplish?

8. What are you looking for in a new position? Why do you want this job? What do you find attractive about this position?

10. What important changes or trends do you see in this industry? How do you think those changes will affect the way we succeed in this company?

11. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our company? What are the areas in which you would need more training? Do you feel you may be overqualified or too experienced for this position?

12. What do you look for in a supervisor? Describe the relationship that should exist between a supervisor and his employee. What do you see as your most difficult task as a manager? What is your management style?

13. Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team? Are you better working with things, people, or ideas? Are you better at creating or doing?

14. Describe an ideal working environment. In your last position, what were the things you liked most/least? How do you handle pressure and deadlines?

15. Where, on your list of priorities, does your job fall? What kind of things outside of work do you enjoy? What magazines do you like to read? Name 3 books you have read in the last year. Are you achieving personal goals you have set?

16. Where would you like to be 5 years from now? What would you expect to be earning 5 years from now? Are you continuing your education? How are you staying current with changes in this industry?

18. What does a typical weekend consist of for you? What do you do to relieve boredom?

19. What other kinds of positions have you been looking at? If we do not select you for this position, would you be interested in another (office, sales, administrative, etc.) position with this company? How does this job compare with others for which you have interviewed? What makes this job different from your current/last one?

20. Why should we choose you for this position? What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?

Make sure you are ready with 4 to 5 questions. Even if the interviewer has answered everything you need to know, it will make you appear more interested and more knowledgeable if you ask a few questions.

→Have You Always Been This Fat?>

A London travel agent wanted to set up a coffee bar for his staff. He wrote a help wanted ad that read: “We require a friendly person with a flair for preparing fresh sandwiches and making soups for a team that deserves simple but special lunches.”

The local job center refused to run the ad as written. The travel agency owner was informed that he couldn’t advertise for a “friendly” catering manager because “that would discriminate against applicants not lucky enough to have that sort of personality.”

We know that 85 percent of a person’s success in the workplace is due to personal skills and only 15 percent is due to technical skills. Interviewers do look at personal traits, even if they resist asking some of the questions they’d like to. Here are some tricky ones that may surprise you.

When was the last time you used illegal drugs? An employer may ask applicants about current and prior illegal use of drugs. An individual who is currently using illegal drugs is not protected under the American Disabilities Act. For example, an employer may ask an applicant: “Do you currently use illegal drugs? Have you ever used illegal drugs? What illegal drugs have you used in the last 6 months?”

How old are you? This is an illegal question. However, it is lawful to ask, “What year did you graduate from high school?” A little simple math ought to provide any desired information regarding the age issue.

What are your family plans? is another illegal question. But you can ask, “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?”

What church do you go to? What religion are you? No job-related considerations justify asking about religious beliefs or convictions unless your organization is a religious institution, in which case you may give preference to individuals of your own religion. But you can ask, “What’s a typical weekend consist for you?”

What is your height? What is your weight? The EEOC and the courts have ruled minimum height and weight requirements to be illegal if they screen out a disproportionate number of minority group individuals or women, and the employer cannot show that these standards are essential to the safe performance of a job in question.

In What Color Is Your Parachute? Richard Bolles says there are really only 5 critical questions that employers are dying to know:

4. What distinguishes you from 19 other people who can do the same tasks that you can?

As companies return to interviewing processes that help them understand the whole person, some questions being asked may appear to be a little unusual. The questions may be designed to discover what you value, how you think, or just to see how you respond to a question without a clear answer.

2. Who else are you interviewing with, and how close are you to accepting an offer?

5. If I stood you next to a skyscraper and gave you a barometer, how could you figure out how tall the building was?

7. You have 2 containers; 1 holds 5 gallons, the other 3. You can have as much water as you want. Your task is to measure exactly 4 gallons of water into the 5-gallon container.

8. You wake up 1 morning and there’s been a power outage. You know you have 12 black socks and 8 blue ones. How many socks do you need to pull out before you’ve got a match?

Keep in mind any company is interested in hiring the whole person, not just your technical, administrative, computer, or sales skills.

