ONCE THE JOB interview is over, you move on to the next step in the process for securing job offers. You are never the only qualified candidate for a job, and the better the job, the stiffer your competition is likely to be. On top of this, interviewers expect that a candidate who is interested in the job will make an effort to follow up on the interview in a professional manner.
THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION of every interview is a big stride toward getting job offers, yet it is not the end of your job search. Following up after your interviews isn’t being needy, it is being professional.
A company rarely hires the first competent person it sees. A hiring manager will sometimes interview as many as fifteen people for a particular job, but the strain and pace of conducting interviews naturally dim the memory of each applicant. Unless you are the last person to be interviewed, the impression you make will fade with each subsequent interview the interviewer undertakes. And if you are not remembered, you will not be offered the job. You must develop a strategy to keep your name and skills constantly in the forefront of the interviewer’s mind. These finishing touches often make all the difference.
Some of the suggestions here may not seem earth-shattering: just simple, sensible demonstrations of your manners, enthusiasm, and determination. But remember that today all employers are looking for people with that extra little something. You can avoid a negative or merely indifferent impression, and be certain of creating a positive one, by following these guidelines.