Job Interview Essential: The Thank You Letter

When I was a corporate recruiter I would interview candidates for positions within the firm. I was amazed how few ever bothered to send a thank you letter after the interview.  Let me explain why it is always good to send a thank you letter after a job interview.

First,  it is likely that the company has identified only a few candidates to interview for the position. Therefore,  you can assume that the candidates selected for the interview will be almost equally in qualified.  Now let’s say that you are one of two finalists. Up to this point both candidates have sent a resume with a cover letter, possibly had a telephone interview and were brought in to meet with the hiring team. The company may be having a difficult time determining who will be the better candidate. At this point a well-timed thank you letter may be just the edge to help you get the offer.

As I said above, when I was working as a corporate recruiter I very seldom received a thank you letter. Please don’t think my ego was hurt. That’s not the point. My concerns were more scientific than that. First,  it says a lot about a person who recognizes and values of the interviewer’s time.  Also, it shows the candidate is interested, has good follow-through, and takes ownership of what they do.  When I’m in a situation where two candidates are virtually tied for the position, often the one who sends a thank you letter will get the job.

It would never be a decisive factor but it never hurt anyone’s chances either.

Two Magic Words

The companies a headhunter works for are politely called “Client Companies”

Sounds nice and business-like, doesn’t it?

Truth be told, a more accurate term would be “ravenous animals”.

Are you looking for a job at a “company”. (aka “ravenous animal”)

Then let me tell you what they are starving for: they are looking for folks who can come into their firm and quickly make a positive impact on their bottom line.

I don’t care about bad economic times, or even whether or not an actual opening exists.  I know this: anytime you can convincingly present yourself as a “bottom liner”  the prospective employer will instinctively eat you up. (That is try to hire you)

Now for the two magic words.

If you were my brother or sister and you were going in for an interview in two hours and you made no preparation for said interview I would tell you:

1. Present yourself as someone obsessed with bottom line improvement.

2. On your way to interview repeat to yourself in mantra-like fashion the following two magic words “can do”.

You must convince the prospective employer that:

“YOU ARE A VERY CONFIDENT PERSON WHO CAN DO ANYTHING”.

However you do it you must exhibit confidence.

That’s the secret, brother.

The Telephone Interview

When a company representative conducts a telephone interview with a prospective candidate,  it is important to remember that its main purpose is to eliminate you. Its purpose is to efficiently uncover “knock out” factors. Then politely terminate the call. The telephone interview saves the company tons of money so nowadays it’s wise for candidates to have some basic strategy or guidelines to help them clear this common hurdle. Here are some key points to keep in mind.

• During the course of the conversation you will be evaluated on the following:
• Your use of correct grammar and vocabulary
• A sense of ease and confidence
• Appropriate answers to questions and just as importantly ASKING thoughtful questions about company
• Your knowledge of the company
• I also recommend strongly that you use a “telephone interview worksheet”
• The worksheet is basically a sheet of paper with a line down the center. On the left are job requirements you extracted from the listing. On the right you enter specific accomplishments that demonstrate that you have the background to fulfill those requirements.
• Don’t wing it. Spend some time on this worksheet. Fumbling around for an answer on the phone is even worse than fumbling in person.

One last tip which only a small percentage of candidates actually do: at the conclusion of the telephone ask for the physical interview. (Assuming you think you are a match of course). Such a question at the end of the interview communicates interest, initiative, and gumption. All real positive things.