In today’s marketplace, it is not enough to competently answer the interviewer’s questions. You would be well advised to have prepared 4 to 5 questions to ask when given the opportunity. People who ask questions appear brighter, more interested, and more knowledgeable.

3. What is the typical career path in this position? What is a realistic timeframe for advancement?

7. What kind of ongoing professional development programs are available to help me continue to grow?

8. Whom would I report to in this position? What can you tell me about that person’s management style?

13. Who will be this company’s major competitors over the next 5 years? How will this company maintain an advantage over them?

→Louder Than Words>

We are seeing an increasing creativity in interviewing today. Many interviewers have a favorite question: “Why are manhole covers round? How many barbers are there in Chicago? If you could be an animal, what would it be?” Some interviewers are big on nonverbal clues. J. C. Penney was famous for taking potential hires out to breakfast. If the interviewee put salt and pepper on his food before tasting it, the interview was over. Mr. Penney believed that such actions revealed a person who made decisions before he had all the evidence.

Jeff O’Dell of August Technology often asks candidates out to lunch and suggests that they drive. “How organized someone’s car is is an amazing indicator of how organized the rest of their life is,” he says. O’Dell believes that the best job candidates not only will have clean cars—“no Slim-Fast cans or tennis balls rolling around in the backseat”—but will also excel at casual conversation in a restaurant. “It’s a way to learn the personal side of things—whether they have a family, [whether] they smoke, etc.” that doesn’t come out in the formal interview.

Dave Hall doesn’t mind making candidates a little more nervous than they already are. Hall, a principal at Search Connection, likes to place want ads that list his company’s name but not its phone number; he wants only candidates who’ll bother to look the number up. When he’s not entirely sure about candidates after their interviews, he instructs them to call him to follow up—and then doesn’t return their first 3 calls. He says he’s looking for employees who’ll persist through a million no-thank-yous in making recruiting calls.

As you prepare to leave, stand up straight and tall, shake hands, and then pick up your notebook. Make sure the exiting handshake is strong. Practice what you are going to say. Don’t be afraid to ask what the next step will be. Have a closing well rehearsed. Ask, “What will be the next step? When can I expect a decision to be made? May I call you on Thursday?” Keep your body oriented toward the interviewer even as you are leaving. Continue to make eye contact until you turn to exit. Do not ask about salary and benefits at this time. Summarize your qualifications. Also, state whether you do or do not still want the job. Use this wrap-up as a time to show the interviewer that you have listened and heard what has been said about the company and the position. Make a closing statement that ties in all the information you have obtained from the interview.

Very few people receive offers after a first interview. Therefore, it is very important that you initiate your own follow-up with the interviewer. Your persistence and initiative may be the one small difference in making you the candidate of choice.

Nine out of 10 candidates still do not follow up on their interviews. The follow-up letter provides you with a great opportunity to once again put your name at the top of the candidate pool. The thank-you or follow-up letter is to express appreciation for the time of the interviewer and to confirm your interest in the position. It will also help the interviewer remember you clearly and demonstrate your professionalism and writing skills. Remember that with the introduction letter, cover letter and résumé, phone follow-up, interview, and now the follow-up letter, you have created 5 contact points with the person making the decision. Your name will be hard to forget.

Mention in the letter that you will keep in touch and indicate on what day you will make your first call. For example, “I will check back with you on Tuesday, August 23, to see if you require any additional information.” Mail the follow-up letter no later than the next day following the interview.

Continue to make follow-up contacts every 4 to 5 days following an interview until a decision has been made. Having invested your time in the interview, you have earned the right to know what decisions have been made. Decisions are frequently made slowly in any organization. Don’t be too quick to assume you are not being considered. Your persistent follow-up may ultimately make you the candidate of choice.

2. Does knowing that interviewing means “to see about each other” make it more comfortable to ask for information about the company and the position?

3. Are you aware of any personal habits or annoying filler words that may be part of your personal presentation?

5. What are some unusual questions you know of that have been asked of you or others in an interviewing situation? (You only have to pull out 3 socks to be guaranteed a match. And there’s really no accurate way to know how many barbers there are in Chicago. It’s just one of those questions designed to see how you approach a difficult task.)

7. Would you ever take a position even if you knew it was not a good fit for you?