After the Job Interview: What's Next?

Okay, you did it!  You retrieved that perfect black or navy-blue interview suit from your closet, or the "CareerWear" section of the one remaining department store at the mall, or the dry cleaner's; you got the trim at the local hair-cuts-R-Us, you spent hours on the net researching the company, you buffed your shoes until they shone, you called your references to let them know someone might be calling and to make sure they were okay with your listing them and their contact information, you removed the bright nail polish and replaced it with a neutral shade, you toned down your make-up or added just a touch of lipstick if you'd gotten out of the lipstick habit, you made sure that interview shirt or blouse was free of spots with a collar that was starched to perfection and no visible wrinkles, you practiced all the relaxation techniques you ever learned, and you spent some real quality time with the Video Interview Training feature at Gettinghired.com.  You arrived on time and made a wonderful impression.  As the interview was wrapping up, you remembered to summarize all your experience that conforms so perfectly to the requirements of the job you were interviewing for, and you asked your interviewer for an estimate of when the company might reach a decision.  You told him or her, or them in the case of a panel, that you would be calling to follow up in a few days (or whenever seems appropriate depending on their answer to that last question).  Now, the interview is over and all you need to do is wait for that all-important call...  Or is there something else?

Actually, there is, and the interview follow-up may be nearly as important as the job interview itself.  Once you've gotten back home and taken those all-important cleansing breaths, once you've kicked off your interview shoes and called the important people in your life to let them know how it went, you'll need to spend a little more time following up.

Send a thank you letter.  Your great aunt Sally was right when she stressed the importance of writing and sending thank you notes, and it's particularly important to send such a note after a potential employer has taken the time to get to know you and consider your application for an available job.  You might think about the way you have been communicating with Human Resources or the company's interview team when considering just how to send the thank you note.  For example, if you've been back-and-forthing via e-mail, it seems perfectly acceptable to e-mail your thank you note, but sending a nicely word-processed letter that will arrive, within a maximum of a day or two, in your interviewer's snail-mail box is also a perfectly acceptable approach.  Faxing a thank you note seems rather cursory and is likely to be the least desirable delivery method for your letter.  If more than one person interviewed you, then write a separate note for each person, and send each one separately.

Several online career advice web sites whom I consulted suggested that if you word process your thank you note (an obvious choice for those of us who cannot produce readable hand-writing or whose hand-writing is illegible), then the color of the ink used for the note should match that of the resume you submitted earlier.  Others suggest that the paper or note card that you choose to use should be nicer, i.e., heavier and less glossy, than the cheaper copy paper so many of us choose for stocking our home printers.

If you e-mail your thank you note(s), remember to spell check and if grammar is not one of your strengths, then grammar check as well.  Do not address your e-mail to one person on your interview panel and then cc everyone else; send a separate note to everyone with whom you met.

As for what to say, the best advice I've seen is to keep it short, keep it simple, and make it sincere.  You may want to say something like this:

Dear Ms. [Interviewer]:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today, [Month Day, Year].  I enjoyed meeting you and learning about the employment opportunity which we discussed.  I am pleased to discover that my skills and experience are such a great match for the job responsibilities you outlined during our discussion.

As I indicated, I am available to begin working for [Name of Company] as soon as [Date].  I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]

Use the business-letter format you learned back in the fourth grade, beginning with your mailing address and today's date on the left margin at the top of your word-processed letter; followed by the company's name two lines below, Attention:  Interviewer and Title, below that

And The company's address on the last line above the salutation, which should follow after you skip one blank line.

If you've decided to include or attach any additional, relevant documents, for example, writing samples or letters of reference which you mentioned during the course of your interview, remember to note the "Enclosures:"  in the body of your note, and two lines below your signature, or, if you're e-mailing your thank you note, remember to attach the attachments!

Mail your notes and wait.  Remember to keep breathing and to keep right on looking for other job opportunities while you are waiting for that call back.

After a couple of days, maybe three, or on the date by which your interviewer told you the company should have reached a decision, pick up the phone and call your interviewer back.  Here's a suggested script (but remember, make it your own!):

Hello, Ms. [Interviewer].  This is [Your Name].  I met with you last [Day] and we discussed [the specific job].  I'm calling to ask if you have made a decision yet about filling the position, and to find out if you have any more questions for me.

If you got the job, then thank the person on the other side of the phone call, and begin asking questions about next steps.  After you say good-bye, do the dance of joy!

If the company is still in the midst of deciding, then tell Ms. [Interviewer] that you will call back in a couple of days, or ask when it will be convenient for you to call back.

If you didn't get the job, then realize that something better is waiting for you.  Thank Ms. [Interviewer] and express an interest in any future opportunities that may be coming up when the recession is no longer the focus of our existence.

Don't lose heart.  You have great skills and an indomitable spirit.  The way you have dealt with your disability and your life circumstances is so illustrative of that! Keep right on looking.  Send that interview suit to the cleaner's again and update your resume with anything you wish you had included this last time.  Look around for opportunities for volunteering or interning in the field that captures your interest or sign up for some relevant training online or at your local community college.  Keep on keeping on, and know that your efforts and your determination will be rewarded.