Other than actually landing the interview itself and living
through it, waiting after the interview and wondering whether
you will get a phone call or a rejection letter can be one of
the most difficult aspects of searching for a job. What you do
after the interview should actually start while you are still
‘working’ the interview.
Prior to leaving make sure that you have noted the name of the
person or persons who interviewed you. This will come in handy
later for a number of purposes. Also, do make sure that you
shake hands once again with your interviewer and thank them for
taking the time to meet with you. Also, it’s not out of line to
ask when they expect to be making a decision. This gives you a
timeline to go by.
Always be sure to send a thank-you letter. This practice not
only demonstrates good social etiquette but it also helps to
keep you and your skills fresh in the mind of the interviewer.
On some occasions an interviewer already has an idea by the time
the interviews are completed who they will be calling to offer
the job; however on many more occasions they still remain unsure
who will be awarded that coveted slot. Sometimes they want a
little time to ‘sleep’ on the decision or they may need to
consult supervisors or others within their organization
regarding the hiring decision. If a decision has not already
been reached in the mind of the employer when all of the
interviews have been completed, taking the time to send a
thank-you letter can go a long way toward making sure you don’t
get lost in the shuffle.
While it’s a good idea to send a polite thank you note to the
person who interviewed you it is not a good idea to pester that
person to no end. The only result you are likely to achieve
through this strategy is alienating yourself from them and
assuring that you won’t get the job. Although ‘don’t take no for
an answer’ is a strategy that many aggressive job coaches
recommend; it is still always best to observe polite social
standards.
That is not to say that you should sit by the phone and allow
several weeks to elapse, waiting, while you hear nothing and do
nothing. Ideally, your thank you letter should have gone out the
same day as the interview, no later than the following day. This
means that the interviewer should receive it within one to two
days following the initial interview.
Keep track of when the employer indicated a decision would be
made and if that time has come and gone, it is perfectly
permissible to go ahead and phone them. However; when you do
make the call, be polite. State your name, the date you
interviewed and the position for which you interviewed. You may
say that you are following up to inquire as to whether a
decision has been made.
At this point, the conversation can go a number of ways. The
employer may indicate that a decision has been made and all
candidates who were not selected will be receiving a letter in
the mail. If this is the response you receive, it is your cue
that you were not hired. Had you been, you would have received a
phone call from the employer by now.
Thank them for their times, ask them to keep you in mind for any
future vacancies and get off the line. Don’t burn any bridges.
It could be that there was simply a better qualified candidate
for that particular position, but they might consider you for a
different, future position.
On the other hand, the employer may state that they are still
reviewing resume, conducting interviews, etc, etc. This type of
response could mean a couple of different things. It could mean
that they really have made a decision and the person just
doesn’t feel comfortable telling you on the phone that you
weren’t selected or it could simply be taken at face value.
Perhaps something came up and their initial timeline has been
forced to be extended somewhat. In either case, always remain
polite and thank them for their time. After you end the call,
make a note of the date on your planner and set a tickler to
remind yourself to call back in a week if you still haven’t
heard anything. Call back once a week, every week until a
decision is made. Once a week is persistent; a trait which is to
be admired. Once a day is pesky; a trait that should be avoided
at all costs.
While it can be difficult to wait around after the interview,
the most important two things that you should do is not blow the
opportunity by annoying the employer with numerous pesky phone
calls and by all means do not show up announced at their office
door asking if they have arrived at a decision. Finally, make
sure that you don’t pin all your hopes on one job. Yes, it may
have been your first choice and your ideal dream job; however;
this is probably also true for someone else as well. Use the
time while you are waiting to hear back from the employer to
line up your ‘B’ plan. Continue job searching, scheduling
interviews and most importantly, reminding yourself that you can
do this.
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