Our most recent blogs were devoted to an interview that took place on HBO’s Game of Thrones. This “interview” did not follow the standard interview process protocol, as the candidate got the job and started the job during the interview. This is great, but rarely, if ever, happens in the real world. In the real world, when an interview is wrapping up, a hiring manager will thank a candidate for coming in and meeting with them. The candidate will do the same. Then, the two part ways.
So, for the candidate, what now? How soon is too soon to reconnect with the hiring manager without “annoying” them? This is the subject of a great Forbes article, called 4 Non-Annoying Ways to Follow Up After an Interview. In the article, they outline the steps a candidate needs to take to keep on a hiring manager’s radar.
We have a couple of thoughts on a couple of these items:
Ask About Next Steps
This is an absolute must for every interview, and should be done before leaving the interview. Hiring managers will ask a candidate if they have any questions. Candidates should have a few questions ready to go, to show how interested they are in the position, and the “next steps” question should be one of them. Ask this at the end of the interview, as things are wrapping up. This lets the hiring manager know that the candidate is interested in the job.
Send That Thank You Note
We have discussed the all-important thank you note in a previous blog, with an anecdote about a thank you note that went bad. There are many different ideas on whether a thank you note should be handwritten (delivered personally or via the mail) or if an e-mail will suffice. It really depends on the hiring manager. If the hiring manager was toting around the newest iPhone, had a fancy laptop docked to two 30 inch Samsung monitors, and took the first opportunity to whip out a tablet to display some charts and/or graphs, then an e-mail will probably be just fine. Some hiring managers may prefer a written note, for a more personal touch. Regardless of the method, the most important thing is to make sure there are absolutely no errors in that note.
The article also discusses how often to “check in” if the process starts to drag. Hopefully they won’t, but some companies may take a long time in their hiring process. Being courteous and professional can go a long way in helping you land the job.
Hiregy is a professional recruiting and staffing agency located in Tampa and Orlando.
Keep up with Hiregy online at hiregy.com, and make sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.